Avoiding Allergies and Detox Dieting

By:  Samantha

People with allergies can suffer from one or many ranging from pet dander to fragrances.  Out of the wide variety of allergies that are out there, more and more people are becoming aware that they have an allergy to certain foods.  Two types of foods that a large number of individuals are allergic to are wheat products and dairy products.  Avoiding a specific food completely can be difficult and may make one feel that they are missing out on something.  Thankfully, food allergies can be alleviated by substituting that food with something like it.  There are many products on the market that enable people to enjoy the flavors they love without the negative effects of an allergy.  There are a variety of symbols, dependent on the manufacturer, indicating if a product does or does not contain a specific ingredient.  Some of these symbols can be found at www.livefreefoods.com.

Wheat (gluten) is found in more foods than most people realize.  The main types of food that contain wheat gluten are breads and pastas.  Most food products made with flour contain wheat, but it is also found in foods such as certain brands of yogurt.  Checking the ingredients list is the best way to know if something contains wheat gluten or not, so check your labels.  Many health food stores sell an array of gluten free products, and many grocery stores are beginning to do so as well.  This is helpful to those who must have a gluten free diet since they would have to make a lot of foods from scratch with gluten free ingredients if these items were not available.

Dairy products are along the same lines, but include foods/drinks that most people consume on a daily basis.  Milk, cheese, butter, and sour cream are a few examples.  If there is a circle with the letter “U” inside and the letter “D” next to it, that indicates that the product may contain dairy.  The words “Parve” or “Pareve” on a label mean that it is dairy free.  Just because a product says “non-dairy” does not mean that it is dairy free.   This is the group of foods that, unfortunately, I do not digest well.  Though it was hard to imagine not being able to have these foods, I have started to get used to it.  Luckily, there are many substitutes to choose from which are also sold at health food stores and are becoming more available at grocery stores, too.  Nutritional Frontiers (2011) gives a variety of dairy substitutes on the Dairy Free Food Program link under the Customized Food Program list.  These are the suggested substitutes:

Milk:  soy milk, rice milk, hemp milk, almond milk, hazelnut milk, and coconut milk

Cheese:  rice cheese, soy cheese, hemp cheese, and cheese (Veganella and Galaxy brands as well)

Cream Cheese and Yogurt:  Tofutti brand cream cheese and soy, rice, and coconut yogurt

Ice Cream:  rice, soy, and coconut (Rice Dreams, Tofutti, and So Delicious are a few brands), all-fruit sorbet is another option

Butter:  CHECK LABELS or use olive oil

Nutritional Frontiers (2011) also offers a Detox Food Program under the Customized Food Program List which gives a list of do and do not concerning fruits, vegetables, starch, bread/cereal, legumes, nuts and seeds, meat and fish, milk and dairy substitutes, fats, beverages, spices/condiments, and sweeteners.  This is a diet plan aimed toward ridding the body of unwanted/unhealthy/unnatural toxins which may also help you to drop a few pounds.

Though having any kind of allergy can be unpleasant, at least those of us with food allergies are beginning to have a wider variety of substitutes to choose from.  I want to thank all of my followers for their time and interest, and I wish you all the best with your journey toward a “snappier” you.

References:

Live Free Foods. (2011). Live Free Foods:  Gluten Free.  Allergy

Free.  Be Free. Retrieved from

http://www.livefreefoods.com/pages/Icon-Guide.html

Nutritional Frontiers. (2011}. Nutritional Frontiers:  Breaking

Through Nutritional Boundaries. Retrieved from

http://www.nutritionalfrontiers.com/

About the Author:

Samantha is a 28 year old who is currently working full-time in a group home and is enrolled in the Nursing Program at Westmoreland County Community College, Indiana Campus.  Though she has been discouraged many times over the years, she still strives to succeed with all things she hopes to achieve.  Becoming a healthier person, inside and out, is just one of many goals Samantha is working toward.  That specific goal is why she chose to be in the Crappy to Snappy blog group for her Advanced Composition course.  She also hopes she has helped others see that no matter what they may be dealing with there is always someone out there who can help.  You just have to start looking in order to find the answer.