Food Allergies and diet

littlegreenparrot1 wrote: »

Cous cous, bulghar wheat, quinoa are all grains that only require boiling water.

Chop some veg, whatever you like, or can tolerate. Roasted veg is good and will keep for days in the fridge if necessary.
Add some toasted seeds, falafel, roasted chickpeas. All good for protein.

I don't know if you mentioned the ages of your children, but if old enough there is no reason they shouldn't chop some veg or chuck water in a pan. I know dressings have been mentioned as a problem, often I'll just use some olive oil and lemon juice.

This takes me about 30 mins end to end, and of course can make a lot.

Is there anywhere near you that does Indian or middle eastern food? You might find they meet your needs.

She can also have rice, and pasta that does not contain egg. (Other than egg noodles, most pastas do not have egg as an ingredient, but some egg-less pastas do have the warning "produced in a facility that processes eggs.")

The problem is not her actual options, but that she sees herself as someone who cannot cook / does not wish to cook.

Libby283 wrote: »

JeBeBu wrote: »

I have sympathy/empathy for your situation. I am unable to process any mammal products: meats, milks, cheeses, etc. I also do not tolerate fried foods (regardless of oil used). I had mentioned in an earlier post the idea of a vegan food delivery service to allow for a more diverse and balanced option. I, personally, like Daily Harvest, but there are various delivery services available. Often these meals serve as inspiration for me trying similar recipes at home! I know how overwhelming it can feel to begin the process, but not starting -and risking your long-term health- can not be an option! Especially as a parent!

They don’t allow you to list allergens.

But they do list the ingredients for each product! It will take some time at first, but you can make a list of the products that meet your needs!

Libby283 wrote: »

Well and now my fiancé has given up cooking anything because it’s so hard to find things I can eat.

I never thought I would be stuck with eating grits for dinner. But when the choices are that or salad...

I ordered a cheesesteak for lunch, because I just could not do the lettuce, shredded carrots, mushrooms and spoon of black beans... of course I got a reaction. By theory it should have been fine.

As long as you see your choices as being limited to grits or salad, you are doomed to suffer.

There are only two options here: keep eating from the increasingly limited number of foods you already know about and are in the habit of eating, or try new foods and learn to like them. There is no possible third option, these are the only ones.

If your allergies are serious enough that your tongue swells, and are getting worse, chances are high that eventually you are going to have a life-threatening problem with your airway closing up if you keep eating out all the time. Restaurants prepare multiple foods on the same surfaces. That is probably why you had a reaction to what should have been a fine cheesesteak - all it would have taken is for a turkey sandwich to be cooked on the same grill. I’ve had a severe allergic reaction, and struggling to breathe while others rush you to the ER for a shot isn’t nearly as much fun as you might think. Hopefully you will not have to learn this the hard way and will start taking the situation seriously.

I understand being grumpy and ill-tempered about having to change your life because of health problems. It’s okay to be angry and grieve for your favorite foods. But then get over it and start doing the things you need to do in order to stay healthy.

I came to give honest and thoughtful suggestions, but you've found one reason or another not to take anyone's advice. The reality is I've known people with WAY more food allergies than what you've listed who manage to eat a well-rounded and satiating diet with variety. It's your unwillingness to adapt that's the issue. You can't control outside factors. You can only control yourself and your reaction to them.

Just to add to what other people have said:

Suck it up! So those foods don't excite you, tough! Not everything I eat excites me either, does that mean I'll never eat it again, no, because sometimes we just have to accept that we have to eat what we have to eat. When you have the choice between "food that will kill me" and "food that is boring" I think I know which one I'd go with.

And yes you do have time to cook, if you're spending 20 minutes at a grocery store trying to find something prepackaged you can eat, then you can spend 10 minutes grabbing the ingredients and then 10 minutes making yourself a dinner within your allowances.

Stop making excuses for everything. Stop dismissing the exceptionally good advise that has been given here because you don't want to actually make any changes.

You're not looking for advice. When you are, read this thread again. There's a lot of very helpful stuff here.

Libby283 wrote: »

Elise4270 wrote: »

Hey OP! I had a thought.

How would you handle it if your kid(s) had these allergies? Would you be able to make the adjustments? Sometimes it’s easier to do for others and not ourselves. Your kids could have some of the same allergies you have, why not use the opportunity to adjust everyone’s diet?

Good luck. You got this.

It is easier to do for the kids. I talked to one of my doctors last night. She has some of the same issues. She suggested to not drink for a month and heal my kidneys and liver. It might allow me to eat the things I like occasionally. The whole situation sucks.

The options are eat and drink what I want, be happy and deal with the reactions...

Or

Eat and drink nothing enjoyable, be a super witch with a b, starve but not have any allergies. I might not have any coworkers in a few weeks...

I'm not sure where to start here...

Why would it be easier to do for the kids and not yourself? What would the difference be?

Why would you starve? Is your mentality "I only eat foods I love eating or I'll just starve to death?" because there is a huge area in between those extremes that you seem to be ignoring.

You are not the first to go through this. I have a lot of food allergies as well, yet I have been able to work with them and find new foods to love and enjoy. As a single mother, shouldn't you be doing everything in your power, to be on this earth, for as long as possible, for your kids? Or are eggs and potatoes more important than being there for graduations, first dates, driving lessons, wedding ceremonies, and meeting your future grandkids?

kshama2001 wrote: »

Is this your complete list of "can'ts"?

"egg, white potatoes, coconut, palm oil, turkey, lamb, pork, strawberries, fish or nuts"

Though I think earlier on they could eat pork so who knows.

