Allergic to..... everything, please help

[Montgomerystubercles]

I'm not in a good place, I've had severe hives/eczema on and off for the last 2 years, it's now almost constant. Through an elimination diet last year it seemed dairy was the culprit, so cut that out. Earlier this year I seemed to be reacting to all soy, so cut that out. Now I've had an intolerance blood test and it seems I can add egg white, lychees and yeast to the list. Plus I should limit my intake of caffeine, peppercorns, nutmeg, star anise and chamomile.

Any of these on their own is doable but no soy, yeast, dairy or egg white is a nightmare. Avoiding lychees is not such a problem! The advice is to eliminate for 12 weeks and then try reintroducing so I'm trying hard to be positive and look forward to an improvement (it's really affecting my sleep as well as it keeps me awake a lot at night) but the thought of trying to come up with things to eat, especially for lunch and breakfast, for 4 months, has already made me cry three times today. To add to it all I think DS (nearly 1) shares at least some of these intolerances.

Tomorrow I will get a grip and make a folder of recipes, and write a shopping list, but today, whilst I am moping around, does anyone have either experience (especially of the yeast side) or suggestions of what to eat for breakfast/lunch?

[pinkbalconyrailing]

who did the intolerance blood test?

unfortunately there are lots of charlatanes around trying to make a fast buck of long suffering people.

if you suspect you have allergies see your gp for a referral for allergy testing.

[Pearsapiece]

I agree with the above. If an elimination diet has shown you soy and dairy then you obviously feel better without them so continue that. Maybe trial the egg because that's a big allergen. The rest sound a bit like they may be saying something so you don't complain of lack of result.

[Fivemoreminutes1]

Porridge made with almond or oat milk, with toppings/stir-ins such as nut butters, fruit purée, dried fruit, desiccated coconut, dark chocolate chips, honey, maple syrup etc... This morning I had oat milk porridge with plum compote, pecans and a drizzle of maple syrup.

If you want overnight oats, make it with coconut yogurt www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/297954925 or www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/302320430 and add nuts, fruit juice, fresh fruit etc....

If I don’t have time for a sit-down breakfast, I’ll make this smoothie the night before www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/espresso-banana-and-almond-smoothie/ You could use decaf coffee powder. This is another nice smoothie, but a bit too summery for now! www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/creamy-mango-coconut-smoothie

[wheresmymojo]

To be honest this sounds easy to me...

It's like a vegan diet but you can still eat meat, fish and seafood?

Simples!


What do you like to eat? What kind of food?

What type of meals are you struggling with?

Happy to give tonnes of ideas!

[Sexnotgender]

Start with one meal at a time as it’s probably quite daunting overall.

Breakfast - porridge with oat milk or almond milk plus maybe some peanut butter/cinnamon and a banana or some berries/apple.

Lunches - I tend to do leftovers. Veg chilli is good, this is particularly delicious www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/veggie-chilli/ serve with rice and avocado.
Roast a large joint and use it through the week with salad or veg. A full roast dinner has none of your allergies. Check the gravy just in case of egg.

[wheresmymojo]

Just seen breakfast and lunch...

Breakfast:

• Grapefruit
• Fresh fruit salad with or without coconut milk yoghurt
• Bacon, tomatoes and mushrooms
• Flatbreads with bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms
• Avocado on toasted flatbread with or without bacon
• Gluten free sausages
• Porridge made with oat milk or nut milk
• Overnight oats with fruit made with oat milk or nut milk
• Banana chia pudding

[wheresmymojo]

Lunches:

• Chicken salad or tuna salad or prawn salad
• Baked potato with tuna and sweetcorn or vegan cheese (try Violife's equivalent of grated cheese sold in most supermarkets)
• Flatbreads with chicken salad in
• Flatbreads with smashed avocado
• Tortilla wraps with spicy chicken
• Chilli and nachos
• Chilli and jacket potato
• Sweet potato fries topped with guacamole and salsa and vegan cheese

Anything taking your fancy? I can keep going if it helps...

[Fivemoreminutes1]

I can recommend this pancake recipe if you have time www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/easy-vegan-pancakes

These wraps are good www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/303579681. I’m currently filling them with cooked chicken pieces, humous and red pepper.

You could have pasta salad or couscous for lunch. www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/Product/napolina-organic-chickpea-fusilli-250g I have this chickpea pasta but you’re ok with wheat aren’t you? Violife vegan feta (which I get from Tesco) goes well with a packet of sun dried tomato couscous.

