Anyone with food allergies?

[MichelleCarmen]

Does anyone here have food allergies or have family members with them? How does your family dynamics work with this? Do you have to eliminate the food products from the home entirely or do you just cook seperate food for yourself?

I went to a naturalpath yesterday and had blood drawn to identify problem foods. . . I already know three (gluten products, nuts, and corn) because I get immediate reactions to the foods, but I guess there are delayed reation foods that when eaten don''t show symptoms of allergic reactions for hours, so that is mostly what the blood work will show.

For some reason, I don''t see any reaction when I drink beer (lol!), but the dr. said no more, so last night and tonight are my last nights of indulgence.

But, at any rate, I guess a person can be "cured" of food allergies if they do not eat a trace of the foods for 6+ months, so that is my goal! Luckily I HATE pasta so mostly I want to have gluten items to eat sandwiches.

Thanks for any posts & help regarding this this. . .

 

[neatfreak]

It depends on the extent of the allergy. For example, kids with peanut allergies can be allergic just when eaten OR if they breathe the "dust". Families with kids with the latter type of allergy remove all traces of the item from the home. Families with the former just don't feed their kids anything with peanuts in it!

So unless you fall into the latter category there is no reason to make everyone else in your family avoid the food item.

Also, it's interesting that you say that someone can be cured of food allergies. I've never heard that... and certainly none of my friends with food allergies have been able to cure themselves...so it might be something you want to research some more.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Curing the allergies requires more than the food elimination. It's a detailed process which seemed a bit long to list. . .my dr. is writing up a protocal so I only understand part of the picture (for example, taking certain supplements can help - ones that I can find locally - not weird products that my dr. would be pushing on me - no hidden agenda, which I often fear with drs., so I do have a bit of faith). I would suspect that only some of the lesser allergies, which don't produce strong immune reactions, will be the ones I get over.

We'll, see at any rate. . .hopefully later in a year I can be retested and the results will be favorable.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 3/1/2008 5:04:28 PM
Author: MC
Curing the allergies requires more than the food elimination. It''s a detailed process which seemed a bit long to list. . .my dr. is writing up a protocal so I only understand part of the picture (for example, taking certain supplements can help - ones that I can find locally - not weird products that my dr. would be pushing on me - no hidden agenda, which I often fear with drs., so I do have a bit of faith). I would suspect that only some of the lesser allergies, which don''t produce strong immune reactions, will be the ones I get over.


We''ll, see at any rate. . .hopefully later in a year I can be retested and the results will be favorable.

Weird! The only thing I have heard about food allergies is that sometimes small, but increasing exposure over long periods of time can help alleviate symptoms. But that is the opposite of what your doctor is suggesting...interesting...

Best of luck regardless!

 

[ljmorgan]

I am allergic to apples (which is actually a tree pollen allergy) and walnuts. These foods are easy to avoid, and my husband happily eat apples and they pose no threat to me unless I take a bite. Different food allergies can work completely differently -- people allergic to milk can be allergic to the milk protein or even corn, which most cows in America are fed (corn is not a natural diet for a cow). Some people can be allergic to a substance in the apple, or to tree pollen as I am. So it just depends.

I am not sure how extensive the testing was given by your naturalpath, but did he tell you which specific nuts you''re allergic to? I think it would be highly unlikely that you are allergic to all nuts -- people typically have allergies to the roots or to a family of tree nuts. For most allergies you can choose to receive allergy shots over a period of 1-2 years so that you will not have a reaction to your allergens. I carry emergency doses of injectable adrenaline with me, as anyone with a real food allergy should. The problem is that you can be allergic to more unknown substances -- for instance, one night dining at a seafood restaurant I had a particularly nasty reaction -- lips, tongue, and throat swelling, which typically does not even happen if I eat a whole apple or walnuts -- I usually just get mouth itching and tingly, and maybe hives.

You might want to go to a true allergist as well. Does your naturalpath use skin tests in addition to the blood test, to tell you the severity of your allergies? That is definitely important to know! Good luck.

