Kenneth Todd’s life changed around three years ago, when an alpha-gal syndrome diagnosis forced the western Kentucky restaurant owner to make major changes to his diet.
No longer able to eat beef or pork – two common ingredients in American and southern cuisine that cause allergic reactions for many with the condition – he even said he gets sick if food is prepared with beef tallow or other products sourced from mammals.
Even though his wife joined along in cutting out red meat from her diet, Todd said learning to live with alpha-gal syndrome was not an easy adjustment.
“People say, ‘So what? You can’t eat beef. You can’t eat red meat no more.’ There’s a lot more to it than that,” Todd said. “It affects you mentally as well, you know, not being able to eat red meat and your whole family, you know, everybody in my house [saying], ‘Papaw, you can’t eat that.'”
While meats like chicken, turkey and fish are safe foods for people with alpha-gal syndrome, Todd said those just weren’t quite hitting the spot for him. So he dived into research and found an exotic alternative that could potentially satisfy his craving for red meat: ostrich.
Todd tracked down Alpha Roost Farms, a Kentucky operation raising ostriches around 200 miles away from his restaurant, and ordered a few steaks to grill up at home. And he said it tasted so good, he knew he had to bring it to his customers at Papaw’s Poole Mill Restaurant.
“I think it’s better than beef,” Todd said. “I don’t think I’ll ever go back to eating a hamburger. I’ll just keep eating this.”
Todd said the ostrich burger has been a big draw to his restaurant in Poole – situated on the corner of the small Webster County town’s one stoplight – since he added it to the menu in August.
“I’ve had people come in from three, four hours away just to get an alpha-gal [friendly] burger, just to get an ostrich burger. It’s worked out good and it feels good to help somebody that’s in the same position I’m in,” Todd said.
How a tick bite could lead to red meat allergies
Alpha-gal syndrome is named for the carbohydrate that causes the allergic reaction. Galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose can be found in the cell structure of most mammals, including cows, pigs, sheep and deer. But humans don’t have this carbohydrate. So, when a person comes into contact with this alpha-gal molecule through tick bites, their body responds by producing antibodies to fight it.
When people with alpha-gal syndrome eat something like a beef cheeseburger or a pork chop, these antibodies treat the alpha-gal carbohydrate as a foreign invader. In some, this can lead to symptoms like hives, rash, nausea, diarrhea and anaphylaxis – but symptoms can range from mild to severe depending on the person.
The most common spreader of alpha-gal syndrome is the Lone Star Tick. States that are home to the Lone Star Tick tend to have higher rates of suspected alpha-gal syndrome cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That includes several southeastern states and areas around the lower Ohio River Valley.
Back in 2022, the CDC estimated that as many as 450,000 people in the country could have alpha-gal syndrome – and the number is only going up.
University of Kentucky professor Abbigail Pace studies how alpha-gal syndrome impacts the daily lives of people with the condition. She said new CDC research published earlier this year indicates alpha-gal sensitivities could be more common than once thought.
“While not everyone may have symptoms, there are as many as one in four people [in the region] who will have antibodies to alpha-gal at this point,” Pace said.
Pace said alpha-gal syndrome can go away over time, as some people’s alpha-gal antibodies drop to a point where they can re-introduce foods they were once allergic to. On the flip side, she also said future tick bites can cause increased sensitivity and make alpha-gal-related reactions worse.
No beef? No problem
Brent Williams grew up a cattle farmer – and still works with cattle in his day job in animal nutrition. But the co-owner of Danville’s Alpha Roost Farms has had to take precautions since he was diagnosed with alpha-gal syndrome around 2019.
Williams said his alpha gal diagnosis – and the elimination of beef and similar meats from his diet the condition required – was “life changing.”
“I mean, my nickname since fifth grade [has been] Beef,” Williams said. “Beef has been a part of my life for a long time, and knowing that my life was going to change that dramatically, it was hard in the beginning.”
Most red meats come from mammals, so many with alpha-gal avoid those and stick with chicken, turkey, fish and other similar foods. Others choose to forgo meat and animal products altogether.
But meat from ostriches, the world’s tallest and heaviest bird, is also a safe choice for people with alpha-gal syndrome. Ostriches, which are native to Africa, are a type of flightless bird known as ratites. Even though ostriches and other ratites, like emus and rheas, are technically poultry, the pH of the flesh of these meats is similar to beef – and the USDA classifies these as “red” meats.
After Williams and his wife ordered some ostrich steaks for special occasions, he thought about getting into raising the birds themselves to expand the reach of this red meat that is safe for people with a syndrome nicknamed the “red meat allergy.”
The farmer and his business partner, W.D. King, had discussed raising calves together, but the two started joking about breaking into the ostrich market instead. After crunching the numbers, the pair saw an opportunity in the demand for more alpha-gal-friendly meats and realized the business idea could be worth more than laughs.
“The more I thought about alpha-gal, and the more about people that weren’t able to eat red meat, I just kept thinking, ‘you know, I’m a farmer. Why can’t I do this? Why can’t we do this to help?'” Williams said.
Pace said meat from these birds can be a “great alternative” in people’s diets.
“Ostrich meat has all the essential amino acids – so all the amino acids that our body can’t make – and it’s actually lower in fat than some of our other red meats,” Pace said. “And a fun fact: It actually has more iron than beef does.”
However, the exotic meat is pricey: a pound of ostrich meat may typically cost consumers at least $20 – and the price goes up for premium cuts.
Still, Williams said it’s an option that lets people with alpha-gal have red meat without having allergic reactions.
“There’s no gaminess. It’s mild. For me, it’s the closest mouthfeel, flavor, taste, everything that I could have to beef,” Williams said.
Over a dozen Kentucky retailers now carry Alpha Roost Farms’ products – and the ostrich-focused business ships to 25 states. Williams said the business even has a waitlist for new retailers.
When Papaw’s Poole Mill Restaurant started serving Alpha Roost Farms’ ostrich meat in August, the western Kentucky eatery was the first sit-down dining space to carry it. The owner said it’s attracted customers like Webster County resident Mark Geary, who recently learned he had alpha-gal syndrome and wanted to try out an ostrich burger.
“I thought, why not, you know? And if it’s good, then [it’s] probably gonna be my go-to because the turkey just doesn’t cut it,” Geary said.
The restaurant prepares ostrich burgers in a separate part of the kitchen that is designated as alpha-gal friendly. Todd said toppings for the ostrich burgers are kept separate from other parts of the kitchen to prevent cross-contamination. They also offer alpha-gal-friendly cheeses and burger buns for customers who need those accommodations.
After taking his first bite of ostrich, Geary began nodding his head.
“It’s pretty fire,” he said.
Todd, the restaurant’s owner, often sits down with customers like Geary who have alpha-gal to discuss their experiences and to swap tips on how they manage the condition.
Burgers – those with beef patties – are a staple of American cuisine, but a dish that some with alpha-gal fear they may never eat again. For Todd, offering this ostrich alternative is about letting people with alpha-gal once again safely enjoy red meat.
“One gentleman hadn’t had one in three years, and he ate that burger,” Todd said. “When he came up to the counter to pay for it, tears ran down his eyes. He said, ‘I appreciate this,’ and that makes you feel good, you know?”
WEKU’s Lily Burris contributed to this article.
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