[LizzieAnt]

A lot of intolerance testing is rubbish, complete hocus-pocus. I agree with a pp to ask your gp if you can be referred for proper allergy testing first. Hives can be a symptom of an allergic (IgE mediated) reaction. Intolerances are different but it's a starting point at least. The elimination diet and slow reintroduction can work too.....but star anise? Camomile? Who did the testing?

[wheresmymojo]

More breakfast:

• Cereal with oat or nut milk (just check the cereal doesn't have anything in that you're intolerant to but most don't)

• Banana split topped with coconut yoghurt and berries

• Fruit and greens based smoothies using oat or nut milk (or just water)

More lunches:

• Flatbread toasted and in soldiers, hummus, assorted veg crudités (mange tout, baby corn, cherry tomatoes)

• Mexican salad (kidney beans, black beans, sweetcorn, chopped cherry toms, lime juice, fresh coriander, red onion)

• Coconut sweet potato lentil Dahl with flatbread to dip

• Should be plenty of soups that work

• Vegetable or meat samosas

[wheresmymojo]

Sorry, I didn't mean to sound condescending when I said it was 'easy'.

I realise diet change isn't easy at the time.

I just meant as someone transitioning to being a vegan so no dairy, egg, meat, fish, seafood, anything derived from animals it sounds easy in comparison!

I'm like a ninja level recipe finder because of my vegan transition (albeit at a glacial pace)...

[wheresmymojo]

@Fivemoreminutes1

I can recommend this pancake recipe if you have time www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/easy-vegan-pancakes

These wraps are good www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/303579681. I’m currently filling them with cooked chicken pieces, humous and red pepper.

You could have pasta salad or couscous for lunch. www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/Product/napolina-organic-chickpea-fusilli-250g I have this chickpea pasta but you’re ok with wheat aren’t you? Violife vegan feta (which I get from Tesco) goes well with a packet of sun dried tomato couscous.

Is vegan Violife feta good?

I've only tried the grated cheese so far which I was really impressed with!

[GetThatHelmetOn]

The trick is to stop trying to make substitutions, cooking the same meals with ingredient removal/substitution or cooking separate meals for yourself.

See it as you are learning to cook from scratch, the vegan analogy is a good one. The beginning is always difficult but with time you get so used to your requirements you don’t even think of it anymore.

Every cloud and all that, but we had never ate healthier than when allergic to soya... you cannot eat virtually ANY processed food so everything is fresh and cooked from scratch.

Rather than panicking about getting a bunch of new recipes make a list of which carbs, meats, vegetables, fruits you can eat and start cooking as if you were trying to make a healthy meal that includes Carbs, protein and vegs with whatever is left in the fridge.

Once you are used to that, you can get into the recipes... personally, I found it useless to try to get a book or “the” book with multiple allergies. I normally just have quick flick at books and magazines and if I see a recipe that miraculously is suitable, I just take a photo of it. I have better luck finding such recipes in books that help you cook with 3-4 ingredients (You can make them to your taste with other things you have at home)

[wheresmymojo]

Assuming the Violife feta cheese is good that opens up tonnes more lunch options:

• Greek salad (cucumber, tomatoes, olives, feta)

• This beetroot, lentil and feta warm salad is nice pin.it/6vrttXU

• So is this Mediterranean roast veg, feta and mixed grains dish pin.it/6CXkxp2

• Sweet potato, lentil and feta salad pin.it/7bnIpCQ

• Haven't made this lentils, rice and crispy onions but looks like it would be good with fish or chicken pin.it/1quLYUq

Tend to agree with PP though, a few of these are hard work for lunch (for me personally) so I would tend to stick to:

• Soup
• Premade samosas
• Flatbread, hummus, raw veg crudités (this is what I eat 3 days a week)
• Greek salad
• Baked potato ideas
• Salad ideas

[wheresmymojo]

Also Pinterest is your friend!

[AnnaMagnani]

Who did the intolerance blood test? Was it a qualified immunologist?

If you have urticaria for more than a year, then it is v unlikely to be due to ongoing allergy but chronic urticaria. The cause generally isn't clear but your immune system goes into an overdrive and the reaction goes on and on and on.

I had it for about 2 years in my 20s, no reason at all and then it disappeared as mysteriously as it arrived. Sometimes comes back - I had it yesterday - I'm mid 40s now.

Ezcema often goes with it partly as you scratch so much, partly as your immune system has gone a bit nuts.

