Food Allergies

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Hey Everyone!

So, I'm allergic to Soy and Tree Nuts which makes it very hard to go food shopping or even eat out at times...anyone else dealing with food allergies? How do you deal with it and your weight loss?

Replies

  • myurk
    myurk Posts: 108
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    I have Celiac's diseases (no wheat, rye and barley products) so it can be hard to eat out. Which is Good!! Allergies force you to cook for yourself and eat out a bit less. By doing so, it is easier to control what is going into your body and to monitor your caloric intake. Plus the nutritional stuff (fruits, veggies, lean meats etc.) are usually allergy friendly, forcing you away from all the processed foods which can be high in sodium and fat anyways.
  • blueimp
    blueimp Posts: 230 Member
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    I actually have a few food allergies and a lot of food sensitivities which makes eating and eating out a challenge. myurk is correct though that not eating out is acutally good because you have more control over healthy choices from the point of purchase -- though working full time with a long (time) commute makes cooking health meals at home a challenge too for me.
    I do still eat out occasionally, but I am very careful and very selective. I have had to over-come my introverted ways and learn to ask about ingredients when I'm not sure; most wait-staff are happy to ask the chef and any restaurant that isn't sensitve to food allergies is asking for trouble.
    What I've found very helpful is famer's markets where I can by lots of local, organic veggies (at least the ones I can eat) and pastured raised and or finished meats.
  • mnkarp
    mnkarp Posts: 38 Member
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    I am celiac and lactose intolerant and my daughter is allergic to dairy, peanuts, corn, and soy. Cooking in my house can be a challenge! The positive is that we don't eat out much and have given up a lot of processed foods. The negative is that it does take more planning and time to cook. Meals tend to be fairly simple - vegetables, lean protein, and a non-gluten grain or fresh fruit. Snacks are fruit, veggies, sometimes I'll make GF muffins to keep on hand, millet and flax lavash with hummus, GF crackers with almond butter, hard boiled egg, etc.

    Initially after I stopped gluten my weight went up; the GI said it was my intestines getting better at absorption and that it would all "even out". I think I was eating more because I was feeling better :) When I track and watch portions I do well
  • angelbaby425
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    Yea you bring up some good points...since I found out I have been eatting more at home and cooking more and I would think not being able to eat all the junk that I would drop some weight...the same thing happened to me i put on like another 10lbs....the tree nuts I really don't have an issue with...its the soy. When I go food shopping now its a lot easier but when I first found out it would take me forever..reading all the ingrediants and what now very frustrating...it still is frustrating at times...I now act like I need to eat gluten free in the grocery store because those are the products that are always allergey friendly...but now I am finding that some gluten free products which I was fine with before are now using the soy flour which will make me sick...i have increased fruits and veggies...but fruits are tricky to because if the fruits are shiny thers soy there its so annoying!

    I do find it difficult with working full time now especially with lunch meetings and then its embarrasing to be like oh btw i have a soy and tree nut allergy do you use any of the products...and then if the wait staff doesn't know they look at you like your crazy haha I had one watress respond to me um..thisn isn't a chinese restaurant we don't use soy sauce...and another guy was like your not gonna die on me now are you...hahaha so aggarant but whatever lol

    But I"m glad to see I'm not the only one and there are people here for support
  • bllowry
    bllowry Posts: 239 Member
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    I'm tremendously allergic to mushrooms (as in close my throat off) and can't tolerate citrus, berries and pineapple. The pineapple is a pain in the butt as most of the larger pharmaceutical companies use diluted pineapple juice as a binder for tablets; my doctor has to research everything he prescribes for me so I don't end up with internal hives. I'm also an avid label reader and tend to make all our deserts as people will add berry based items. I have a few select restaurants that I know will fix my food with care and I always remind the server that mushrooms can kill me.

    On the flip side, since most of the office get togethers involve some sort of fruit strudel/baked good I have an easily accepted excuse to avoid the sweets.
  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
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    Im probably the other side of this where it is extremely easy to dodge the food allergies/sensititvities... I work as a chef so eating at work is just the easiest thing to do considering "I live there"....

    My husband is EXTREMELY supportive and does take a moment to check things out before sharing things with me. I take control of the cooking at home, but I always make the foods my husband enjoys while my food is modified...

    Coconut is my main allergy issue.

    Sensitivities are: dairy (very limited to only skim-milk varieties), any simple starches such as rice, potatoes, corn, most pastas, white flour, bleached any flour... I just cannot digest it and get really sick from it.
  • sassynurse19
    sassynurse19 Posts: 6 Member
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    Hey,

    So i'm also allergic to tree nuts and soy but on top of those i'm also allergic to apples. I find the soy allergy the worst to deal with as it is in everything. I find that I am cooking more from scratch now than ever before which is a good thing but when you really don't feel like cooking and just want something fast it's a pain in the butt. And as for eating out, well that's pretty much out the window - which again, not totally a horrible thing! I've had 2 anaphylactic reactions and i don't want to have another one!!! I really wish the industry would be more strict with soy allergy, but i think it's coming, unfortunately i think soy is going to be the next major allergen like peanuts or gluten. It's a cheap filler so they use it in everything!! The one that drives me crazy is when the list of ingredients says "canola/soy oil"...............well, which one is it because i'm either allergic to it or i'm not??!! Fun times eh!! :o)
  • bella8282
    bella8282 Posts: 188 Member
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    Just wondering if your dairy intolerant how it is your able to have skim milk? my son is both celiac and dairy intolerant and cant have a single thing with dairy protein in it?
    Just Interested....
  • Lift_hard_eat_big
    Lift_hard_eat_big Posts: 2,278 Member
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    I'm lactose intolerant and allergic to certain shell fish. Luckily labeling laws have come a long ways in the last few years in regards to food allergen warnings
  • natachan
    natachan Posts: 149
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    Allergic to regular fish like tuna a salmon, but not shell fish. I don't know why. I thought it was just a mental thing, but I tried it in all sorts of different forms and the end result was still pink barf. Which sucks because salmon is DELICIOUS.

    This only becomes an issue when me and my husband want to go out to eat at someplace that serves a lot of fish, which is irritating but oh well. The only other time I get bothered is when going to the butcher and they have fresh fish. Most of the time I have to go someplace else and buy inferior beef or have my husband go get it.
  • poisongirl6485
    poisongirl6485 Posts: 1,487 Member
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    Just wondering if your dairy intolerant how it is your able to have skim milk? my son is both celiac and dairy intolerant and cant have a single thing with dairy protein in it?
    Just Interested....

    Sounds like she's sensitive to it if she ingests too much, but can't overdo it. My husband is like this...he especially cannot eat dairy before bed or it irritates his reflux.