 

[VegasAngel]

I have heard kids can outgrow food allergies. Well, lets hope it works for you. Even if your allergies are lifelong it is better that you keep the allergens out of you system. As for the beer it's made from malted grains, hops, yeast, and water. The grain is usually barley or wheat, but sometimes corn
and rice are used.

 

[diamondfan]

My son was allergic to peanuts, not the highest level but pretty bad. He outgrew it. He also outgrew a ton of other ones, to oats, grapes, etc.

Allergies are really odd to me, since you can suddenly develop one to something you could eat in the past...or they can go away. I thought that was not really common, but between my son and a few other kids I know who had them and now do not, it seems like it is possible.

 

[marcy]

I have a lot of food allergies - things that I cannot eat at all are turkey, bananas, onion, peppers, shell fish, milk. I can get by with chicken, citrus fruit, eggs, almonds, peanuts, chocolate, cashews, peaches, pork, corn and wheat occasionally but once something starts to bother me I have to eliminate it for at least 3 months. Trying to figure out the combinations that get me is very difficult. I mix gastrachrome with water to drink before meals and it really helps with my reactions which can vary from swollen glands, throat closure, tongue swelling, itching, hives, joint pain and flu like systems. Some of my food allergies have improved, some have gotten worse. My dad has a lot of the same food allergies that I do but with different levels of severity to those foods. Compared to 5 years ago, I am vastly improved but I''ve learned what I can eat and what I can''t eat. Good luck with it.

 

[Deelight]

I have an intolerance to wheat and certain kinds of dairy it is not an allergy but if I eat those foods they make me sick.

After 2 years of eliminating wheat from my diet I have began recently to eat it again (seriously everything with wheat TASTES so GOOOD) and while I am coping I have found myself getting more lethargic and tired and bloated and have even gained weight from it, I have yet to feel really sick sick, but this is how it started for me last time. I really need to stop eating it again because I feel 110% better.

You can buy gluten free bread (though I would personally toast it first it tastes better) flat bread etc and you can make it yourself and there are a massive amount of substitution''s on the market but they can be pricey. After while you do get used to it but you still miss it. But with a little creativity most of your fave foods can be made still.


On the other hand my BF''s nephew has a severe peanut/nut allergy and a fair few other other things which I am not sure are as bad so when he comes to visit zero tolerance on the nuts which is fine but you have to be careful what you give the little mite to eat though.

I personally though have never heard of anyone losing food allergies but it could be possible.

 

[Italiahaircolor]

My SINL has a lot of food allergies. Different sauces, ingredients, you name it--she could possibly be allergic to it. I dont know all of them off the top of my head, but we keep a chart in our kitchen for when she visits so I know what to avoid fixing or even having in the house since some of her allergies can be evoked by just ingesting something near something else...::sigh:: In the beginning, I used to prepare her special meals, like seperately marinated chicken, or whatever...but, now I just avoid the things that make her sick and save myself from being the short-order cook.

But, at the same time, she is allergic to a bunch of stuff outside of food too! Feathers, any kind of scent--purfume, candles... Those things absolutely have baring on how I opperate my home when shes around. I cant wear purfume, light candles, have feather pillows on the guest bed (which, go figure were the only pillows I put the bed since I considered them a luxury, and I like to treat my guests) I cannot have scented body washes or shampoo in the guest bathroom, I remove my oil reeds and the list goes on. While it can be work preping the house for her visit, I know that those around her often have made even great sacrafices, my BINL cant wear colonge or use scent soap. At our wedding, our hotel used feather beds in the suites (which we booked for family) they had to move to another room...my BFF and I laughed that they had to "down-grade" (sorry, thats awful

). She is a teacher, and I know she recieved a single feather bookmark, which is used once and she stopped breathing over a SINGLE feather because it was near her.

These are things she didnt outgrow, she is in her 40''s.

