How do you deal with Food Allergies?

EJand94
EJand94 Posts: 55 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hey, all. I recently became allergic to many foods. after almost 20 years of never having them, I have food allergies. I have been tested positive to being allergic to: Cherries, kiwi, celery, carrots, peanuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, tree nuts, and soy. Which sucks, because this time last year, I have been eating these foods with no problem. If I eat any of these, I will go into shock. Soy is the worst. There are also a lot of vegetables and fruits I cant eat unless they're cooked (because of pollen)
Do any of you have bad food allergies? How do you deal with eating healthfully while being restricted? I have been having a hard time eating healthy foods.

Replies

  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,839 Member
    Being diagnosed with specific food sensitivities was my ticket to getting rid of sinus infections and seemingly random (I thought stress-related?) stomach aches. For a foodie with a particular love of Italian food having to give up tomatoes, garlic and onions was initially a TRAGEDY!! But over the last several years I've figured out lots of work arounds -- many with the help of the web. When I'm just dying for a red sauce on pasta, I make it out of roasted red peppers. Learned the Jains of India don't eat onions for religious reason but use a spice called asafoetida (hing) to get that funky flavor that onions provide. So, any a recipe starts with "saute onions in olive oil," I saute chopped celery in olive oil with a sprinkling of asafoetida.

    Feel free to friend/message me if you want to talk about recipe work-arounds.
  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,059 Member
    Hey, all. I recently became allergic to many foods. after almost 20 years of never having them, I have food allergies. I have been tested positive to being allergic to: Cherries, kiwi, celery, carrots, peanuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, tree nuts, and soy. Which sucks, because this time last year, I have been eating these foods with no problem. If I eat any of these, I will go into shock. Soy is the worst. There are also a lot of vegetables and fruits I cant eat unless they're cooked (because of pollen)
    Do any of you have bad food allergies? How do you deal with eating healthfully while being restricted? I have been having a hard time eating healthy foods.

    My ex had a lactose intolerance, so that made things difficult at times; I know it's no where close to yours, but we did have to get creative in the kitchen, since I did not have an intolerance. He was extremely sensitive, and had to be very careful not to trigger it. I found lactose free cheeses that he really liked, and I started cooking with that; it was a block, and you could slice it, grate it, melt it, ect. It made meals a lot more creative, and he liked it because he could enjoy cheese without worrying.

    I would say to experiment, research heavily into your food options, and figure out how you can get creative in the kitchen and meet your goals of eating healthfully. If you plan ahead, you'll be far more successful.
  • bonniejo
    bonniejo Posts: 787 Member
    Some promising research seems to point lack of bacteria in the large intestine and presence of bacteria in the small intestine as part of IBS issue. So probiotics and fiber could help. Also the amount of pesticides sprayed on our food also has been implicated in the rise of these issues. So organic could also help.

    My professor had lupus and the naturopaths put her on a diet of chicken and rice until her system was cleared up, and then found she was allergic to a ton of foods. But eventually she was able to reintroduce many of them. There's hope! Try finding a dietician or naturopath to help you :)
  • hotsungirl
    hotsungirl Posts: 107 Member
    I'm also allergic to tree nuts, peanut and soy. Soy is the most complicated for me and more of a pain in the butt than even peanut. Peanut is clear on labels, soy has a lot of different names.
    Feel free to add me and chat whenever you like...
    Caro
  • amblight
    amblight Posts: 350 Member
    My mom has histamine intolorance, which means she's pretty much allergic to everything. Big triggers include:

    All berries, citrus-fruits, pinapple, papaya, kiwi, mango, avocado, banana, spinach, kales and cabbages, tomato, pumpkin, sprouts, soy, aubergine, cheeses, yoghurts, smoked meat/fish, canned meat/fish, sausages, eggs, chicken, buck wheat, hazlenut, sunflower seed, chickpeas, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, lentils, peanuts, wine, yeast, baking powder, chokolate, vinegar, mustard, tea etc. etc. etc.

