Food Allergies- HELP!

[Friend of a Mouse]

I found out on Wednesday that I am allergic to gluten, dairy, eggs, and beef. I had already been transitioning to vegan, but the gluten s making life even harder. Any help/advice would be great!

How do you eat out on such a restrictive diet? What do you do when you travel, etc? I'm feeling a little overwhelmed and would appreciate any tips or advice you have!

 

[EDuke98080]

It gets easier as time passes and you relearn what to eat. I am gluten free and allergic to garlic, eating out is challenging but after doing some research there are places that can accommodate your needs. WDW is amazing and we can eat easily there. Let me know if you have any specific questions about the gluten free diet.

Erika

 

[disney fan4]

PP is right, it does get easier. I am allergic to wheat, corn, peanut, tomato, garlic, onion, celery, jalapeno, pinto bean and cottonseed. My biggest tip is just go to the grocery store and read labels. Keep stocked up and be prepared when you go out or travel. It feels like I take half my pantry with me when we go out, but it's better than watching everyone else eat!

 

[Friend of a Mouse]

Thanks. My allergies are pretty mild. It showed up on an IgG blood test that an integrative med doc did due to problems with IBS and fatigue. Also found out that I have some vitaimin deficiencies, probably linked to that. So it's no like I immediately swell up, but I still need to eliminate it.

It's just overwhelming. I eat out probably way too much, and it seems like there are no options. I found a good app called iEatontheGo (or something along those lines) that you can set it to your allergens and it will tell you want is safe and many different restaurants. It looks like Chipotle and Qdoba are my best bets.

I totally caved to a cookie in the lounge today. That will be the hardest part- all of the social aspects. My shool does a lot of food for different occasions, and my in-laws like to cook, etc. I also have a convention in DC this summer where I will probably be fed meals beyond my control and I'm not sure how to handle it. I'm just feeling really overwhelmed. Thanks for letting me vent!

 

[EDuke98080]

The social stuff is really hard. The best thing you can do as the PP said is be prepared. I had a business lunch meeting today and brought my own salad and apples. Once people understand your issues they accept that you would rather eat what they are eating but just can't. One of the things that you will find is that you need to eliminate all your allergens always. You will feel so much better after a little while you won't even miss the other foods. I have Celiac Disease so I cannot cheat. I get really sick and that is really motivating to not cheat ever. All my IBS symptoms are gone and my fibromyalgia and fatigue are much improved with the diet changes. Keep at it, you can do it! You will feel so much better soon! I find that Outback, 99 Restaurant and UNO's can accommodate gluten free as well as a few things at McDonald's (salad, apple dippers) and Wendy's (baked potato and frosty). One way I cope is to cook on the weekends and freeze single portions to grab and go. Keep us posted!

Erika

 

[EDuke98080]

Oh and as far as the school stuff, eat before you go so you are not hungry. You will be less tempted.

 

[dontthrowsand]

I tell my servers my allergies and ask to speak with someone who can tell me what they will be able to make me. Menus and I don't really co-exist well together

 

[stackyallred]

I know how you feel! In January I gave up gluten because I suspected it may be the cause of all of my stomach/anxiety issues. I felt better for about two weeks but then started feeling REALLY bad. When I gave up gluten, I began to use peanut butter, eggs and flax seed more often in an attempt to feel full because the lack of bread made me feel hungry. Fast forward to March- I finally had extensive blood work done and discovered that I am allergic to wheat, soy, egg, peanut, dairy, pecans, garlic, coffee scared1: I was a big coffee drinker), yeast, flax seed, black pepper, strawberries... the list goes on. I was tested for 164 things and I showed a positive result (of varying degrees) to 49 things. At first it was just nice to have an answer as to why I had felt so bad for so long. Then... reality of how this was going to affect my daily life sank in and I had a hard time wrapping my mind around it. To make matters worse, I also was diagnosed with systematic candida. So in addition to avoiding all my allergens, I also can not eat anything with sugar or anything that converts to sugar (rice, grains, potatoes) for 3-4 months while we try to get rid of the yeast overgrowth. It was SO overwhelming at first but I am now 8 weeks into eating allergy free and 6.5 weeks of also not having any grains/carbs/sugar and even though I didn't think I would make it, I am still alive!

One thing I really rely on is making sure I always have good proteins that I can grab if I feel suddenly hungry. I love almond and cashew butters, chickpea/garbanzo beans (I have a really yummy sweet and salty recipe for roasting these if anyone is interested), and I try to always have a lot of lean meats cooked and frozen in small portions that I can take out of the freezer and eat in various ways (I like to "fry" olive oil, shredded chicken, green onions and onions to make a quick snack in a skillet, etc). The protein keeps me fuller longer and keeps me less tempted to want to grab something I shouldn't eat.

One big change for me was learning to always meal plan, make thorough grocery lists, stick to the plan and ALWAYS cook more than just what I am eating at the time. That way you can freeze things and have lots of meals that only need to be thawed and reheated. Dealing with multiple allergies means cooking at home a lot and the less I have to actually make a whole meal from scratch, the happier I am! I also use my crock pot at least 3 times a week.

The social aspect is one of the hardest parts of having food allergies in my opinion. I have already become accustomed to eating before I leave the house or just taking food with me. Some restaurants that are very good about listing allergens and complete ingredient lists are: Chipotle (online), Wendy's (online), Chick-fil-A (brochures in the store), Quizno's (online), Carino's (online) and McDonald's (online). There are several places that have gluten free menus like Outback and PF Changs. Right now, I am still trying to discover if there are places I can eat out at. Until then, I am looking forward to my next WDW trip- no cooking for 11 days!

I can see I am writing a novel here and I could go on and on, but one last suggestion- if you are not on pinterest, you may want to join and do searches for "food allergies." I have found so many helpful blogs, websites and recipes this way. I don't know if I could have survived this new diet without the internet!

Best of luck to you as you adjust!