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Tick bite meat allergy

Ray Hooker

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
No
So we willl hiking the last part of the Camino Frances, Sarria to Santiago in early September. My wife and I are actually allergic to mammalian meat (e.g., beef, lamb, pork). I also that this problem has been cropping up in Spain, primarily in Galicia (article below but also recently in El Mundo and El Pais). So my question is advice on food that will be safe. It is important not to have cross contamination with for example beef or lamb products. I gather it may be possible that some breads are being made with pork fat (manteca de cerdo).

We are contacting our tour provider to make sure our breakfasts are safe but need advice on lunch and dinner options. Thoughts and advice?



 
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So we willl hiking the last part of the Camino Frances, Sarria to Santiago in early September. My wife and I are actually allergic to mammalian meat (e.g., beef, lamb, pork). I also that this problem has been cropping up in Spain, primarily in Galicia (article below but also recently in El Mundo and El Pais). So my question is advice on food that will be safe. It is important not to have cross contamination with for example beef or lamb products. I gather it may be possible that some breads are being made with pork fat (manteca de cerdo).

We are contacting our tour provider to make sure our breakfasts are safe but need advice on lunch and dinner options. Thoughts and advice?



I need to point out that we have no trouble with dairy including eggs, milk and cheese. It is just the actual meat and especially the fat of mammal meats like lard.
 
Buen Camino! The Spanish and all things vegetarian have vastly improved though you may still find a chorizo floating in what is listed as vegetable soup or ham in your salad. A copy paste from another entry:
"However, meat is a big thing in the average Spanish menu and it is not always easy to maintain a vegetarian diet. Even vegetable soups and stews are often made with meat stock. Salads are common and quite good, though often include tuna, so you may need to request a vegetables-only salad. The Spanish tortilla, a potato and egg omelet, makes a good addition for those who eat eggs. If ordering a set menu, you can often substitute two starters (for example, a salad and soup, or salad and pasta) rather than a starter and a meat-laden main course." Do consider, how well were the pots/pans/skillets washed between preparing courses?
Should you decide to prepare your own meals in an albergue same goes, give everything you use a good scrubbing before cooking.
There are now many restaurants offering vegetarian/vegan food use the search window to find listings recommendations and lists.
 
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I haven't gone on my Camino yet (leave tomorrow!) but understand food allergy challenges. I made sure to learn the Spanish names of the problem foods, and made a graphic showing them, just in case. Be sure to have emergency medication in case of reaction! (I have no knowledge of tick bite/meat issues; this is just general food allergy stuff of course.)
 
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- but isn´t the precondition that this allergy occurence to meat is caused by a number of people having been bitten by ticks ( not specified) in the first place...??
Not that you will get allergy by eating certain meat products !?
 
Welcome, Ray.
One thing to be especially careful with an Alpha-gal allergy is the hidden sources of meat protein and fats in broths and soups/stews. In Spain, all the overt ingredients may be vegetable, but the broth base may NOT be.
I have no idea about breads, having always assumed it was animal-free.

If you can buy lunch makings yourself, you can be assured of safety - by (for example) buying your bread at a panaderia, where you can ask directly about the presence or absence of lard. And of course buying what you can easily eat.

Eating at a restaurant is more complicated. I'd suggest writing and laminating a card saying simply that you are allergic to beef, pork, and lamb - including meat-sourced substances such as lard (and gelatin?), as well as what you said about cross-contamination).

Buen (allergy-free!) camino!
 
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For sure many pastries in Spain are made with lard - animal fat. Cheaper ones are made with industrial hydrogenated fat.
I wasn’t aware that plain bread contained animal fat but it’s possible. The dark breads in Galicia are supposed to be flour (mixed white and dark flour), water, starter (contains yeast, and potentially some milk fat - but AFAIK not meat fat), salt, olive oil. Who knows what goes into the supermarket bread. My advice would be to eat only bread from bakeries that produce it on site - and speak to the baker him/herself to confirm the ingredients.
 
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In Melide I met a young woman in Pulpería Ezekiel restaurant with this allergy. We didn't get into specifics as to how she was avoiding meat products, but it was near the end of the Camino and she was thriving, and enjoying the pulpo.
 
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Fascinating. A couple of years ago I was tick bit on Camino and had Lyme's. which was eradicated but I developed post Lymes's for six months or so, part of which was that my appetite disappeared, I could only eat tiny amounts of food - was rather good for me as I lost over 40 pounds and was happy that I did, but I have never heard before of a particular allergy to red meat from tick bite.