    Since it's basically impossible to avoid histamine, she has developed anaphylactic food allergy to cellery (as in, she dies if she eats it), as well as severe migraines, and contant hives.

    It does make it really difficult to make a weight loss meal plan for instance, because she also needs to consider if the meals ingredients add up to too much histamine, and a lot of diet-friendly foods are high in histamine (greek yoghurt, cottage cheese, canned tuna, spinach, aubergine etc.). She really wants to see a dietician to help her out with it, and I think that's probaly the best idea if you have a lot of allergies!
  • Madelinec117
    Madelinec117 Posts: 210 Member
    I have 2 severe food allergies, eggs and tomatoes which are used in many processed foods- including puddings, some protein powders, seasonings, baked goods, etc.. I find it easier if I stick to basic foods where I know all the contents. With the number of restrictions, it might be beneficial to consult with a registered dietician.. They could help you develop a list of healthy food options that fit your restrictions.
  • EJand94
    EJand94 Posts: 55 Member
    Oh wow, thanks everyone for replying, it makes me feel better knowing im not the only one with impossible allergies to deal with. I forgot to list I'm also allergic macadamia and hazelnut. The most difficult is going out to go eat or go to the grocery store. Thank you for all the help and advice!
  • MysteriousDreamer
    MysteriousDreamer Posts: 96 Member
    My daughter had horrible allergies. Allergic to dairy, soy, gluten, eggs, fish, kiwi. She couldn't eat beef, or corn because they had the same protein in dairy and soy that she was allergic too.


    Fun, not!!!
  • DCarter1701
    DCarter1701 Posts: 45 Member
    I am allergic to legumes, apples and bananas, which stinks because I really loved apples and it seems every dang smoothie recipe out there has bananas in it. I get a headache if I eat anything with apples or apple juice in it, and I get nauseated if I eat bananas. Legumes make me extremely ill. I am also sensitive to wheat and recently discovered I have an oral allergy to celery, which doesn't bother me too much, since I'm not a fan of raw celery.

    So right there I have lost two major food groups--beans, which are supposed to be so healthy for you, and wheat. Legumes also includes peanuts--can't eat anything with peanuts unless I want to spend the better part of the day in the bathroom.

    I cope by focusing on what I can eat. Instead of wheat I focus on rice (especially brown rice), quinoa, oats. I am so happy I can eat eggs and meat and dairy. At first, when I eliminated wheat from my diet, I couldn't tolerate dairy. I always thought it gave me headaches anyway, turned out it was apples and bananas. Those are the most inexpensive fruits, so I tended to buy them a lot.

    I have become a label reader--especially because my son has had such severe reactions to wheat. We carry Epi Pens wherever we go, for both of us--I've had what they called an "idiopathic anaphylactic episode" because I hadn't eaten anything I was allergic to prior to the reaction.

    After a while it has become second nature. In a way it made it easier for my son when he got his diagnosis, because for years we'd already known about my food allergies.

    One piece of advice I'd offer is to make sure you visit an allergist every few years to get retested. Allergies can change, you can develop new allergies or existing ones can get worse. When my son was first tested, he showed a "mild" reaction to wheat. A few months later he woke up unable to breathe, I had to use an Epi Pen on him and we ended up in the ER. Turned out he had eaten something that had a small amount of gluten in it. So we have to be more vigilant than we thought. I used to be severely allergic to molds, but that allergy seems to have lessened, while others have worsened. Seems like once you're "allergic" you can develop more. My husband has absolutely no allergies, the lucky duck, but he is very supportive.
  • Stopin_da_yoyo
    Stopin_da_yoyo Posts: 138 Member
    When you go out to eat dont forget to tell theservers you have allergies. Most have allergy matrixes made up. I have a few friends that even went as far as only going to certain places only.

