Food Allergy and Intolerances
 

A visit to my general doctor after years of unsuccessful acne treatment led her to put me on an allergy diet to determine if I was having adverse reactions from one or more of the common allergy culprits.

Turns out I have an allergy to both wheat and dairy that manifests itself as moderate acne all over my body. This discovery was made about 5 years ago, and since then I pay a lot more attention to what I am eating.

About two years ago, I also started to develop what I have learned is an intolerance to dairy, on top of the allergy. I was confused. Allergy? Intolerance? I honestly thought they were the same thing. It turns out they're not.

Has anyone else had to navigate the path of educating yourself about the relationship between your body and its reaction to certain food?

I've been allergic to half the world since I was born.

I was born with Asthma and allergic to milk. By the time I was 7 allergy testing showed I was allergic to corn, wheat, gluten.....the list goes on. But I was always very physically active as a kid and had little trouble with any of the things I was allergic too. I drank milk, ate bread and corn chips with no real problems. By 12 the Asthma went away.

When I hit my 30's and had become less physically active, some of these allergies reared up again. I developed an allergy to molds and became lactose intolerant. MSG makes me sweat profusely and yeast takes my breath away.

So I either work out and stay physically fit or I live on a daily dose of Claritin D. I've also found that by doing a 30 day cleanse every 6 months, I'm able to keep the toxins under control and greatly reduce my allergies for a couple of months.

I'm sure I could completely control them with exercise, cleansing and a better diet, but frankly I'm just too lazy to be that strict about my lifestyle. I've also found that a mostly raw foods diet is freakin' awesome for controlling my allergies. I bought a Hurom juicer, that I don't use nearly enough, but when I do the difference is substantial.

I would probably be more motivated to control it if the allergies had come on mid life instead of being born with them. I've always had them to some extent, so while not having them is great, having them is 'normal'.

I have no real allergies of any sort, thankfully! The only medication I have had a reaction to is a strong short dose antibiotic.

For those that do struggle with allergies this is a really informative website. It is one that we were shown in my food chemistry and food toxicology courses.
Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network