Living, Breathing and Eating Allergen-Free

Thanksgiving used to be my favorite holiday of the year. It’s one of those days where you have nothing to be upset about because it’s all about being thankful for what you have. Not to mention the FOOD. But recently, Thanksgiving has been more anxious for me than anything. Lactose intolerance comes and goes for me, diagnosed when I was a kid. However, I have not been diagnosed with a wheat allergy but eliminating it from my diet helped ease the symptoms of my gastrointestinal conditions. I was diagnosed with GERD, IBS and a hiatal hernia this past May. In other words, my digestive track is an absolute nightmare.

Gastro issues run in my family so it’s not a surprise that I have accumulated three of my own. They didn’t fully blossom until three months before my diagnosis. I would be bed ridden for days, missing class and work for stomach pains I didn’t understand. It was like everything I put in my body was rejected one way or another. It caused me to drop 40 lbs in only two months and now I’m up to a loss of 70 lbs which in all fairness was much needed but I felt like I was just disintegrating. Getting compliments on my weight loss confused me because of how ill I always felt. It was difficult for me to accept the compliment because it was a result of something that was picking away at my quality of life. To be blunt, I felt like shit and to be honest I still do. This continues to impact my life everyday. I continue to lose weight but luckily not as fast anymore. Here’s a before and after picture for reference.

Even now, ten months after the start of my symptoms, it still makes me uncomfortable to hear, “Wow you look great! You’ve lost weight!” It seemed to only echo this year at Thanksgiving because of the abundance of family members who haven’t seen me since last year.

Due to my body’s adverse reactions to most foods, I struggle to even complete the act of eating. I have to eat very slow, small portions and preferably standing to help digestion. It’s kind of embarrassing to only be able eat a fourth of what’s normal at the speed of a snail. It’s obvious that something is wrong and the anxiety from the concerning stares completely depletes any remaining form of appetite.

I’m not the only one in this world who struggles with food. Please think before you point out someone’s eating habits this holiday season. You never know what they are struggling with: an eating disorder, a physical illness or something else that’s no one’s business. And to those who struggle with eating these holidays: you don’t owe an explanation to anyone, take your time and enjoy yourself. Be patient with family members, they care about you, their comments are not always coming from bad intentions. Lean on those who you are thankful for and take care of one another. Happy Holidays!

 

Baking is a whole different ball game when you are gluten and/ or dairy free. Milk substitutes don’t always act like regular dairy milk. The science is different in the flour too. Wheat flour bakes much differently than other flours like rice and or tapioca. The best way I have avoided the headache of figuring out the science myself and enlisted some help from pre-made, packaged baking mixes. These are not very cost effective but can be fun to make with friends and family this holiday season.

King Arthur is the safest bet for any baking need. All of their mixes are gluten and dairy free. They have a massive selection to choose from. You can even make doughnuts with one of their mixes. Most of their recipes call for butter or margarine (which can be dairy-free), eggs and vegetable oil. If a recipe calls for milk, the best substitute is Lactaid milk. However, if you have a dairy allergy and not a lactose intolerance, it’s best to use a milk with a different source (almond or soy milk).

Minimum ingredient baking items are also great. Did you know that you can make gluten and dairy free pancakes without a pre-made mix? All you need is bananas, baking soda and eggs. Check out this video for simple banana pancakes!

Pinterest is a great social media site for people struggling with finding allergen-free food options. There is a whole community out there for exchanging different recipes for dairy-free, gluten-free, egg-free, etc. restrictions. It’s not impossible anymore to find options. They are out there. It takes some research to come across a recipe you really like because you want it to taste as similar to regular food as possible. Try incorporating some naturally allergen-free favorites of yours to make it your own.

I grew up lactose-intolerant. I took Lactaid pills and made my own food when I went to birthday parties as a kid. The most important thing for me was to fit in because everyone else could eat what they wanted. Lactaid pills didn’t work for me and the smallest bit of lactose ignited the physical rejection so I always felt like the odd one out. Allergies and intolerances are far more common than they were 10 years ago so parents are very aware.

Now, I have grown out of my lactose intolerance and have developed a wheat allergy or gluten intolerance so I’ve hunted for plenty of affordable substitutes in my lifetime for all kinds of allergens. Here are a couple of my favorites.