    Only thing I can say about grocery store is read the label and if you have one question about an ingrediant then stop and ask manager or google it and when in doubt kick it out. :)
  • paymentm
    paymentm Posts: 105 Member
    I can't eat seafood or dairy so I eat a lot of chicken and turkey to substitute fish and almond milk. However, i love yogurt so I take lactose pills when I want to eat yogurt or have a smoothie
  • msrootitooti
    msrootitooti Posts: 253 Member
    My son is allergic to peanuts and tree nuts.. both can cause anaphylaxis. We read a lot of labels (amazing that there can be cross contamination in food coloring) and are just really careful. I bake a lot and make a lot of things from scratch using fresh ingredients. Going out to eat is tough and we really don't do it very much.. But usually it helps to see if they have an allergen chart on their website but it is still helpful to let the servers know. We have a few restaurants we trust..
  • icyeyes317
    icyeyes317 Posts: 226 Member
    I am severely allergic to mango. Given that I live in Virginia, you wouldn't think it is that much of a problem, but it has exploded on the market as a 'super-fruit', so it's everywhere. I take Allegra twice a day, and have to carry medications with me at all times. I will break out in hives and be itchy if I'm touched by the outer shell of the fruit, and cannot, under any circumstances, be near the meat of it. And I damn sure better not accidentally eat it. OY.

    It's hard to avoid, so I have to be really careful. Tropical Smoothie, and places like that are out of the question for me to even step foot in. We read all of our ingredients before purchasing the food, but it's not always labeled, since it's not a 'major 8' allergen.

    Currently, I'm having a problem with my place of employment. I had an accidental exposure (because a new crewmember didn't know and threw some away in the trash)...not too bad, but enough of one to need medications. I want them to just send out an e-mail and restrict bringing it into the building, but they are fighting me on it. I'm about to call the ADA and speak to them, because I like breathing and don't want to die.
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,300 Member
    Being diagnosed with specific food sensitivities was my ticket to getting rid of sinus infections and seemingly random (I thought stress-related?) stomach aches. For a foodie with a particular love of Italian food having to give up tomatoes, garlic and onions was initially a TRAGEDY!! But over the last several years I've figured out lots of work arounds -- many with the help of the web. When I'm just dying for a red sauce on pasta, I make it out of roasted red peppers. Learned the Jains of India don't eat onions for religious reason but use a spice called asafoetida (hing) to get that funky flavor that onions provide. So, any a recipe starts with "saute onions in olive oil," I saute chopped celery in olive oil with a sprinkling of asafoetida.

    Feel free to friend/message me if you want to talk about recipe work-arounds.

    Okay... so I need to hear about this roasted red pepper sauce recipe. I can't eat tomatoes due to a medical condition. Not an allergy, but specific foods cause be insane pain when eaten. I have been craving spaghetti and meatballs and would LOVE to learn of something I can use instead of tomato sauce because alfredo just doesn't work well lol.
  • dotzilla
    dotzilla Posts: 4 Member
    my husband was just developed ( 7 months ago) a sevier shellfish allergy. he is terrified to eat out and at peoples houses. so we eat at home all the time now which has actually been the best thing ever! we are both eating healthier than we ever have since being married. i just hope nothing else pops up as an allergy for him.....
  • haleymiller0707
    haleymiller0707 Posts: 74 Member
    Hi! I was diagnosed with several food allergies (12 of them) at the age of 40. I have to carry an epi pen for my scallop, dairy and black pepper allergy It's been 4 years now and the biggest thing I have learned is prepping meals and snacks a head of time. I find it more difficult going out to eat. I have found a handful of restaurants that will work with me but then some who say they can't help me and I should just stick with a plain salad. That is the most frustrating part of dealing with food allergies. Many of my friends and family have enjoyed the meals that I have served and were shocked that there was no dairy or black pepper. I was determined to find alternatives to my favorite recipes and after months of looking for recipes and trying things out, I can say it was worth it. Feel free to add me if you would like another friend.
  • apickles1978
    apickles1978 Posts: 8
    about 4 weeks ago I was told I was allergic to 26 different foods all of which are my favorites. But the doctor thinks it is the reason I am sick all the time. first 2 day I literally only ate potato chips and Salami, because I could have them. I have done some planning but still sort of stuck.

