If you’ve ruled out everything we’ve mentioned so far and still suspect that your problems are caused by diet, think about the following. Ragweed Relatives. Sunflower seeds and chamomile tea are members of the same plant family as ragweed and chrysanthemums. If you’re allergic to ragweed, you could very well develop an allergy to those foods.

Iodine. As a nutrient, iodine is an essential mineral that prevents goiter. But 1 to 3 percent of the population happens to be allergic to high levels of iodine in the diet over a period of time. Iodine itself isn’t an allergen in the strict sense. Rather, iodine molecules are ”happens” – a chemical that attaches itself to a protein which then triggers the reaction.

For a small number of people, eating a lot of iodine rich foods – such as kelp, sea fish or iodized salt – can trigger or aggravate acne, aczema and other skin reactions. Iodine sensitive people may also have to avoid other, unsuspected sources of iodine: certain drugs and food additives, dairy foods processed with equipment cleaned with iodine solutions and commercial breads with iodine containing dough conditioners.

Alcohol. If you get a hangover from wine but not vodka, you could be allergic to grapes, but not grain. If you’re allergic to grains such as wheat and corn, a few sips of bourbon or other types of whiskey may make you feel positively dreadful. And since alcoholic beverages are fermented with yeast, all liquor spells trouble if you’re allergic to yeast.

In other words, if you’re allergic to a food, don’t drink alcoholic beverages made from it. Specific additives contained in many alcoholic beverages are listed in the book Chemicals Additive in Bronze, available for $4.95 from the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Dept. NA, 1755 S St. NW, Washington, DC 20009.

Aside from its origin, though, alcohol on any kinds tends to be a problem for the people with allergies. Alcohol worsen foods allergies of any kind by dilating blood vessels and by speeding up the absorption of foods into the bloodstream. One physician told us about a woman who usually tolerated shrimp quite well – unless she had a cocktail or wine with dinner, in which case she suffered from hives, facial swelling and diarrhea.

Sugar. If you are allergic to grains and grasses, cane sugar may trigger allergy. If you’re allergic to corn, you could also be allergic to corn sugar. The same goes for cane and corn molasses. (other people are allergic to beat sugar.) the problem is that food labels don’t always tell you what sort of sugar or molasses you’re getting.

”Sugar labeling is notoriously inadequate,” commented Dr. Theron Randolph. ”And processed foods tend to contain all three types – cane, corn and beat – in a liquid blend.” To avoid a sugar allergy problem, Dr. Randolph continued, ”prepared desserts at home so you know what you’re getting.”

From the standpoint of allergy, honey is a relatively safe substitute for sugar since few people are allergic to it (The American Academy of Pediatrics says that children under six months, however, shouldn’t eat honey because it's been blamed for some cases of infant botulism, a severe form of food poisoning).

Once in a blue moon, buckwheat honey may be a problem for those sensitive to buckwheat, or orange blossom honey for those sensitive to citrus. Pure maple syrup is also safe. Saccharin however, is out. Not only is strongly suspected of causing cancer, but as a coal tar product saccharin has been known to cause allergy.

Coffee. Doctors such as Theron Randolph feel that coffee should be eliminate entirely if an allergic person is to find any relief at all from food allergies. The caffeine alone will make your heart race, your blood pressure climb, your nerves jangle and your kidneys and adrenal glands work overtime – allergies or no.

Switching to decaffeinated brew may not help. Some doctors report that certain people are allergic to the chemicals used to remove caffeine from coffee beans. Which just goes to show that coffee, like any processed food, has its share of additives and pesticide residues.

To add fuel to the fire, most coffee beans are roasted with gas heat – a growing source of allergy problems. And coffee drinkers tend to take their brew several times a day, every day – a sure sign of allergic addiction. Add it all up, and it comes as no surprise that coffee wreaks havoc with so many allergy diets.

Cola drinks and other soft drinks, which also contain caffeine, can aggravate allergy. So can chocolate. Your wiset step is to wean yourself not only from coffee, but its cousins, too.

Chocolate. Just what is it about chocolate that puts it on so many allergist’s blacklists? For one thing, chocolate candy, sauces, icings, puddings and cakes are full sugar, which may cause problems on its own, as we’ve just mentioned. But there’s more to chocolate’s bad reputation than sugar.

One doctor in particular – Joseph H. Fries, M.D., affiliated with Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn, New York – feels that the many additives that embellish chocolate are the real culprits (Annals of Allergy, October, 1978). Even ”pure” chocolate is a highly complex product. Like coffee, it contains methylxanthines and other drug-like substances.

Plus it’s loaded with phenylethylamine, a substance that produces a giddy response comparable to an amphetamine high. If you are truly allergic to chocolate, you’ll also have to be careful to avoid its close relatives – not only cocoa, but cola and karaya gum (often listed as ”vegetable gum”).

Luckily, nature has given us carob – a dark, sweet powder that can be substituted for chocolate. Carob powder and carob snack can easily be found in all health food stores and many supermarkets.