Two summers ago I kept getting very sick with what we thought was a reoccurring stomach bug…I had 6 in an 8 week span. By the 3rd one I knew something else was wrong. I am a clean person, I wash my hands a lot, my house is clean, and I was the only one in my family getting sick. After seeing a family doctor, having tests done checking for parasites etc, then going to the emergency room and having MRI’s and cat scans {which scared my poor husband….poor thing was terrified I had something serious!} all tests came back clear. The docs gave me a bunch of prescriptions for nausea, pain, and diarrhea (you name it I had a prescription for it, the only one I even used was the nausea meds, thank you Jesus for phenergan) and they said “good luck, come see us if it happens again”….Why?!? Just so you can write me another prescription? No thanks! I just knew if I got sick again I was going to lose my mind and my husband was going to have to commit me to the loony bin.

After giving up on “regular” doctors I decided to go see a naturopath doctor at Peoples RX Wellness Clinic (next door to Peoples Pharmacy on Lakeline), I had been in that pharmacy numerous times for numerous things for my family and love it there! I get more natural and “granola” as I get older. After talking with my new doctor he put me on a strict anti inflammatory diet, meaning no gluten, dairy, corn, pork, caffeine, soy. I was in shock…I thought “What the hell can I eat???”

Well, I followed my diet perfectly and immediately started feeling better and losing weight (I lost 40 pounds over a 7/8 month period after I quit eating all those foods).  I had some episodes of mild nausea if I accidentally ate something I wasn’t supposed to, but didn’t get full blown sick again. {Insert me doing the happy dance!} After being on my strict diet for 6 months I did a blood test for food allergies. When I got my results I cried sobbed the whole way home. I didn’t even care about the gluten or dairy, it was the freaking coffee and garlic!

So I am allergic to a crazy long list of things including gluten, dairy/casein, coffee, peanuts, plus a TON of other random foods. I don’t eat them and I feel 10X better than I did 2 years ago. It was one hell of an adjustment and my family had to adjust too. I cook according to my diet and it is very healthy, no one complains either.

We have a garden in our backyard and I love it! I have bought only organic produce and hormone/antibiotic free meat for a long time, but there are a lot less processed foods in my house now.

Every once and a while you just really need something sweet and unhealthy though! It can be a pain finding yummy gluten/casein free food, expensive too. Well I am going to share some of mine and my kid’s favorites in case you know someone that has a very restricted diet. As I mentioned my family eats according to my diet for the most part. They do still eat a few things such as sandwiches, cereal, and yogurt…but I am careful with the boys because they have a good chance of having the same allergies as me because it is passed down from the mom’s side. Sorry kids.

These 3 boxes of King Arthur Flour are in my house at all times. I bake them for for friends, play dates, or BBQ’s no one ever knows they are gluten/casein free! Yum yum!!!

There are at least 2 jars of Artisana Coconut Oil in my house at any given moment. I obviously use it as a cooking oil (it is great for high heat cooking), but I also use it as a replacement for butter. It is the perfect butter substitute because it congeals and melts like butter, plus the flavor is amazing!

Aside from cooking it has many health benefits as well…before coconut oil is heated it has antibacterial properties and I rubbed in on Porter’s mouth when he had stitches, they healed so quickly and the oil soothed the wound. It is great for hair and as a moisturizer too! It can help with weight loss, increased immunity. See more detailed info HERE.

 

 A few other things we love to splurge on are Glutino’s pretzels, Van’s waffles, and Cherrybrook pancakes! My kids gobbled all of these things up and never knew the difference 🙂 I also cannot live without French Meadow Bakery’s gluten free tortillas…I cannot wait to visit my sis-in-law and bro-in-law in Minneapolis again this year to eat at the actual French Meadow Bakery. It is so yummy! They took me there 3 times last summer when we visited.

Adjusting to food allergies can be tough, but completely worth how much better you feel in the end. It is possible to find yummy food to splurge on every now and then, I spent a fortune trying all kinds of gluten/casein free foods, maybe I can save you the trouble!

Do you have food allergies or know someone who does? What is their favorite allergy free food?

3 COMMENTS

  1. When V was nursing I went on an elimination diet for her food sensitivites . . . Best thing that ever happened to my diet! It made me think outside the box on my regular foods. I am now much more inclined to a nice glass of coconut milk or almond milk vs. cows milk which I do want from time to time but kind of icks me out too. Although my favorite thing you mentioned was coconut oil. I started using it for her cradle cap and now use it for anything and everything. A total wonder oil!

    •  Coconut oil is beyond amazing!!! I really struggle with the idea of drinking milk from another animal as well….did it for close to 28 years, but not too long before I knew about my allergies it started grossing me out.

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