    Here is my list,
    Apples, Avocado, Banana, Green Beans, Beans, Cocoa, Cola, Dairy, Dill, Eggplant, Gluten, Grapes, Grapefruit, Haddock, Honey, Lamb, Lemon, Olives, Onion, Peas, Pineapple, Spinach, Vinegar, Wheat and Yeast.

    I think the hardest thing for me is I can have no condiments. I tasted butted by accident one day, and it tasted so sour to me now. I am troubled with trusting a restaurant since 2 have completely messed it up and I got really sick.

    what suggestions do you have for me?
  • Mof3wc
    Mof3wc Posts: 126 Member
    about 4 weeks ago I was told I was allergic to 26 different foods all of which are my favorites. But the doctor thinks it is the reason I am sick all the time. first 2 day I literally only ate potato chips and Salami, because I could have them. I have done some planning but still sort of stuck.

    Here is my list,
    Apples, Avocado, Banana, Green Beans, Beans, Cocoa, Cola, Dairy, Dill, Eggplant, Gluten, Grapes, Grapefruit, Haddock, Honey, Lamb, Lemon, Olives, Onion, Peas, Pineapple, Spinach, Vinegar, Wheat and Yeast.

    I think the hardest thing for me is I can have no condiments. I tasted butted by accident one day, and it tasted so sour to me now. I am troubled with trusting a restaurant since 2 have completely messed it up and I got really sick.

    what suggestions do you have for me?


    Are they allergies, or are they intolerances?


    The easiest thing to do is to make a lost of everything you can eat and focus on that instead of what you can't. And cook everything yourself. I totally understand how you feel (I have Crohns and celiac, On a good day I react to: rice (actual rice, but not rice products), corn, gluten, oats, raw veggies, some cooked veggies, grease/oil, dairy, all meats/fish, beans)

    Once you know what you can eat, you can look for replacements for some things you can't eat. Earth Balance makes a dairy free margarine, Enjoy Life makes lots of cookies/granola bars etc all free of the top 8 allergens (so dairy/wheat free) but some of them contain cocoa.

    At restaurants advocate for yourself. Order something safe, ask questions about ingredients, and stress that nothing (oils, butter etc) can be added to your food. My mom usually gets them to make her a special salad (just romaine, tomato and cucumber) because she can eat those things and they've never had an issue with it.
  • EJand94
    EJand94 Posts: 55 Member
    Oh, wow. All those allergies at once sounds like what happened to me! Thank you for replying. Yes, it takes twice as long in the grocery store because my parents and I have started reading the labels on EVERYthing. SO we have to look extra long for no soy foods. Which is difficult.
  • EJand94
    EJand94 Posts: 55 Member
    The majority of them are allergies. I have intolerances to some fruit and most raw vegetables because of the pollen enzymes that are in them since they were growing. Unfortunately I've learned that soy is so hard at a restaurants unless we go to a fancy place. Most places say "Oh, we don't have an allergy menu, but we have a gluten menu" I'm like "Are you for real? Most often people who have gluten intolerances just get a stomach ache for a few days. I will actually die if i mistakenly eat soy or nuts." I should have called the Health department on them, or restaurant owner or something for not having allergy lists.
  • EJand94
    EJand94 Posts: 55 Member
    UGH! i feel lucky just having a soy allergy and some nuts after reading this! I went to a restaurant that we go to all the time. I got a plain burger patty with no seasoning or condiments, and I had a slight reaction. Soy can even be added to ground meat as a filler. gross. I usually get fish, but I wanted something different. So much for that! I think I'll just stick to fish.
  • Nan_
    Nan_ Posts: 83 Member
    When I was in my 20's I was sick a lot and found out that I was allergic to about 14 foods. Many of them were staples and most of them were my favorites. I don't remember all of them but I do remember I was allergic to lettuce (seriously, lettuce?), tomatoes, mushrooms, fish, and apples. I don't remember the rest of the food.

