Of all the food-allergies, avoiding mold in food is probably one of the easiest to follow.
There are two aspects to following a mold-free diet:
- Avoid foods that are made with cultured molds.
- Avoid foods that have become moldy.
Foods Made with Mold
The tradition of making food with mold is long, but not wide. The following foods are made with mold:
- Cheeses (not all cheeses)
- Tempeh
- pu-erh tea (low-quality, quickly aged only)
- Sausages (some types)
- Sake (see comment below)
Note: this list is not complete. As I conduct on-going research, I will update the list. Please add a comment if you can suggest missing foods.
Cheese and Mold
Cheese is primarily milk (cow, goat, sheep etc.) that has had a controlled bacterial process. Bacteria is not mold, so a cheese that uses bacteria only is safe for a mold-free diet.
Some types of cheese depend on mold to give them their character. Blue cheese is a typical example.
Moldy Food
Improperly stored food, or food that has been kept for too long could become moldy.
Mold requires humidity to grow, so humid, dark conditions are perfect for spoiling food. Food kept in the fridge will take much longer to become moldy.
You can recognize moldy food by the “fur” growing on the surface. By then it has been moldy for some time. The “fur” is the fruiting body of the mold. Before you see the furry bits, the mold has already established itself in the food.
Depending on the type of food, it may be safe to cut out the mold and eat the rest. In general, you can safely cut out mold in fruits and vegetables and then eat them. Most molds that grow on fruits and vegetables are not particularly dangerous, although they could make you feel quite sick, and certainly if you are allergic to mold, moldy food can cause an allergic reaction.
Moldy meat should be discarded as this is a real health hazard.
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Do raisins contain mold and sulfites, I have an allergy to mold that we breath, would I also be allergic consuming foods that naturally have mold like raisins, dried cranberries, thank you.
How about vinegar, yeast, dried fruit, and smoked meat and fish. This is according to the mayo clinic.