If you have not been tick bit I wonder if you are in the US? I have noticed that some Americans with allergies have posted on here in the past that they improved in Spain ... did you know that American meat is illegal in the UK and the EU? (As is Australian beef). Because of what our science tells us are poisonous hormone additives and similar, so if American I am wondering if you may be allergic to what is in your meat rather than the meat itself - please note: this is not a suggestion that you break your diet!! nor is it anything but me wondering.

Cross contamination will happen, especially in small cafebars on Camino .. why, even Mcdonald fries have meat fat in them. You may be best served by going for a vegetarian diet, eating fresh food only, with the addition of tinned safe items such as tuna .. even chicken could be cooked in other meat oil.

Quite a pleasant diet really, wide range of dairy, including cheeses, fish, salads, fruit .. oh, bread - you can buy prepackaged bread as well as various types of packaged dried bread sticks and halves in supermarkets - I only mention this as they have the ingredients on the package, so you could carry 'safe' bread with you.

Buen Camino
 
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If you have not been tick bit I wonder if you are in the US? I have noticed that some Americans with allergies have posted on here in the past that they improved in Spain ... did you know that American meat is illegal in the UK and the EU? (As is Australian beef). Because of what our science tells us are poisonous hormone additives and similar, so if American I am wondering if you may be allergic to what is in your meat rather than the meat itself - please note: this is not a suggestion that you break your diet!! nor is it anything but me wondering.
This is quite a serious allergy and has nothing to do with the way the animals are raised, hormones, etc. It is an allergy to a specific molecule found in mammalian meat.


 
- but isn´t the precondition that this allergy occurence to meat is caused by a number of people having been bitten by ticks ( not specified) in the first place...??
Not that you will get allergy by eating certain meat products !?
Definitely true that eating the meat in that region is not a problem. Both my wife and I already have the condition.. I was diagnosed in 2008 and my wife in 2010, actually before they discovered the connection to ticks. It is actually comforting that they may be aware of the issue, since they have been reporting on it in the Spanish news in the last year. Reading their experience and learning about specific foods that may be made with lard or other mammal meat products is certainly helpful. I very appreciate
For sure many pastries in Spain are made with lard - animal fat. Cheaper ones are made with industrial hydrogenated fat.
I wasn’t aware that plain bread contained animal fat but it’s possible. The dark breads in Galicia are supposed to be flour (mixed white and dark flour), water, starter (contains yeast, and potentially some milk fat - but AFAIK not meat fat), salt, olive oil. Who knows what goes into the supermarket bread. My advice would be to eat only bread from bakeries that produce it on site - and speak to the baker him/herself to confirm the ingredients.
I saw the comment about choosing bread from bakeries in the interviews with Olya, one of the locals in Galicia who is affected and has to sort through the options. Thanks for tips and comments on the local breads.
 
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Fascinating. A couple of years ago I was tick bit on Camino and had Lyme's. which was eradicated but I developed post Lymes's for six months or so, part of which was that my appetite disappeared, I could only eat tiny amounts of food - was rather good for me as I lost over 40 pounds and was happy that I did, but I have never heard before of a particular allergy to red meat from tick bite.

If you have not been tick bit I wonder if you are in the US? I have noticed that some Americans with allergies have posted on here in the past that they improved in Spain ... did you know that American meat is illegal in the UK and the EU? (As is Australian beef). Because of what our science tells us are poisonous hormone additives and similar, so if American I am wondering if you may be allergic to what is in your meat rather than the meat itself - please note: this is not a suggestion that you break your diet!! nor is it anything but me wondering.

Cross contamination will happen, especially in small cafebars on Camino .. why, even Mcdonald fries have meat fat in them. You may be best served by going for a vegetarian diet, eating fresh food only, with the addition of tinned safe items such as tuna .. even chicken could be cooked in other meat oil.

Quite a pleasant diet really, wide range of dairy, including cheeses, fish, salads, fruit .. oh, bread - you can buy prepackaged bread as well as various types of packaged dried bread sticks and halves in supermarkets - I only mention this as they have the ingredients on the package, so you could carry 'safe' bread with you.

Buen Camino
This isn't medical advice is it??????? 😉 But in this case I think it is really good advice.
 
There are a few pockets of moderately rural stops the last 100km. I think it’s those places where you will have to “bring” your own food. I really like the suggestion of a laminated sheet translated to state no meat product, no lard, clean cooking pan and utensils and all requirements. I’d also like to suggest carrying some tuna in a tin and bread at all times so you have something as an alternative.
 

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