dietary frustrations!

[Munchkin]

I was recently diagnosed with allergies to: walnut, pecan, hazelnut, peanut, soy, wheat and tomato. While not all of my allergies will cause anaphylaxis currently, I need to eliminate all of the aforemented items from my diet. Food allergies are unique in that subsequent exposure increases your risk of serious reaction. So, in order to avoid anaphylaxing in the future, I need to eliminate these items now.

There is so little I can eat! I keep thinking of small things like ketchup, salsa and soy sauce. I am really frustrated right now. Above all, though, I am nervous. I''ve always carried epi pens, but now I''m even nervous to eat alone - just in case. Heck, it isn''t even safe for me to drown my sorrows in beer!

Has anyone else been through this?
Do any of you have any good recipes?

Is life worth living without pizza?

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 10/4/2007 9:51:36 PM
Author:Munchkin
I was recently diagnosed with allergies to: walnut, pecan, hazelnut, peanut, soy, wheat and tomato. While not all of my allergies will cause anaphylaxis currently, I need to eliminate all of the aforemented items from my diet. Food allergies are unique in that subsequent exposure increases your risk of serious reaction. So, in order to avoid anaphylaxing in the future, I need to eliminate these items now.

There is so little I can eat! I keep thinking of small things like ketchup, salsa and soy sauce. I am really frustrated right now. Above all, though, I am nervous. I've always carried epi pens, but now I'm even nervous to eat alone - just in case. Heck, it isn't even safe for me to drown my sorrows in beer!

Has anyone else been through this?
Do any of you have any good recipes?

Is life worth living without pizza?

Oh Munchkin, I feel for you. Yes life is worth living without pizza. My son is deathly allergic to all nuts, and is highly allergic to many foods. I hear you on the EPI pens, have them in my car and purse, and he is away at school.... I'd hire a nutritionist that is well versed in this area, and have her/him sit down with you to make a list of things you can make that you love to eat. Even going so far as to give you recipes to satisfy your cravings for pizza. Hang in there, it will get better!!!!

 

[marcy]

Munchkin. You have my complete sympathy. I can so identify with food allergies. My major food groups that I have to avoid are poultry (can tolerate some chicken), the pit family (almonds, peaches, etc), peanuts, corn, onion, peppers, strawberries, oranges, rhubarb, bananas, oats, milk, shrimp, wheat and I can''t have nutri sweet. There are more but I can''t think of them right now. To identify what food did what to me they had me eat plain rice for about a week then reintroduced different foods.

I have medicine that helps; it is gastrochrome. It''s a liquid that you can mix in water and it will help stop some of your reactions like welts, itching, throat, tongue swelling, etc. I was really bad for awhile but with the gastrochrome and trying to avoid as much of the food that gives me really bad reactions I have gotten to a point I can tolerate some amounts of some of those foods. I can eat one banana about every 3 months. I can have strawberries about once a week. Turkey hits me so bad I may as well check in to the hospital. Right now I only take gastrochrome if I get a reaction to something. When you start on it you have to take it about 20 to 30 minute before each meal. One dose lasts about 4 to 5 meals.

You will just have to try to see what you can get away with and not. I find processed food almost always has something in it that bothers me so most of the things I cook are really simple like meat, potatoes, etc. I figure the less ingredients I have, the better. My allergy doctor set me up with a nutritionist who was not helpful to me at all. Everything she tried to tell me to eat had something in it I was allergic too.

Good luck; you''ll get better and figure out what works but it takes some time.

 

[perry]

Muchkin:

I know how tough this is... But, there are things you can eat.

Here is my list of foods to avoid:

Banana
Beans (all kinds - including soy)
Citris Fruit (All)
Cabbage
Cashews
Chicken
Dairy products (All)
Eggs
Lettuce
Milk (cow and goat)
Mushrooms
Nightshade family (Bell Peppers - green to hot chillies, potatoes, tomatoes, etc)
Peanuts
Pineaple
Rape Seed (Canola)
Rye
Sesame
Wheat
Brewers Yeast

And I probably forgot a few:


One of the biggest problems is soy - as it is added to all kinds of things (if a lable says "vegitable broth" or "natural flavors" it is likely to be soy based).

