Food Allergies: Living With (and Without) My Favourite Foods

When I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease in 2012, I thought my life was over. I didn’t get out of bed for two weeks. I cried, bargained for a Gluten-filled cookie or bagel, kept getting sick off of things that were supposedly “Gluten-Free” or restaurants that assured me they were “safe.” If I didn’t have the support of my friends and family - many of whom went out and got tested for Celiac Disease and realized they also had it - I would not have been able to recover as quickly as I did!

“SECONDARY FOOD ALLERGIES”

Then, I started noticing some foods were making me ill even though they didn’t contain Gluten. I went to some specialists, had a skin test, and I found out I had “Secondary Food Allergies.” I was allergic to: Tomatoes, Almonds, Sesame Seeds, Beef, Chicken, Halibut, and Scallops. It felt so overwhelming because a lot of commercially sold Gluten-Free products depend on almond flour for texture. And if they didn’t contain almonds, they contained sesame.

I did a lot of research on the internet, and got a lot of help from blogs that dealt with food allergy friendly recipes, substitutions, and advice. Facebook Groups are also a great resource for information on specific allergens.

Each bump is bad: I am allergic to over 80 things :(

“I’m allergic to EVERYTHING!!!”

If that wasn’t bad enough, my second allergy test was even worse. By my third test, my entire back lit up with food allergies. My “no” list expanded 10x the original amount: corn, soy, (chicken) eggs, (cow) dairy, clams, crab, cod, bananas, potatoes, sweet potatoes, oranges, grapefruits, melons (except watermelon), cinnamon, black pepper, etc etc etc. Corn and Soy basically eliminated all gluten-free baked products, as did the dairy and eggs!

So how did I ever SURVIVE?

First, I tried to focus on what I *could* eat and less on what I couldn’t eat. “Typical” American foods like bacon, turkey, rice, raspberries, coffee, coconut milk (and other various coconut products), leafy greens, and olive oil are all still on the menu. So I can make coffee and bacon in the morning, have a salad with sliced turkey and lemon/olive oil for dressing, and then pork rice and beans for dinner.

Second, I found alternatives to the things I couldn’t have: sheep’s milk, yoghurt, and cheese instead of cow’s dairy. Duck eggs instead of chicken. Bison subbed for beef. Turkey soup instead of chicken.

Third, I’d get really creative in making my food. Pizza crust from cauliflower, rice flour, and duck eggs, onion sauce, and buffalo mozzarella. Elk burgers with goat cheese and wrapped in lettuce. Turkey hot dogs with sauerkraut. Duck breast in a maple-raspberry sauce.

For socializing, I go out for coffee instead of brunch, or simply order bacon. When I travel, I find restaurants that will feed me safely, like one in Montreal that was free of the top 8 allergens. I do non-food activities with friends, like a walk, bike, beach trip, karaoke, or something like a picnic where everyone brings their own food.

I try and stay positive, instead of feeling like I’m missing out. I order a lot of allergy friendly, specialty food items like SeaSnax from Amazon or Quinoa Cookies from Vitacost. I make sure to bring these snacks with me in my purse, so I’m never hungry when I go out!