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!