 

[joflier]

I''m allergic to a majority of fruits, and several vegetables, and also soy products. Although its not a super-serious allergy at this point. My throat gets really itchy for a little bit, but that''s all. I still try to avoid a lot of the things, or eat just a really small portion and it seems to work ok. Grapes for example, I can eat 2 or 3 and I''m not bothered, but if I eat much more than that it itches.
DH became lactose intolerant around age 8. but that''s another easy one, there are sooo many dairy-free products availlable now, with soy milk, soy cheese, soy everything, there''s not much he can''t eat anymore, although his allergies are getting less and less severe as he approaches the 30 mark.

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

If you are trying to stop the imuno response for 6 months, even being around it will hinder your attepmts.

Don''t get your hopes set too high on the gluten one though. Gluten allergies are almost always genetic. Are you by any chance of Irish or British decent? If so, you are probably a celiac and it won''t get better.

 

[Phoenix]

Hi MC

,

Allergies are a "weird" thing for me, meaning I don''t really understand how that it works. For example, one of my friends is a vegan and has been for about 10 years. She isn''t supposed to take dairy produce but can''t resist milk chocolate, so on the days that she eats the stuff, she gets a running nose and it can get so bad that she can''t go to sleep. On the other hand, I''ve seen her indulge in the occasional calamari and it doesn''t seem to affect her at all. Another friend who is a non-meat eater (only eats fish, seafood and vegetables) gets sick even if she as much as eats half a small bowl of meat-based broth without the meat (her hubby likes his meat). I am lactose intolerant so get the r**** if I drink too much of the stuff, but I do have 2 capuccino''s a day (used to drink soy milk, but since I found out I have a thyroid problem, I''ve practically given up soy milk and other soy produce - but that''s another story altogether).

I''ve found out that there are some things that hubby likes to eat and I don''t, and vice versa (I know this is not the same as having an allergy) but some stuff (like cheese) is so bad for me (not just because I''m lactose intolerant but because it is so fattening for me) but which I can''t resist (because it is so yummy), I simply ask him not to buy so much of the stuff or at least not leave it around where I can easily see.

At the risk of saying something that I don''t know much about, may I suggest that if it is something that would cause a severe allergy reaction, then perhaps you can ask the other members of your family not to have them at all in the house. If it is mild allergy reaction, then perhaps cooking the food separately would suffice?

 

[Ellen]

My youngest was born with Gastrointestinal allergies, which meant he really couldn''t tolerate anything he ate. One thing I was told to do by a naturopath, which helped, was to rotate his food. He could only have the same food every 3 days, no sooner. It was work to keep track of everything, but it did help some.

Interestingly, what helped far and above more than anything was finally putting him on Goat''s milk. That was a God send. He totally outgrew everything by age 5.

 

[shimmer]

I have several food allergies, the most severe right now (as in hospital visit) are mango and sunflower seeds and oil (no chips for me).

When I was about 11 yrs old, my favorite food was celery (I know, crazy!) and I would eat it every day. One day I ate some raw celery and went into anaphylactic shock. It was very scary, I have never eaten raw celery again. A few years (10 yrs later) ago I started eating soups with celery in the broth, very rarely. Now I can eat tiny amounts of really well cooked celery in soups, I hate the taste of it though so I mostly try to avoid it! So, it''s encouraging that the allergy is less severe now and I can tolerate a bit of celery (not going to try my luck with raw though).

As far as dynamics go, my mom used to make two batches of stuffing for thanksgiving and christmas, one with and one without celery. She stopped using celery in her broths too, so she didn''t have to go crazy making two of everything (she also made separate vegetarian meals for me too, added meat in separately! What a sweetie). I should mention that other family members have allergies too, so she just basically eliminated those ingredients from her cooking or added them in separately later (ex. black pepper added after cooking, sister and dad''s allergy).

Now that I''m on my own with FI, he still eats chips w/ sunflower oil and other stuff that I''m allergic to. I never cook with it (separately for him, ya right!), and we never buy celery or mangoes.

 

[Haven]

I have a severe allergy to strawberries. If I eat a strawberry or anything with strawberry in it my throat swells up immediately and I can''t breathe. I also get a severe rash but that''s pretty secondary to the whole not-being-able-to-breathe thing.