So here are some of the things I do eat:

Rice (look for rice based noodles as well: Maifun Rice Sticks is the local brand), Oatmeal, sweet potatoes, beef, pork, turkey (turkey breast - I can't handle the additives), fish, canned salmon, apples, carrots, corn, brockley, califower, peaches, olives, fritos (corn fried in corn oil with salt), picled herring, dried fruit (dates, raisens, apricots, figs, etc), turnups, rutabega, watermellon, muskmellon, grapes, blueberries, strawberries, artichokes, barley, squash... etc (that is all that comes to mind at this time). Oh, I use either olive or corn oil.

You actually have a lot of choices - but it does mean a big change in how you cook and what you eat. I know how hard this is because It took me months to figure it out.

I used to make pots of chicken vegitable soup. Now I make turkey vegitable soup. Beef vegitable soup has stayed essentially the same. Of course - I had to change some of the vegitables that I use.

Due to modern additives I make my own homemade beef jerkey and even homeade corned beef (I use a commercial meat curing salt product). So yesturday I made a huge pot of corned beef with vegitables. I use rutabega instead of potatoes such that the vegies were rutabega, carrots, onions, and celery. Let me tell you... It was good.

One thing that I found was a detailed walk through the grocery store - looking at every item on the shelf (and reading all the lables) identified food products that I had never eaten before. I am sure you will have a lot more options than I have (want to trade...).

So yes, it will take some work - and you will probably find yourself spending more time cooking than you used to. But there are things to eat.

Here are some of the common items I rotate for breakfast:

A) Oatmeal with raisens (and cinimum if you like)
B) cooked brown rice with a teaspoon of real maple surup for flavor
C) Can of cooked sweet potatoes (15 oz can) I know this does not sound so good - but it grows on you and has the advantage of no dishes except for a fork.

To that I usually add some kind of meat for protene (1/4 Lb of something).

Carrots for mid morning snack.

Dried fruit, apple, peaches, etc during the day (and Fritos if needed).

For supper I prefer a couple cups of homemade soups (my soups look like most people's stew), or maybee I'd do frozen vegies and some kind of meat.

Best of luck with this - and I know you can pull throgh.

Oh, if your woried about starving... I'm still 50+ Lb overweight - but also down about 50 from my peak earlier this year (the weight loss has had nothing to do with my food choices - I've had the food allergies for several years now).

P.S. yes life is worth living without pizza and speghetti too...


Perry

 

[monarch64]

Munchkin, I''m sorry to hear of your dietary frustrations and recent diagnosis. I work with a lady who has celiac sprue (her 30 yr. old daughter also has it, I have a friend who has CS, and I believe my mother has suffered from it for years but has gone undiagnosed. There is one specific blood test that will determine if one has it or not so unless you ask for it, many doctors do not test you for it. I also have a friend whose 2 nephews are both deathly allergic to basically everything...wheat, nuts, etc....kind of like you. The kids have been raised on Sprite and potato chips...they''re healthy to this day but I wonder if their mom could do a better job with their nutrition.

Anyway, if you have a Whole Foods or Trader Joe''s nearby I suggest you learn to love to shop those stores. They have pre-printed lists for gluten-free diets, and all kinds of other diet needs near their registers. That way you can build a shopping list and figure out aisle-by-aisle how to shop. You do not have to give up pizza, you just have to figure out which ingredients will not work for you and improvise. The crust will be a tough one to figure out, but look at it this way, new "food doors" are being opened to you, and your taste buds will get used to eating differently in time. I know it sucks, but would you rather be in misery because you ate a food that upset your system or just approach this as a new and healthier way of living (for your body) and embrace it? I am a firm believer in making lemonade when life hands us lemons...sorry to use a food analogy, hee hee!