Honestly, this does not seem that hard to deal with. Chicken, beef, lentils, beans, and tofu all are possible. As are most veggies and fruits and grains. I had to cut out a LOT more then this (look at the IC diet) or I would be in debilitating pain and causing damage to my body. I am also allergic to soy which is crazy hard to avoid when it comes to prepared foods or takeout, so I get that. I really do.

Now for some tough advice. OP, you need to just deal with it. You can not be unwilling to accept the help and advice you have gotten here. You seem unwilling to make the changes you need to make for your own health and well being. Fine, that is your decision, but realize you are just making it harder on yourself and your family by doing so. You need to learn how to cook and you need to get over some of the pickiness. There are a HUGE number of foods you can eat, but you seem to not want to even try if it takes some work.

kshama2001 wrote: »

Libby283 wrote: »

jgnatca wrote: »

I raised two children on my own. My priorities were my health, my children, and everything else. Clean but not tidy. Organized but with scheduled “down time”. Your described lifestyle is very stressful and if you have liver, kidney, and allergy problems, your body has said “enough”. Ignore its signals at your peril.

Changing how you live and eat is not all deprivation. Frankly I don’t know how you get enough protein if all you tolerate as far as I can tell, is bacon, chicken, and hamburger. And you are sick of chicken. Eating a more balanced diet has got to help you start feeling better.

jgnatca wrote: »

I raised two children on my own. My priorities were my health, my children, and everything else. Clean but not tidy. Organized but with scheduled “down time”. Your described lifestyle is very stressful and if you have liver, kidney, and allergy problems, your body has said “enough”. Ignore its signals at your peril.

Changing how you live and eat is not all deprivation. Frankly I don’t know how you get enough protein if all you tolerate as far as I can tell, is bacon, chicken, and hamburger. And you are sick of chicken. Eating a more balanced diet has got to help you start feeling better.

Well when you are allergic to everything it is hard to eat a balanced diet. I am so over salads. I stopped eating dressing years ago because of reactions, which wasn’t terrible with added flavor like egg, chicken salad, tuna salad...chick fil a salads.

Again, you will have so many more options for foods if you are willing to cook for yourself. You'd easily be able to make dressings that don't give you reactions and there are thousands of ways to prepare chicken so you don't get bored with it.

Is this your complete list of "can'ts"?

"egg, white potatoes, coconut, palm oil, turkey, lamb, pork, strawberries, fish or nuts"

After strawberry season, I may challenge myself to go without them for a week to prove how easy it is when one is doing the cooking.

Honestly I can go without all of those for a week - it's not especially difficult. Save for the nuts, I have gone without all of those for the past week (not purposefully), and that's despite it being strawberry season. I know, how dare I not eat strawberries all the time when they're in season, I should really get on that

Mind you, I don't eat pork, I almost exclusively eat eggs in baked goods which I haven't had much of lately, I rarely cook with lamb (I'd rather spend my dollars on other things - though I do quite like it), and not eating out constantly or buying a lot of packaged foods means avoiding palm oil is very. easy.

rheddmobile wrote: »

Just read back through this and noticed that the allergies were diagnosed using a skin test. Skin prick tests produce false positives between 50 - 60% of the time. I was told as a child that I was allergic to pork and strawberries and never was even slightly sensitive to either. It might be worth getting a second opinion rather than completely overhauling your life based on information that may not be valid.

Also, if you have liver damage and the doctor is saying stop drinking, for Pete’s sake stop drinking!

I was really sick 20 years ago after working in a building with toxic mold. I felt like I reacted to everything environmental. I can't remember what type of allergy tests I had done, but they were done in an MD's office. I remember testing allergic to molds and dust, and reacting on the tests to a bunch of foods that I commonly ate. This may have been skin prick tests and intolerances rather than allergies.

I made an enormous amount of drastic changes to my life, including quitting drinking, and "cleaned up" my diet, but did not bother eliminating those foods from the tests. And it turned out that I didn't need to.

Re the "bucket" theory that was mentioned a few pages back - I was likely reacting to everything because my bucket was overfull, and for me, once I made changes that emptied out the bucket some, I was able to live a much more normal life. (Albeit not completely normal, but normal enough.)

So it may indeed behoove the OP to get a second opinion using a different type of test.

Libby283 wrote: »

jgnatca wrote: »

When I talked about a balanced diet I was chiefly wondering out loud where you get your variety in proteins. Because if bored with chicken, then, variety. You’ve brushed by any suggestions to try tofu. Or ham outside Thanksgiving.

As you have brushed off with my suggestion to try pasta (eggless of course).

Variety does not equal salad. Veggies also come cooked. Like Spaghetti squash, or anything in the frozen veggie aisle.

Then there’s the fruits.

I have tried tofu, ham, actual steak, alligator, venison... I just don’t like it.

Don’t care for spaghetti squash either. Nor sweet potato fries. I have always been picky. This is making it way harder.

I can’t cook. Nor do I have a desire to do it. I know that seems crazy to everyone, but that’s how it is. I have packed a lunch of a salad every day this week from home. Monday I heated up black beans and turned them into petrified rabbit turds. Every day since I have thrown my salad away, and ordered something that I wanted to eat.

OK, bottom line is, you'll have to continue on doing what you're doing. There just isn't any alternative or magical solution that will give you a more varied diet without incorporating more varied food. If the suggestions made in this thread aren't viable for you (and of course that's certainly a personal choice) then you're stuck with what you're already comfortable with.