Food Allergies

[LV426]

So I'm sure there are people out there with food allergies. I don't have any major allergies to anything except wheat gluten and even then it's a mild allergy. Pretty sad too since I love bread. But then again with my recent food modifications I don't eat breads anymore. I make exceptions for holidays but on the whole breads and items containing wheat gluten (which is about every junk food known to man) are not in my diet. I found out by accident really that I am allergic to wheat gluten. I kept getting vile acid reflux and I was on prescription medication for it. After I started my new food regime (yes it is a regime), I found that cutting out the wheat laden products had actually decreased my acid reflux. So I went off the meds and was cured! Well sort of. I still have a weakness for products containing wheat gluten but I try to minimize the damage and save the suffering for important occassions. :-)

[Tiamot]

Funny thing... you read my mind LV I was considering starting the very same topic!

I also have a gluten intolerance, however I'm one of those who, rather than suffer from numerous gastrointestinal problems because of it, suffers severe neurological effects. I have to maintain a completely gluten free diet or else I can start to feel the effects in as little as 15-20 minutes. I've tried on a few occasions to 'cheat' and have that piece of pie or yummy chinese crab rangoon only to regret it later. While I can have stomach problems if I ingest gluten, these are so secondary to the neurological effects that I might as well not have them. Unfortunately I still have to be on medications to control what apparent damage has been done. I'm pretty convinced that if I would have kept up with my 'healthy' diet that included plenty of pastas and whole grains I would have ended up in the hospital with more problems.

[LV426]

Actually I still enjoy some of my favorite foods by just substituting rice flour for the wheat flour. Of course in some cases rice flour just can't cut it but in the case of crab rangoon I can indeed make wonton wraps out of rice flour and they taste just fine. :)

Here is a great site I found on wheat gluten free flours.

http://www.foodsubs.com/Flournw.html

I don't recommend the chickpea flour unless you like chickpeas. It tastes absolutely hideous.

[West]

I do not have any food allergies that I know of.

Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure that the only thing I am allergic to is Ragweed.

[marasamizuka]

Only food allergy I've ever had was to relatives of lobster, and it was bad when I first had it at my aunt's wedding 5 years ago. I tried lobster again about a week ago and nothing happened. That's the only I know of.

[Morgrim]

I'm allergic to strawberries. I've never had a major problem with any other berry, judt strawberries, which seems a little weird. I get mild rashes and tend to throw up if I eat them, or get funny red, ichy lumps if I handle them too much.

Which is frustrating, because where I live fruit picking at the strawberry farm is one of the better holiday jobs you can get.

[SentinelWatchdog]

I have a mild allergy to chocolate (nothing serious, just vomit) and an allergy to Xylitol, a type of artificial sweetener (like saccharine or Splenda) that seems to be in about as many products as gluten (gum, toothpaste, baked goods). It was a recent development, and one that took a while to figure out since it is somewhat obscure.

While it is a nuisance to watch for, it really does not stop me from eating anything I care that much about.

As for chocolate, I eat a little bit at a time anyway. I just keep it in moderation.