Hello and welcome back! Today I’m gonna talk about my food allergies and how I found out about them. I hope that this post helps anyone out there that may have the same or similar allergies that I have.
To start, about a year and a half ago I went to the doctor for a yearly checkup. I had always been curious about allergy tests were done. I heard various things about how testing was done from: they draw your blood, they prick you in the back with various substances and see how your body reacts, etc. I decided to ask my doctor if she would give me an allergen test. I was excited, I was scared, I was on pins and needles to say the least. I had no idea what to expect. The day finally comes for my allergy test. I had prepared myself for the worst. Multiple pricks in the back or whatever crazy tactic they were going to use. I was informed that, all they needed was to draw some blood and that I’d soon be on my way. I was shocked! This whole time, I had stressed and freaked out and all it came down to was ONE needle prick and a couple of vials of blood.
A couple of weeks go by and I get the phone call that changed my life! I remember being sad and upset because, I had never gone through something like this before. I suddenly had to make B I G changes and I didn’t know where to start or who to turn to. I felt like a fish out of water after I got off the phone with the nurse. So many past ailments made sense now. It’s a miracle I’m still alive at this point.
I’m gonna list my allergies in order from most severe to *I think* the least severe: Sesame seeds, corn, clams, codfish, shrimp, egg white, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, walnuts, scallops.
After doing some research on my own and meeting with a nutritionist we had come up with a meal plan of sorts that I initially tried to stick to but, I was having a hard time letting go of certain things. Corn and bread, for example, were two of the hardest things to let go of. Bread is an essential part of life and now I have to cut it out?! Lord help! I continued to research substitutions that were available to me in my area and began to experiment, seeing what I liked and what I didn’t.
Fast forward to today, I’m currently on my second keto journey and while I still struggle with managing my food allergies; I’m doing WAY better than I was two years ago. It’s an uphill battle and everyday is different but it gets easier as time goes on.
In addition to having to change my way of eating, I had to change my view on food and how it’s made. One thing I really try to practice is reading the ingredients labels. As someone who has multiple food allergies, it’s super important to read and research all ingredients listed so that way I can easily identify anything that could trigger an allergic reaction.
Is it tough? Yes. Do I get annoyed and want to just give up? Of. Course. But, this is something that will affect me for the rest of my life. On top of coming to the realization that I have food allergies and that they probably won’t ever go away, I have to learn how to take care of myself the best way I know how.
In addition to reading labels and finding substitutions, researching on the internet, reaching out to various people in the medical field I have begun to surround myself with those who are going through the same thing I’m going through. That way, I don’t feel alone in this journey or like I have no one to turn to. I strongly recommend finding your village. That has made this SO much easier, to have that secondary source or that extra support system.
As time goes on and I find more tips and ways to handle my food allergies I hope to inspire and uplift those who are where I was this time two years ago.
Let me know in the comments what food allergies, if any, you suffer from and how you manage it.