Can I Eat Lobster or Other Shellfish with a Seafood Allergy?
Can I Eat Lobster or Other Shellfish with a Seafood Allergy? When I was younger, I was told I was allergic to shrimp after I had some severe reactions, and I’ve avoided seafood ever since. Do I still need to avoid other shellfish, such as crabs and lobster? Answer: All shellfish are closely related, and they all include similar allergy-causing proteins called “tropomyosins.” This is especially true of shellfish that are in the same family. (There are two main families of edible shellfish: crustaceans, which include shrimp, lobsters, crabs and crayfish, and mollusks, which include oysters, scallops, clams and mussels.) There is a high probability that anyone who is allergic to one type of shellfish is allergic to most or all types of shellfish in the same family. There is also a decent probability that they are allergic to types in the other family. Don’t try to taste different types of seafood to see if you can tolerate them if you’ve already determined that you’re allergic to one kind