You need anti-histamines everyday, at max doses ( i had mega doses) and if that isn't working referral to a dermatologist or immunologist.

dermnetnz.org/topics/chronic-urticaria/

[LizzieAnt]

I hadn't heard of chronic urticaria before, but completely agree with @AnnaMagnani regarding seeing the proper professionals. I'd go to your gp immediately for a referral. I don't know who did the testing in your case, but IgG blood testing for food intolerances (if that's what was done) is a nonsense science. Don't believe a word they tell you and go to your doctor.

[Fivemoreminutes1]

@wheresmymojo yes the village feta is damn delicious. Just the right amount of tang and it crumbles beautifully.

[Montgomerystubercles]

Thank you very much for all your replies, I've had a day of being miserable about it and now I am pulling myself together.

Thank you for all the food suggestions - just to add that yeast is in a surprising number of foods so any vegan cheese alternative is out, olives, dried fruits, fortified cereals, stock, dried/smoked/processed meats and fish, mushrooms and fruit juices. I think if I do attempt it, porridge with fresh fruit and soup/salad/leftovers for lunch is the way forward.

The test was from York test. I was aware it wasn't necessarily the complete picture but I wasn't aware of how little evidence there is to support the igG blood test. I am definitely right in the pay anything to get an answer category, and I guess that is how these clinics make money.

I have struggled to get my GP to take it seriously - the final straw was when he recommended I just use Vaseline on my raw eyelids. I've seen a private eczema specialist who did the allergy testing, but he was very dismissive of any possible food intolerance link, when the only thing that has made any serious difference was cutting out dairy and soy.

I think I will look in to finding a private immunologist before I cut any more foods out, and perhaps try one at a time.

[AnnaMagnani]

If you have the money, go and see an immunologist privately.

I'm a doctor and got dragged down the corridor to see the dermatologist by my consultant as I was head to toe in hives - saw her a couple of times and she put my mind at rest straight away.

Her advice was don't bother cutting out any foods, no point in any testing and she gave me much higher doses of anti-histamine than my GP was happy with.

I'd actually forgotten, but my DH has this too I am such a bad wife He thinks his was set off by ibuprofen but just to show how variable it is, he can take it totally fine now. We just keep sackfuls of antihistamine in the house and he takes them when he feels itchy. I take them every day anyway for asthma and have an extra when a hive appears.

[TheSandgroper]

There is a way forward. The world gold standard of elimination diets is from Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. www.slhd.nsw.gov.au/rpa/allergy/resources/foodintol/handbook.html

There is a website set up by ex patients that is excellent. www.fedup.com.au/

The elimination diet is explained. www.fedup.com.au/factsheets/support-factsheets/introduction-to-food-intolerance

Your particular problem has a fact sheet. www.fedup.com.au/factsheets/symptom-factsheets/eczema

There is a Facebook page to join m.facebook.com/groups/128458328536/?ref=group_browse and m.facebook.com/groups/380347182034474/?ref=group_browse.

A good dietician will help immensely. Some will do skype appointments. It is a solvable problem and you can get on top of this with the right tools and support. PM for more information if you wish.

[HowDifficultWouldThisBe]

Oh, forget about the York test! Just take of it the allergens that are mark in red and ask GP for blood/prick test.

The York test is renowned by providing a lot of false positives AND false negatives, the only good thing of it is that it can help you to narrow down the possible culprits (but may still produce a long list of “allergies” to things you can eat without problem.

Removing one allergen off the diet completely for 2 weeks, removing them one by one at 2 weeks intervals might be the best way forward as even blood and prick tests are unreliable (but never as unreliable as the York test).

[LizzieAnt]

@HowDifficultWouldThisBe
There's no reliable evidence AT ALL to support the York test, so I don't see how it can help to narrow down the list of possible culprits.

[HowDifficultWouldThisBe]

When I used the York test (just because the waiting list for an allergy test in my area was 3 years back then) there were so many things that came as positive on it that went abroad for a blood test to check the allergens the york test indicated were the worse. The blood test confirmed them all, and a few months later a prick test By the NHS as well... interestingly some of those things that got confirmed were never a problem before or after the tests, so I would say the most reliable way to know is doing an elimination diet, supervised by a nutritionist if possible but then again, it took months to get an appointment for a nutritionist with the NHS and given the advice she provided was so basic that was useless or uninformed that was dangerous (almond or soya milk instead of dairy for someone with a nut and soya allergy), we had to go the private route again.

Thankfully the local allergy service provision has improve beyond recognition so I hope the OP doesn’t have to go through the same, but I would say that if she has already spend so much in York test is because she has not been able to access an allergician via her GP, that’s how York test makes their money...