by Raymond M. Suen, MT (ASCP), Shalima Gordon, ND
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by Dr. Chris Meletis
The goal with avoiding food allergens is that you are
avoiding foods that are triggering an immune response since your body
can’t handle or tolerate the protein matrix of the food. Infact,
it perceives that these foods are invaders attacking the body. There are
4 ways to deal with this and take the burden off your body:
1: Avoid the food totally
if it is a high or moderate reaction for a minimum of 6 months. Replacing
the nutrients lost with eating a wide variety of other foods, taking
a good multi-vitamin and then in 6 months retesting to see if your level
of reactivity has changed.
2: Proactive steps can also be taken
such as using a GI (gastrointestinal) supportive that helps nourish
the lining of the intestines helping it become better at filtering
out foreign food proteins.
3: Digestive enzymes especially designed
for protein breakdown, so not the average run of the mill product on
the health food store shef, but a specially designed proteolytic enzyme
can help decrease the size and total burden of certain allergens.
4: Lastly, after the first 6 months
are over, then one could try oral desensitization drops to see if a
fixed allergen can be mediated to be less problematic.
You will be losing a source of both protein and calcium along with other
select vitamins and minerals. So, taking a good multivitamin with calcium,
magnesium, and vitamin D is highly recommended when dropping off dairy
to pursue optimal health.
What can you substitute? Well assuming you aren’t
allergic to soy….there are numerous soy products worth trying
and taste fairly good as well. CAUTION: You will really need to read
labels because “caseinate” is put into a lot of soy products
and for that matter a lot of non-dairy products in general.
You may also try Rice Milk, Rice Dream ice cream, and
an array of such products. There is also almond milk available as well.
Remember Dairy is also hidden in lots of products… so read labels.
So, you are thinking Egg-Beaters will be your salvation when it comes
to eggs…well a lot of such products actually contain eggs…so
read the labels once again. Egg substitutes are available at many health
food stores and also numerous Seven-Day Adventist Book Stores. Additionally,
checking out Vegan cookbooks at local libraries or bookstore would be
an excellent idea. Vegans…as the name indicates don’t eat
animal products what so ever, unlike vegetarians that are more liberal
when it comes to their dietary consumption frequently. You have to remember
that old habits die hard, but you are truly fueling your body better.
And many people eat without even thinking about consuming these food
types….thus we know it is doable and often much healthier as well.
Another choice may be to try duck eggs. Just as some individuals
allergic to dairy aren’t sensitive to goat’s milk, likewise
duck eggs can serve as a substitute for some people as well.
Well, so much for sandwiches right? Not necessarily, depending on your
reaction to gluten, you might be able to use another grain for your
source of bread. So making the assumption that you aren’t allergic
to gluten for a moment then you choices for bread may include depending
on your individual scores for each of these substances, oat, rye, spelt,
barley, buckwheat, corn and rice. These are the simplier solutions.
The other options include quinoa, amaranth, teff and a
few more exotic grains. This is where a local health food store, holistically
oriented bakery or purchasing a bread machine would come in handy. It
is important to remember that reading labels is important, for all too
often wheat and gluten are found in a lot of processed foods.
Lastly, if you are feeling creative and thinking that
processed loaf of bread from the super market shelf doesn’t say
wheat in its name then it is safe to consume. Well, not exactly many
wheat breads don’t use the word wheat in their name.
Many patients that come up allergic to yeast, may also have health issues
related
to internal overgrowth of yeast as well. Such as yeast infections, fungal
nails,
overgrowth of the yeast in the bowel, etc. This is not necessarily the
case, yet if
you have unremitting symptoms affect these areas or unresolved health
issues, it is definitely worth checking out. On that note it is important
not to attribute everything to internal yeast overgrowth issues for
it is easy to go over board.
It is highly recommends for individuals with yeast allergies
to not only avoid the brewer’s yeast or baker’s yeast, but
really all sources of yeast. So, if a person reacted to brewer’s
yeast, it is ideal to also avoid baker’s yeast. Likewise avoiding
other fermented foods and also for the really health conscious aged
foods as well. Because there can be a cross reactivity.
It is important to remember that though you may think
that you love a food and can’t imagine life without it. The reality
is these foods are literally making you sick and aren’t so loveable.
Fueling your body right, allows for better performance and makes good
sense….we applaud you for taking care of yourself and beginning
the journey towards optimized health. You have just taken the first
step. Congratulations!
