Tell me your food allergy story

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jonesin_am
jonesin_am Posts: 404 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Three weeks ago I went to the Naturopath to see if he could help me figure out why I have such a hard time losing the smallest amount of weight. I've tried everything...eating more, eating less, eating this, eating that. When it comes down to it, I've never eaten very much for processed foods and have always eaten lots of fruits and veggies. So I went to see him. We decided to do a food allergy test out of curiosity. Went back to see him today to get the results...I had a reaction to milk, whey, yogurt, eggs (chicken & duck), coffee, blueberries, cranberries, crab, corn, wheat (gliadin & gluten), peanut, almond, rye, sesame seed, spelt, whole wheat, mushrooms, & radishes.

My question for you all is what was your food allergy story? What was your experience with eliminating foods that you tested positive for? How did you go about eliminating those foods? Any advice? Do you think those tests are a hoax?

Lots of questions running through my head...like how do I make dairy, gluten, wheat, egg free bread, lol?!

Replies

  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    How were you tested for these allergies? My husband is allergic to a ton of things but he was tested on the spot by a licensed allergist. No need to go back for results. The scratch test leaves huge welts if you are showing an allergy.
  • jamk1446
    jamk1446 Posts: 5,577 Member
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    This type of allergy testing isn't as reliable as the type of testing Mokey is referring to. It's really more food sensitivity testing, not true allergy testing. So, you may or may not really have issue with any or none of those things. Having said that, I've known several people to go for the testing that found relief with eliminating the foods with the highest reaction. Some lost weight, but most did the testing for some other health reason, losing a bit of weight was just a bonus.

    If you do decide to try to eliminate those items, try to be scrupulous about it for at least 4 weeks. After that, reintroduce those eliminated foods individually and no less than 3 days apart. Food sensitivities can be immediate or delayed reactions and if you do react, you want to be clear which food is causing the problem.

    There are Groups here for food sensitivities to ask some questions, pointers and recipes.

    here's one:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/112-gluten-free
  • holliesangel
    holliesangel Posts: 31 Member
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    I'm allergic to a myriad of different things but I found out by getting tested by an allergist when I was a kid. Mokey41 is right. They test you in office on the spot. I had 100 spots tested on my back and more injected into my arm. They itch something fierce. As far as I know, that's the standard practice for most allergies food or otherwise. The only exception I'm aware of would be something like celiac/gluten intolerance where there isn't a definitive test to use so they would have you eliminate it from your diet and reintroduce. My advice would be to find an allergy specialist near you and pay them a visit. I had to have shots and everything when I was younger but I don't have to be near as careful as I was anymore.

    As per stories, I'm allergic to shellfish and seaweed so no sushi for me. Otherwise, I'm just really careful at seafood restaurants and always make sure to inform them ahead of time. I can eat fish and I still enjoy the atmosphere. I'd just rather not have to refer to any restaurant as the place that tried to kill me. I used to have bad reactions to red food coloring and MSG but I've mostly outgrown both of those.
  • spoiledpuppies
    spoiledpuppies Posts: 675 Member
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    I have the wackiest allergy that took years to figure out, and no formal tests have confirmed it. I still don't have it 100% solved. But I think that if I eat wheat and/or gluten, and then I'm active, I get hives--like mosquito bites all over my body. During the worst bout, I passed out and fell down my stairs twice--cracking some furniture in the process. I was totally immobilized. My phone was just feet away and I wished I could get to it to call 911. I heard my roommate nearby, but I couldn't even call out to her. I was so sure I was going to die on my stairs, but the hives passed. For years after that, I carried an Epi-Pen, but I never needed it, so I stopped. I do always have Benadryl with me just in case, and I have used that.

    I was tested and tested for what it might be. Finally, at the State Fair of all places, a pharmacist at a health booth suggested that it might be wheat/gluten. The key is that it happens only if I'm active after eating the wheat. I can be as active as I want--as long as I haven't eaten wheat (though I don't know the safe time duration between). Or I can eat wheat all I want, as long as I'm not active afterward. Even a brisk walk after wheat will bring on hives. So I very much plan ahead and consider what's on my agenda before I eat.

    I guess that what happens is that I'm allergic to something in the wheat, and the activity gets it into my bloodstream faster. (It also happened once with aspirin since it's a blood thinner.)

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