A look at our allergies and intolerances

Allergies have plagued us for years, and not just seasonal allergies, but food allergies as well.  This is our story.

Jon (the hubs) was tested for food allergies after a lemon freeze sent him into a short of breath wheezy mess. He tested allergic to every single thing they tested him for, except dairy (go figure) some greater than others, with the worst being brewer’s yeast, garlic, and lemon. Since he reacted to every food, we have adapted our eating to keep him safe.  So we avoid lemon, garlic, and peanuts. He also was pretty allergic to corn, and if the airborne allergies are high, he will sometimes meet his thresh hold and have a reaction to corn. That one is kind of touch and go. The peanut reaction was one of the lesser reactions; however, since peanut can become life threatening quickly we just avoid it.

Brooke (that’s me) is allergic to dairy. No I’m not lactose intolerant, I am allergic to the proteins. Well, let’s be real I probably am lactose intolerant, but it’s the milk proteins (whey and casein) that cause me shortness of breath, chest tightness, and wheezing.  I also have several food intolerances that cause gut issues. Onion (I can use a little bit of onion powder in recipes), garlic, eggs (I cannot eat them boiled, fried, scrambled, you know just as an egg –they are ok as an ingredient in baked items), pork from the regular store (I have no issue with pork raised with organic feed and antibiotic free which clearly states it isn't the pork that is the problem) broccoli and cauliflower (ok these bother a lot of people, but it is really uncomfortable for me when I eat these), and black beans–other beans seem to be fine.

Rebecca (the teenage girl) has a dairy intolerance. When she was in second grade she complained of a belly ache every single day! EVERY DAY! After awhile I remembered growing up I had a belly ache quite frequently. The hubs and I talked and decided to try her dairy free. Within 3 days she stopped complaining of belly aches, and the whole next year only had 3 total. The belly aches have been few and far between since and that was 6 years ago.

Ryan (the tween boy) also has a dairy issue. He had eczema all over his body. After some research linking dairy to eczema we made him dairy free as well. After about a week, all the eczema patches were gone. When he eats any dairy (because sometimes he sneaks it) I can tell because the eczema comes back. He also gets a tingly tongue and throat when he eats raw banana, however has had banana cooked in breads and such without any issue. When he was 3 or so he also reacted to red dye. It made him uber hyper.  He has grown out of that really, but does get a little boisterous with too much sugar.

We have multiple dietary issues, dairy really being the biggest. We all avoid peanut to protect J, and everything I make is dairy free with the exception of separate dishes of the same items for J since he can have dairy, but we only use nondairy milk.

Now you may be wondering why on earth I would want to add to our restrictions. That is simple. I believe we will be healthier for it.  This year I will be a documenting how our diet effects these issues. It will also be a place for the wins and losses of recipes.

Current issues we are having, not listed by person, and some of these things overlap people. This is going to make us sound like we are falling apart! ha ha!

Fatigue, brain fog, warts, gut issues--constipation/diarrhea, bloating, headaches, migraines, joint pain, bumps on the arms, acne, muscle knots, chronic nasal congestion.

Thanks for joining our journey.

have a blessed day!