To
give you a little background, I am supposed to stick to eating mostly meats,
fruits and vegetables. Although I am
allergic to beef, pork and eggs, I can rotate them and have been encouraged to
eat meat instead of carbohydrates (to help with fatigue). Wheat (or anything with gluten) is bad! As
well as a few foods I never really struggle with like walnuts and codfish. I am
saddened by the loss of cantaloupe, and have to watch onions, garlic and several
other seasonings. Dairy was bad but I
can get away with a little dairy at times now so haven’t cut it out completely,
but most of the time I avoid it. The list continues to grow, can’t have almonds
now, and to make me a little stranger, I can’t have anything with red dye
(goodbye twizzlers, cherry lime-aids, skittles, and numerous other junk food I love!).
Some of you may not have as many foods that you have to avoid, and some of you
may have more, but hopefully you can relate to my list of pros and cons.
First
the cons (I always like getting the bad news first)… Of course, having food
allergies is not easy, period. Those of us with food allergies have to plan
ahead for each meal or snack, and especially for eating out or social
gatherings with food. Preparing healthy
foods tends to be more time-consuming too! I feel a little excluded on the fun
at social gatherings because I want to eat the “fun” food too, like cake or
cookies, brownies or even for me, certain fruits on fruit trays, or casseroles
(I love casseroles!), etc. The other negative
social side of allergies is having to be different (and sometimes difficult)
when ordering out or dining with others, and it’s hard to say goodbye to some
of my favorite entrees at my favorite restaurants. And as much as I like my
share of conversational attention, it does get old having to explain what you
can and cannot have, and not always being able to blend in (like when someone
brings donuts for everyone at work). I
have learned to simply say “no thank you,” but sometimes feel the need to
explain if someone’s feelings are at stake.
I hate the cravings for things I should not eat! It is difficult to say “no” when I really
want to say “yes!!” I don’t like being
at work and not being able to find anything to snack on (when I didn’t manage
to plan ahead) and have had several times I have had to just be hungry for a
while. It stinks that gluten is in
barbeque sauce (as well as numerous other foods it has no business being
in)! And I don’t like eating things I
think are fine and having a reaction to it (I can’t eat kiwi now! Not fair
since that is a fruit!) Everyone who has ever been on a diet knows how hard it
is to say no to food you love, but I hate when I cannot eat some of the healthy
foods that I love! Okay, enough
complaining! It gets old whining about
the negatives… Let’s move on to the positives, shall we?
Here
we go with the pros… Number one, I feel better!
I know what causes most of my fatigue and sickness! I have lost weight and don’t have to respond
to Weight Watchers ads or choose a new diet for a New Year’s resolution! I’m watching so many ingredients already, I
don’t really have to count calories or fat!
That’s pretty freeing! I think just
cutting out wheat and all gluten alone cuts down on 90% of the food I’m
surrounded by! I’ve also discovered
through this journey that gluten is bad for everyone, so even if the allergy
drops eventually help me to be able to eat wheat again, I don’t plan to because
of the other ways it damages our bodies.
As a side-note, gluten caused me to have “leaky gut syndrome” which has
led to numerous food allergies (you can look it up for more information,) and
has also had played a part in my thyroid not working properly (which creates
other “fun” symptoms I won’t go in to).
Ultimately, the allergy is keeping me away from gluten, which is a big
favor to my health! I think if I did not
have the symptoms when I eat something with gluten, will-power alone would not
keep me away from gluten-filled foods like donuts or pasta, and McDonalds is
completely off the options list now! My
symptoms remind me of a child trying to touch the stove and getting their hand
spanked… It doesn’t take that happening very many times to lose interest in
touching the stove! I have also become more aware of the dangers of processed
food, which I used to think was someone’s paranoia and
now have to resist shouting “the sky is falling” (or “watch out for gluten and
processed food! It’s all around and is killing us all!!”). There is a purpose in buying organic
foods! Imagine that!! Pesticides and
chemicals aren’t really very good for us! Who would have thunk it? And of all the times to have to go
gluten-free or have allergies, now is a great time because there are so many
alternatives available to allow those with allergies to still be able to have
some of their favorite foods. I found a
great gluten-free brownie mix that I’m very grateful for! Despite the
substitutes I’ve found, I have been forced to change many of my bad habits, and
overall to eat healthier foods. Although
the healthier foods tend to cost more, we’ve actually done better with our budget
because of not being able to eat out so freely.
And my whole family now eats healthier foods because of my restrictions,
which is another plus! Ultimately, I am
grateful for my allergies! It’s not easy
at times, but it does feel good to feel better! And based on the size of my
paragraphs (and especially how I feel), it looks like the pros outweigh the
cons!
If
you have recently been diagnosed with food allergies, hang in there! I know the changes it causes are difficult! Wait a few months and then I’m sure you’ll be
able to write your own list of pros and cons, and will see for yourself that
it’s not the curse it first may appear to be!
-Rachel
that was really good
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