Any specific questions you have there should be a forum out there somewhere in cyberspace where you can get involved just like PS and figure out new recipes and things that will work for you. I became vegetarian two+ years ago and have been learning to adapt and cook for my omnivorous DH at the same time ever since, each day I find something new to enjoy and he''s been very open to my eating lifestyle as well. Best of luck to you, feel free to vent as much as you want, we are here for you to help however we can.

 

[strmrdr]

yikes I thought no mint and no garlic was bad.
I feel for ya.
Check the labels on everything you buy.

 

[Efe]

Google Kinnikinnick Foods. They are an online, mail order company that carries gluten free products. Some of them are actually very good, like the chocolate cake donuts. There are also alot of sites on Celiacs Disease that carry recipes and shopping tips and provide support. Good luck. It will be difficult at first but gets easier with time.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Hi,

I have celiac sprue myself, and know ALL about erradicating problem foods from my diet (though I''m not always successful) so please let me know if you have any questions.

I shop a lot at Trader Joe''s and Whole Foods. I''ve heard that Wegman''s is really good too. The good news about food allergies is that the FDA just passed or is passing a policy that required food makers to list anything that could be an allergy on food packages, so even if a wheat free item was made in a facility that processes wheat items, you''ll know and you can avoid it. I find the hardest part about it is the hidden gluten that you find in prepared foods like salad dressing and sauces. You''ll learn to read labels very carefully and identify key chemicals or ingredients that are problematic such as "modified food starch" and "malt".

Good luck. I know from personal experience that this is not an easy diagnosis or lifestyle change.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Munchkin - did you dr. test you for gluten or wheat? Most people are actually allergic (or have an intolerance) to gluten rather than wheat, which is in many grains, like oats and spelt (foods that wheat-free diets would emply are safe to eat), so you may want to double check that.

There is a company "Amy's" that sells gluten-free foods, but they also sell products w/wheat so I don't think they have a dedicated facility for people with food allergies. In on my my local grocery stores, there is a section that has companys that are dedicated (e.i. they ONLY make food in their facility that is wheat/gluten/soy free) so you are guaranteed that you will not have a speck of contamination in your food. One called Nature's Path makes lots of cereals and bars. They're marketed to kids, but I love the stuff

)

Oh, and Amy's brand makes rice and also corn crust pizza. Whole Foods carries that brand.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

If it says "gluten free" on the box then it MUST be gluten free. Some people have horrific reactions to gluten so even though it''s an intolerance, it must be taken as seriously as other food allergies. I''ve eaten Amy''s for years (just the GF stuff) and have never had a problem with it so I trust them. But I can''t stress the reading of labels enough!

 

[Munchkin]

Thank you all for your kind words and I appreciate all the brand recommendations!

I am a huge fan of Trader Joes and Whole Foods, but there isn''t one within a hour of my hometown. I know I basically need to go up and down the aisle of my grocery store pulling down products and reading labels. The next time I visit my parents I''ll have to make a trip to Whole Foods.

Yes items must be gluten free if labelled. However, to be gluten free, levels simply must be under a specific measurement. (Blanking on what that is right now.) Those minute amounts are safe for celiac people. Unfortunately that trace amount is not safe for wheat allergic people.

I am having the most difficulty with wheat and soy being hidden in products. Nuts are way easier to avoid. (yay)

MC: My RAST testing was specific for wheat IgE

 

[Munchkin]

Holy Cow!!!! Thank you to whoever mentioned the shopping lists that whole foods supplies! I will have to go through and make sure the products don't contain soy, but I cannot believe how many items are made wheat free - that I don't have to cook myself! It is so nice to already have a narrowed-down list to start my shopping excusrion with!
Woohooo!
My mom is coming to visit tomorrow, looks like I'll be asking her to make a whole foods run on her way!

ETA: There are multiple pizza dough listings! Here's hoping they don't have soy!