I grew up with a few allergies as a kid. I was allergic to peanuts, nuts, eggs, fish, shellfish, dogs, cats and snow mold. I remember being rushed to the hospital when I was about four years old, when the daycare I was at gave me a cracker with peanut butter instead of cheese whiz. It kind of scares me to one day have kids with allergies, because when they are young and in school or somewhere that you aren't, you just never know what they might accidentally eat! Thankfully, I grew out of a few of my allergies as I got older. I beat the eggs allergy when I was about 10, and to this day I'm not a huge fan of them unless they are cooked a certain way, added to a meal where I can't really taste them, or if they are my mom's special scrambled eggs with cheese. I actually have switched over to egg whites in the last few years for the majority of my egg eating in order to eat a little cleaner!
I took an allergy test about eight years ago just to see if I had grown out of any other allergies. I told the allergist that I knew I was still allergic to peanuts so please don't test me again for it...but he did anyways and the dot swelled up like a balloon. I'm still very allergic to peanuts, cashews, walnuts and fish, but found out that I can eat shellfish (yup, I'm the opposite of most) and almonds which was pretty cool. Since then I've found a new love for shrimp, lobster, crab and scallops, and I even tried sea urchin in San Francisco when we were there in July of 2013 (and it was DELICIOUS!). I also seemed to have grown out of my allergy for some dogs and cats, as I have one of each now and don't feel sniffly all the time! I still have seasonal allergies, but that's something I think I'm stuck with. I used to get so sick when I'd roll down the hills with my cousins near my grandparent's place as a child, but it was so much fun!
About a year or so ago, I started to feel like I was having trouble digesting foods. I was bloated all the time, and food would just sit in my stomach. I felt miserable, and it interfered with my social and physical activities. I went to the doctor and they sent me for a bunch of tests. Besides my iron levels fluctuating from high to low, everything they tested for (including celiac disease) came out negative, so he sent me to a naturopath. The naturopath figured it was probably some sort of intolerance to food, so she put me on a restricted diet for about eight weeks before Christmas. I had to cut out gluten, dairy, corn, eggs and soy from my diet for a full month. Those I guess are the most common allergens, and the point of the diet was to see if one of them was the culprit in making me feel so gross. This diet was HARD when trying to eat out - most foods in restaurants have one of these things! Working on game nights, I was very lucky to have a very friendly kitchen staff who made meals for the media - and they worked with me for that time span to let me know which foods had what - and if I couldn't eat anything on the menu they would prepare something just for me. Eating at home was no problem, as I have been a "label-checker" and eating mostly organic for a few years now, so most of the food in our fridge was OK.
After a week and a half, I really felt no different and was convinced it wasn't one of those foods. I emailed the naturopath and she encouraged me to keep going, saying that some of these foods can stay in the body for long periods of time if they are consumed regularly. So I did...and a few days letter, I finally started to feel better! I even lost 10 pounds (and of course gained it all back when I started eating normally again)! After one month was over, the key was to slowly add things back in once a day, and see if I had a reaction. I thought long and hard about which item I should add back in first, and finally decided on soy because I was 99% sure that wasn't the problem. Boy was I wrong. I had tofu noodles for dinner that night and within about 30 minutes of eating, I started to feel that gross feeling again that I hadn't felt in weeks! Tried three different types of soy in a three day span and got the same reaction, so took it back out of the diet and added everything else back in, to feel fine.
About a year or so ago, I started to feel like I was having trouble digesting foods. I was bloated all the time, and food would just sit in my stomach. I felt miserable, and it interfered with my social and physical activities. I went to the doctor and they sent me for a bunch of tests. Besides my iron levels fluctuating from high to low, everything they tested for (including celiac disease) came out negative, so he sent me to a naturopath. The naturopath figured it was probably some sort of intolerance to food, so she put me on a restricted diet for about eight weeks before Christmas. I had to cut out gluten, dairy, corn, eggs and soy from my diet for a full month. Those I guess are the most common allergens, and the point of the diet was to see if one of them was the culprit in making me feel so gross. This diet was HARD when trying to eat out - most foods in restaurants have one of these things! Working on game nights, I was very lucky to have a very friendly kitchen staff who made meals for the media - and they worked with me for that time span to let me know which foods had what - and if I couldn't eat anything on the menu they would prepare something just for me. Eating at home was no problem, as I have been a "label-checker" and eating mostly organic for a few years now, so most of the food in our fridge was OK.
After a week and a half, I really felt no different and was convinced it wasn't one of those foods. I emailed the naturopath and she encouraged me to keep going, saying that some of these foods can stay in the body for long periods of time if they are consumed regularly. So I did...and a few days letter, I finally started to feel better! I even lost 10 pounds (and of course gained it all back when I started eating normally again)! After one month was over, the key was to slowly add things back in once a day, and see if I had a reaction. I thought long and hard about which item I should add back in first, and finally decided on soy because I was 99% sure that wasn't the problem. Boy was I wrong. I had tofu noodles for dinner that night and within about 30 minutes of eating, I started to feel that gross feeling again that I hadn't felt in weeks! Tried three different types of soy in a three day span and got the same reaction, so took it back out of the diet and added everything else back in, to feel fine.
So, it turns out I have a soy intolerance! It's not severe enough to be an allergy, but it's annoying enough that I want to eliminate it from my diet so I don't get that gross feeling all the time. It's strange to ask at restaurants if they use soy, as most of the time the servers have absolutely no idea. Sometimes the cooks don't even know if they bring in packaged items! However, I've found that certain restaurants in Edmonton such as Joey, Local, and the Keg have knowledgeable, friendly staff and/or allergen menus so I can find out what I can eat beforehand and don't have to be fussy at the table. I really dislike being "that" person who has to be picky about their meals, but feeling good is important so if I can do my research in advance it makes things easier for everyone!
You'd be shocked how many foods have soy in them. Mostly processed foods have soy, so in a way this is a good thing for me to avoid them. But I will miss edimame beans, tofu, Lipton chicken noodle soup and Clif bars! I just found out last night that the VITAMINS I was taking had soybean oil in them. Really!?!
Living with an allergy/intolerance is not the end of the world but it's certainly an eye opener! I've started keeping a list of restaurants that are soy-friendly and know which items that I can have, so if you have a family member or relative that is intolerant to soy (as apparently it's fairly common now-a-days) or just want to avoid it (which may be a good idea considering after doing some research I don't think it's the best thing for you to eat anyways), let me know and I'd be happy to share!
That's all for now! First slo-pitch game of the season tonight! Hoping my injury is starting to heal enough that I can jog to first base! :)
xo
-Dianne
You'd be shocked how many foods have soy in them. Mostly processed foods have soy, so in a way this is a good thing for me to avoid them. But I will miss edimame beans, tofu, Lipton chicken noodle soup and Clif bars! I just found out last night that the VITAMINS I was taking had soybean oil in them. Really!?!
Living with an allergy/intolerance is not the end of the world but it's certainly an eye opener! I've started keeping a list of restaurants that are soy-friendly and know which items that I can have, so if you have a family member or relative that is intolerant to soy (as apparently it's fairly common now-a-days) or just want to avoid it (which may be a good idea considering after doing some research I don't think it's the best thing for you to eat anyways), let me know and I'd be happy to share!
That's all for now! First slo-pitch game of the season tonight! Hoping my injury is starting to heal enough that I can jog to first base! :)
xo
-Dianne
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