If I touch a strawberry, I immediately get a contact rash.

I''ve had this allergy since I was a child. My father has the same allergy. It has never gone away or gotten less severe for either of us, and my doctors have all told me that I''ll probably have it forever. I discovered the allergy when I was four and I ate a piece of birthday cake with strawberry-flavored frosting on it. My parents were at the party, thank goodness.

Growing up, we never had strawberries in the house or any items with strawberries because of the severity of our allergies. My FI adores strawberry jam, though, and I''m certainly not going to deny him that pleasure when we live together. However, if our future children inherit this allergy, I suppose we''ll probably eliminate strawberries because I''d be so scared that a trace of strawberry would linger on a fork or something and cause a reaction.

Good luck with eliminating your allergies!

 

[Rachie]

Date: 3/2/2008 12:48:19 PM
Author: Haven
I have a severe allergy to strawberries. If I eat a strawberry or anything with strawberry in it my throat swells up immediately and I can''t breathe. I also get a severe rash but that''s pretty secondary to the whole not-being-able-to-breathe thing.


If I touch a strawberry, I immediately get a contact rash.


I''ve had this allergy since I was a child. My father has the same allergy. It has never gone away or gotten less severe for either of us, and my doctors have all told me that I''ll probably have it forever. I discovered the allergy when I was four and I ate a piece of birthday cake with strawberry-flavored frosting on it. My parents were at the party, thank goodness.


Growing up, we never had strawberries in the house or any items with strawberries because of the severity of our allergies. My FI adores strawberry jam, though, and I''m certainly not going to deny him that pleasure when we live together. However, if our future children inherit this allergy, I suppose we''ll probably eliminate strawberries because I''d be so scared that a trace of strawberry would linger on a fork or something and cause a reaction.


Good luck with eliminating your allergies!

I broke out in hives one summer b/c I ate too many strawberries (I ate almost a whole bowl of them) and I went to an allergist to get tested and she informed me that strawberries naturally have histamine in them so if my immune system was low, paired with the amount of strawberries that I ate,that may have been the cause of my allergic reaction. This does not sound like the case for you, especially since you can''t even touch them and it''s genetic, but I just wanted to throw it out there for others that may have had a reaction to strawberries in the past and are afraid to eat them anymore. I know that I was bummed b/c I love strawberries and had trouble not eating strawberry things in the weeks that I had to wait for my appointment!

 

[stryeyes102]

I have a milk allergy. Ive had it since i was 6 months old.. Everyone always looks at me when i tell them, in complete shock and asks "dont you miss ice cream?"

We were told that if i did not out grow it by the time i was 18 that i would have it for the rest of my life. Well,i am 22, and i still cant have it. Also to pick up on *Lindsey*''s comment; i am one of those who is allergic to the protein in the milk, not the sugar.
As for family dinners: we simply made the same meal but id take my dinner out before we put the milk or butter in.. Substituting whatever else i could use in its place. We still kept all those foods in the house, i just stayed away from them.


Just don''t get your hopes up too high that it will be gone completely.

Good luck

 

[joflier]

Oh, I forgot, I too had milk allergies. I would spit up a lot as a baby, but not bad. But then when I got to about 3 I couldn''t have milk at all, so I had soy milk for about 3-4 years, and all of the sudden it was gone. Now I drink milk by the gallon. Allergies are so strange!

 

[nytemist]

I''m allergic to coconut and pineapple. They''ve gotten worse as I got older. My reaction to coconut is a little more severe the my reaction to pienapple. Learned it the hard way... my mother always used to cook ham with sliced pineapple on top and it would always make me sick when I was real young. I stopped eating ham, thinking that was it until I ate a slice of pineapple and the same thing happened. Ditto for when she made yellow cake with coconut sprinkled on the frosting.

