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Might be a dumb question but I have a grass allergy, should I avoid grass fed meat and other grass fed?

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I'm interested in this. Should people with peanut allergies not eat elephants? – peter May 18 2012 at 11:24

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Might be a good question to ask your doc. I dont think you would have a problem but better safe than sorry. You could always try a little and see how it goes, as long as your allergy is not the severe kind that will send you to the er.

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You are not what you eat, and neither are the cattle or the sheep that eventually end up on your plate.

You're probably allergic to grass pollen rather than grass itself, none of which would survive the digestion and storage process in which the grass is basically converted into fat and protein in the animal.

The point about grass fed meat is that it is the cow (or sheeps) evolutionary diet, and therefore requires less human intervention (corn fed cattle need antibiotics for example). The animals tend be less fatty that grain-fed animals, and less rich in omega-6 fats, which most of us need to minimise.

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Not true, cows actually have liquefied grass instead of blood. And, I once ate a rabbit, and now I'm part rabbit. – peter May 18 2012 at 9:20
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If that's true then I'm eating horse penis for lunch. – borofergie May 18 2012 at 10:59
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@borofergie - Lol! It doesn't matter what context I hear that comment, it makes me laugh every time. By the way, horse penis... SUPER PALEO! – peter May 18 2012 at 11:18
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Dude, I so wish I could give you more than 1 up vote for that comment. – peter May 18 2012 at 11:26
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Good question! I'm allergic to corn so corn fed chicken, which is very yellow in color, will make me very sick. So I check with your doctor. I'm guessing you've never 'consumed' grass before so its more a seasonal allergy? might not affect you the same, but I'd check first and proceed with caution to be safe!

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I once tried Spirulina (didn't know it was Grass) and got a big reaction from it. In spring and summer I get itchy and runny nose due to My Grass allergy. I have been eating Grass fed for a while and no really issues apart from My usual daily acne breakouts and tiredness. But have thought about the question before – Lost and found May 18 2012 at 11:07
Um... Spirulina is NOT a grass, though the mix may have also contained wheat grass, which IS a grass. Spirulina is a blue-green algae, and pure spirulina should not trigger a grass allergy. – Firestorm May 18 2012 at 13:55
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People do claim to react to soy and corn-fed animals, but I'm not sure they're not just simply gullible and suffer from placebo-type effects more often than the general population. I wouldn't expect proteins to make it into circulation and incorporated whole into tissues, but other small biogenic molecules (fat-soluble phytonutrients) may be absorbed directly and shuttled into fat. It all depends what part you're allergic to perhaps.

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I can tell you that I absolutely react to soy in both chickens and eggs, and have had a positive histamine and IgE response to both items during testing. However, there's a difference with soy, because soy components may remain intact when digested, and can pass through the intestine directly into the bloodstream. See the following link: etd.ohiolink.edu/view.cgi/… – Firestorm May 18 2012 at 14:27
Isoflavones, yes, aren't going broken down in the gut and likely directly absorbed. Proteins are not. – Matt May 18 2012 at 15:49
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If people with corn allergies can have sensitivity to eggs or meat from corn feed animals and breast feed infants can be sensitive to what their mother's eat... Why is her question being belittled. I do not have a grass allergy ( at least that I know of) and have bloating and gas after eating grass fed meat which is why I am looking into this topic. If mercury content of some fish etc. Obviously components get passed along and who exactly knows how much of each specific thing gets passsed along. If I had a severe peanut allergy I would not eat elephant for that reason, sure it would not kill me but could give me gas bloating, rash etc.

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I would say try it, but I have a terrible grass and pollen allergy and have never had a problem. I think it would be extremely unlikely and rare. The worst for me is actually certain greens that give me an itchy pallet, in particular nettles. My little bro used to get a bit of eczema after eating lots of soy fed chicken eggs, so I see the logic behind this question.

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And when you are trying it, be aware of the nocebo effect. You could give yourself a reaction if you are expecting one. – JeJ Aug 20 at 16:48
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My daughter is extremely allergic to ragweed and other grasses. When these grasses are in high season, she cannot eat any fruits or vegetables that have cross pollinated with these grasses. I had never event considered that eating grass fed beef might cause a problem, but it most definitely did. (I will say that she has eaten grass fed beef off-season, and been fine). She ate a grass fed beef burger one afternoon--nothing else--and went outside. Shortly thereafter, she came inside having trouble breathing, her palms, underarms, torso, and soles of feet were red and extremely itchy. She proceeded to start vomitting violently as well. Basically, she was having an extreme allergic reaction to the grass fed beef. Her allergist suggested that it was most likely the grass fed beef and suggested she stay away from it during allergy season. Very strange indeed.

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It's the veggies and beef, but not the going outside? – Matt Apr 1 at 15:57

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