Dairy – Milk Substitute

Almondmilk is probably your cheapest option. If you like to drink milk by itself, I recommend getting a flavored almond milk because the regular doesn’t have much taste to it at all. The closest thing to regular milk that I’ve found from personal experience is the Reduced Sugar Vanilla Almond Breeze Almondmilk. Other brands are good too as long as you don’t get the fully sweetened milks. For more options from Almond Breeze, check out their website.

Wheat or Gluten – Bread Substitute

Schar’s gluten-free breads are going to be the best bang for your buck. The bread has great texture and is great for toast. I use this for my classic PB&J sandwiches; the bread is that soft. The multi-grain is a little more dense but it’s excellent for toast to pair with your favorite breakfast. This brand is also very accessible. You don’t have to hunt for it. It’s in most Walmarts and other big name grocery stores. Trader Joes also has lots of gluten-free items at their locations, make sure to check out their website. They have the best gluten-free breads but for a higher price.

There are also lots of great subsitutes for those with nut allergies. Depending on what nut(s) you are allergic to there are lots of alternatives: cashew butter, almond butter and sun butter (completely nut-free).

While being a celiac can improve your over-all health, it can be annoying when you run into the three most hated food items for wheat avoiders. Already restricted by almost a fifth of a regular diet, celiacs have even more trouble because they suffer from cross-contamination with wheat products. This means that every surface that a celiac’s food touches must be properly sanitized prior to cooking. Sometimes it feels like you can’t escape that pesky white flour. It’s in items you would never think of.

If you’re avoiding wheat make sure you’re reading every bag of gummy bears because even one of the most iconic brands, Haribo, could contain wheat. This item is even more frustrating because the ingredients list says that the dextrose could be from wheat or corn. There’s a huge difference between the two ingredients for a celiac. One could make you extremely sick and take you several weeks to recover from while the other is completely harmless.

Another annoying product for celiacs to avoid is soy sauce because it’s in so many marinades and sauces for meats. This ingredient is nearly impossible to dodge in a Chinese restaurant. They use this stuff on everything. It’s best to avoid this cuisine all together unless you prepare it yourself. Soy sauce is tough to exclude from a meat marinade in most restaurants so make sure to always notify the staff of your special dietary restrictions. Thankfully Kikkoman makes a gluten-free soy sauce for all your cooking needs at home.

Oh, and just forget about any soup because there is usually wheat in chicken broth. Regular enriched-wheat flour is also used to thicken some soups. Progresso makes a gluten-free chicken broth for soup at home but sadly eating that New England clam chowder on the deck of your favorite seafood restaurant is no longer a date night.

To learn more about what products to avoid, check out this really helpful article: https://www.healthline.com/health/allergies/gluten-food-list#foods-to-eat 

Soy, wheat (gluten), dairy, eggs, shellfish, fish and tree nuts are the 8 most common allergens in the United States. Fifteen million Americans, at times, struggle to find suitable (TASTY) nutrition when avoiding their allergen. Many base ingredients contain these forbidden items: flour is made of wheat, milk is a dairy product, soy is in about every other grocery item and don’t get me started on eggs. It can be tough to avoid the basic food items when they seem almost necessary to the recipe of your dish. What is an omelette without eggs or cookies without flour?

Well you’re in luck.

We live in the present day of 2018 which means there’s thousands of alternative options for those avoiding allergens. This isn’t like the 1980s where the only variety of milk was the percentage. There’s approximately three to maybe four different kinds of milk that come from other sources besides a cow: almond milk, cashew milk and soy milk that are found in most common grocery stores. The only drawback to these options is that they come at a high price. Every allergen accommodated for in a product gives it all the more reason to increase its price. However, sticking to fresh fruits, vegetables and proteins keeps the grocery bill down for those who are completely allergen-free.

Being “allergen-free” means to avoid all eight of those allergens in your daily diet. These individuals might undergo the elimination diet to better understand their allergies and the severities fo them. They do this by removing one allergen from their diet at a time for three to four weeks then slowly reintroducing the food back into their diet. This allows them to properly gauge their sensitivity to the food. It’s a free and reliable allergy test! To learn more about the elimination diet check out: https://www.precisionnutrition.com/elimination-diet

Saying goodbye to these foods may seem impossible because of their everyday appearances in your favorite products but this is more so an opportunity to live a fresher lifestyle. But how do you avoid all of the foods you’ve grown up to love?  You just do. Being allergen-free is not a diet for weight loss; it’s a lifestyle for those who struggle with food sensitivity. Weight loss can occur but it’s not the ultimate goal of being allergen-free. It’s about living a higher quality life outside of the nearest restroom.