Now I just make sure if something has either ingredient, I just don''t eat it. I have to be wary if someone has made cookies or anything, just in case they made something with coconut and used the same bowl/spoon to mix. I know instantly if I''ve had either one- I''ll start to get hot and my throat will close up. With coconut, hives will show up. My last bad scenario was about 5 years ago; I was at my friends house and her FIL made some great cookies but had ground coconut in the flour. When I reacted I said to her "you have about half hour to call an ambulance" and I passed out.

Sadly, I''ll never be able to go to Hawaii; to paranoid!

 

[Po10472]

I find that more and more people are becoming allergic to foodstuffs and are intolerant to more things. I thing its down to the variety of foods and also the farming of foods, particularly GM foods.

When I was a child I was allergic to lots of foods, there was no discrimination really, I could hardly eat anything. Foods with mint, orange, processed foods, milk, blackcurrent......god heaps. It made me come out in a contact rash and made my windpip swell up causing my asthma to kick in. As I have aged I''ve found that my body changes to the foods it likes and doesn''t, so I live in a permanent elimination plan. I have now got to a point where I know what my body likes and dislikes and that is mainly highly processed wheat products, yeast etc. Haven''t had a beer in over 2 years. My tipple of choice was Belgian Wheat Beer.........wheat, yeast......nightmare. Feel a gazillion times better tho for eliminating all these foods.

My husband eats what he wants although he is highly allergic to cucumber. If he touches it he immediately starts coming out in blisters, goodness knows what would happen if he ate any - perish the thought.

I''ve been on planes recently where they have refused to give out peanuts because of people''s allergies and even went so far that the captain asked all passengers to refrain from eating anything on the plain that contained nuts due to a passenger with a highly sensitive allergin. How much of a nightmare would that be that you are so allergic that breathing it in could kills you. Yikes!

 

[Po10472]

LOL - you can tell i''m in work stealth-typing this, my spelling is atrocious - sorry.

windpip!!! lol

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 3/3/2008 9:27:59 AM
Author: Po10472
I find that more and more people are becoming allergic to foodstuffs and are intolerant to more things. I thing its down to the variety of foods and also the farming of foods, particularly GM foods

In our society, food allergies are getting worse. I think it has a lot to do with how people only eat a small variety of foods year round, unlike centuries ago where people would eat food in season therefore naturally rotating their diet.

It''s odd that when I was pregnant with both my kids, I could eat anything and everything, but before then and since, the allergies have become worse. Luckily the reactions aren''t as severe as others here, but it seems there are more foods involved. It''s not like just gluten makes me itchy and bloated, it''s a bunch of items, also that react. I''m worried that I''ll be allergic to chicken or eggs and therefore won''t be able to eat anything but strange game meat, like peacocks!

Oh, and the naturalpath said that leftover foods are VERY bad for people. She said mold spores grow quickly, long before they are seen, so it''s not a good idea to eat them at all! Something to keep in mind next thanksgiving.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 3/3/2008 3:14:24 PM
Author: MC

Oh, and the naturalpath said that leftover foods are VERY bad for people. She said mold spores grow quickly, long before they are seen, so it''s not a good idea to eat them at all! Something to keep in mind next thanksgiving.

Oh HELL no, nobody''s depriving me of my turkey, mayo and lettuce sammich!!

 

[fisherofmengirly]

My sister-in-law is allergic to almost any processed food. I forget what it is in them that makes her sick, but as a result, her family eats homemade food, daily.

My brother sometimes takes the kids out so they can have "real" food (AKA-crap), but the family doesn''t mind adjusting to her needs at all, and the kids like helping with the meals.

It also saves them a bundle since they don''t eat out or buy frozen foods.

I, however, am allergic to only shellfish, and if Paul wanted to have it, he could. I just wouldn''t eat it. I get a rash and a temperature whenever I have it. Being around him when he''s eating, or has just eaten, does not make me sick.

 

[Haven]

Date: 3/2/2008 2:00:10 PM
Author: Rachie

Date: 3/2/2008 12:48:19 PM

Author: Haven

I have a severe allergy to strawberries. If I eat a strawberry or anything with strawberry in it my throat swells up immediately and I can''t breathe. I also get a severe rash but that''s pretty secondary to the whole not-being-able-to-breathe thing.



