Everyone with Alpha Gal has slightly different symptoms as to what triggers a reaction. First, remember Alpha Gal isn't a reaction to the meat itself, it's a reaction to the fats in the meat, so the fattier the meat, the higher the chance of a reaction. The most common reactions are to beef and beef fat. However, some sufferers can eat venison with no problem, IF all fat has been trimmed away before packaging. Venison with beef or pork fat added is generally a big no. Some people even reacted to the fat in dairy products (whole milk, ice cream, etc.).
How long it takes to get over the allergic reactions is unique to each person. I've seen people get over it in 3-5 years, and some take much longer. I didn't eat beef for 20 years. It worked. After 20 years, I started trying little bits of ground beef and had no problems. Eventually, I ate a whole burger. No problem (except the fact my digestive track had lost all bacteria needed to digest beef! THAT was a problem!). But then I never had any problem with eating venison. But we butcher our own and are VERY careful to remove all fat. I also had problems with pork if it had fat in the product. For example, a pork chop, no major problems. But pork sausage or pork brauts that have fat added into the ground meat - problem.