    I began getting allergy shots and eventually I got to where I was able to eat nearly all of the 14 foods again. I still can't eat mushrooms or fish though.

    Now I am gluten free, dairy free and soy free, so my foods are once again limited. Soy and gluten are in everything, I swear, lol!
  • GillianMcK
    GillianMcK Posts: 401 Member
    Currently, I'm having a problem with my place of employment. I had an accidental exposure (because a new crewmember didn't know and threw some away in the trash)...not too bad, but enough of one to need medications. I want them to just send out an e-mail and restrict bringing it into the building, but they are fighting me on it. I'm about to call the ADA and speak to them, because I like breathing and don't want to die.
    I think I would object quite strongly to not being able to eat something healthy that I wanted to eat, just because 1 person in the area was allergic. If I was aware of the person being allergic I certainly wouldn't mind making sure that it was no where near them and was disposed of in specific bins to avoid contact with them, but to just ban it entirely I would have real issues with.
    How do you leave the house, someone might have dropped some on the pavement or put it in a public bin, are you looking to get it banned for the whole town and any other town you might visit, what if someone in a shop touches one and then touches the same door handle as you??
    I'm allergic to peanuts & walnuts, however the people I work with are aware of it and any they bring with them are in sealed containers and kept away from my desk, I'm careful about washing my hands/using hand sanitiser so if I happen to touch an area where they have also touched I'm much less likely to need an epi pen, I can't cut out the risk 100% unless I stay at home and don't leave the house and that's not living!!
  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,059 Member
    Currently, I'm having a problem with my place of employment. I had an accidental exposure (because a new crewmember didn't know and threw some away in the trash)...not too bad, but enough of one to need medications. I want them to just send out an e-mail and restrict bringing it into the building, but they are fighting me on it. I'm about to call the ADA and speak to them, because I like breathing and don't want to die.
    I think I would object quite strongly to not being able to eat something healthy that I wanted to eat, just because 1 person in the area was allergic. If I was aware of the person being allergic I certainly wouldn't mind making sure that it was no where near them and was disposed of in specific bins to avoid contact with them, but to just ban it entirely I would have real issues with.
    How do you leave the house, someone might have dropped some on the pavement or put it in a public bin, are you looking to get it banned for the whole town and any other town you might visit, what if someone in a shop touches one and then touches the same door handle as you??
    I'm allergic to peanuts & walnuts, however the people I work with are aware of it and any they bring with them are in sealed containers and kept away from my desk, I'm careful about washing my hands/using hand sanitiser so if I happen to touch an area where they have also touched I'm much less likely to need an epi pen, I can't cut out the risk 100% unless I stay at home and don't leave the house and that's not living!!

    The employer is asking for a lawsuit should this individual have a medical emergency on the property from their allergy, and the employer refused to cooperate with their requests. It's not like they're trying to ban something because they don't like it. It doesn't matter if people "keep it away from them". Some people have allergies so severe that they need epi-pens on them and cannot be in the vicinity of the item that causes them to react. For example, very severe peanut allergies.
  • nam985
    nam985 Posts: 140 Member
    Food allergies suck. There's no two ways around it, they can be a major pain in the *kitten*. I'm allergic to bovine casein, kiwi fruit and chestnuts (not any other nuts, just those). I've dealt with these pretty much all of my life, and I learned to live with it. I read labels, speak up with concerns, ask questions, and to know my limits. My casein allergy isn't that severe (just some hives and itchiness, not enough to send me into anaphylaxis) over the last 25 years (and under my allergist's supervision and guidance of course) I have gradually been able to build up a tolerance to small amounts of milk products so if I don't overindulge the antihistamines I take every morning are sufficient to keep any reaction at bay. On the other hand, kiwi makes my lips and tongue swell up and chestnuts could very well kill me so both of those foods must be avoided.

    There will be an adjustment period but you will soon get used to just dealing with it. I think adjusting to my allergies was harder on my family than it was on me, until I was old enough to know better there was no milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, etc. allowed in our house!

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