If I touch a strawberry, I immediately get a contact rash.



I''ve had this allergy since I was a child. My father has the same allergy. It has never gone away or gotten less severe for either of us, and my doctors have all told me that I''ll probably have it forever. I discovered the allergy when I was four and I ate a piece of birthday cake with strawberry-flavored frosting on it. My parents were at the party, thank goodness.



Growing up, we never had strawberries in the house or any items with strawberries because of the severity of our allergies. My FI adores strawberry jam, though, and I''m certainly not going to deny him that pleasure when we live together. However, if our future children inherit this allergy, I suppose we''ll probably eliminate strawberries because I''d be so scared that a trace of strawberry would linger on a fork or something and cause a reaction.



Good luck with eliminating your allergies!

I broke out in hives one summer b/c I ate too many strawberries (I ate almost a whole bowl of them) and I went to an allergist to get tested and she informed me that strawberries naturally have histamine in them so if my immune system was low, paired with the amount of strawberries that I ate,that may have been the cause of my allergic reaction. This does not sound like the case for you, especially since you can''t even touch them and it''s genetic, but I just wanted to throw it out there for others that may have had a reaction to strawberries in the past and are afraid to eat them anymore. I know that I was bummed b/c I love strawberries and had trouble not eating strawberry things in the weeks that I had to wait for my appointment!

Oh, that is really interesting! I''m not going to be too hopeful that this is the case for me because my allergy is so severe (and I broke out just last year when I touched a fork with strawberry frosting on it) but I''m going to ask my doc about it anyway. Here''s hoping!

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

I''m not ''allergic'', but I have celiac disease, which is an intolerance to gluten (and is often referred to as an allergy). I also can''t tolerate oats well.

MSG and red dye make me break out in hives on my mouth.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

MC, in regards to your comment about not having bread for sandwiches, there''s a company called the Gluten Free Pantry that has great bread mixes that you can make at home by hand or in a bread machine. I usually mix and knead mine in the bread machine and then bake it in a standard loaf pan. I also REALLY like the gluten free bread that''s in the specialty frozen aisle. Look for the brown rice and almond bread. The slices are smaller than the standard bread slice, but it''s yummy. I keep it in the freezer and take out slices as I need them. I do toast them first, but not to the point of it being crispy, more just to soften them up.

I also like to make sandwiches with rice cakes. I prefer the Lindberg Farms brand (wild rice or brown) as they''re filling and hold up well.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 3/5/2008 8:27:42 AM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
MC, in regards to your comment about not having bread for sandwiches, there''s a company called the Gluten Free Pantry that has great bread mixes that you can make at home by hand or in a bread machine. I usually mix and knead mine in the bread machine and then bake it in a standard loaf pan. I also REALLY like the gluten free bread that''s in the specialty frozen aisle. Look for the brown rice and almond bread. The slices are smaller than the standard bread slice, but it''s yummy. I keep it in the freezer and take out slices as I need them. I do toast them first, but not to the point of it being crispy, more just to soften them up.

I also like to make sandwiches with rice cakes. I prefer the Lindberg Farms brand (wild rice or brown) as they''re filling and hold up well.

Thanks, Hudson. . . Sorry to hear you have Celiac. My son''s teacher has it too and she just found out and is healing up.

The problem I have is multiple allergies, so products like the bread you mentioned would cause a reaction b/c I''m allergic to nuts, too! What a nightmare, huh?

I''m coming to the conclusion that the best way to handle this is to find a new way to enjoy life, which is difficult in a world where socialization is centered around food, but spending more time reading, etc. Maybe a bread machine with Quinoa may work (if I can eat that!) Who knows. Oh, and corn is out too.

How is your household handled? Can any gluten products be in your house?

Oh, and since cutting out foods, I''m loosing weight in a bad way. My shoulder bones are really poking out! I read "the Life of Pi" over the last few weeks to remind myself that life could be worse. lol