Example of Allergy Skin Tests; Credit: medicalook.com
I went for skin tests at the allergist, yesterday afternoon, to test for foods to which I might be allergic. I hadn’t been tested for this since I was a small child. But, I have a severe latex allergy and a lot of foods cross-react with latex. Also, over the past few years, I have been experiencing increasing sever buccal reactions to things I ate. Thus, the skin tests. (Note: that is not me in the photo above.)
And boy, after a week of no antihistamines, those skin tests couldn’t come soon enough (even though I was on a steady prednisone regimen) !
Sadly, it turns out that, like many people, I am fairly allergic to pea/legumes (e.g., peanuts, beans, peas, soy), palm (coconut, date), parsley (carrot, celery, parsnip, parsley, dill, celery seed, cumin, coriander, fennel, etc.), plum (almonds, plums, prunes, peach, apricot, cherry, nectarine), cashew (cashew nuts, pistachio, mango), gourds/melons/squash/ cucumber, laurels (cinnamon, bay leaf, avocado, sassafras), hazelnuts, Irish potatoes, honey and milk fat. Also, I already knew that I am allergic to shea butter.
No wonder I was having so many problems! 
The legume allergy is going to be the most difficult, as peanuts and soy (an products thereof) are in so many things. No more Chinese for me.
At least I am not allergic to apples/pears, buckwheat, citrus, cola nut (chocolate), goosefoot (beet, spinach, chard, beet sugar, etc.) grasses (grains & cereals, like wheat, corn, rice, cane sugar), Heath (blueberry, cranberry, hucklberry) lily (onions), mints (mint, sage, thyme, some oregano, basil, rosemary, etc.), mustards (mustard, turnip, radish, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, kale, rutabaga, etc.), nightshades (tomatoes & peppers), rose (strawberry, blackberry, raspberry), sunflower( lettuce, artichoke, tarragon) or walnuts (walnut, pecan, hickory nut, butternut), and fat-free milk. Also, all meats and eggs are OK.
Image Credit: umassmed.edu
PTL I’m not allergic to chocolate!
This is going to require a major diet overhaul. One of the first things I did (other than downing a bunch of anti-histamines) was go through my food storage to see what I could and could not eat. Not surprising, I found soy and palm everywhere. Even things that I would never have thought contained soy (like pizza sauce). Who would have thought that non-stick spray contains soy? All of the bread, crackers, yogurt, margarine, etc. we have on hand include soy and/or palm. And, of course, there is a long list of things not to eat, because the equipment to make them would be cross-contaminated with an allergen.
The list of No No’s seems to go on, and on….
This is a real pain in the neck! (This weekend, I’d better get busy baking bread and making yogurt.)
After pitching out a bunch of stuff and thinking of whom to give my stock-pile of beans (in food storage), I went through my skin-care stuff. A lot of lotions and things like that contain soy and/or shea butter. Also, I was using sweet almond oil on my face and as a moisturizer (all over!). Stopped doing that right away….
Now, I have to check out all of our laundry stuff, as soy is sometimes used in those items.
This also means a garden over-haul. I was planning to grow a lot of peas and beans this year. Well, that idea is down the tubes. Also, I am nixing the zucchini, carrots and fennel. Instead, I will focus on grains, nightshades and mustards. I was thinking of going to a seed swap this weekend. I guess I’ll take all of my bean and squash seeds and give them away. Sigh…
On the bright side, I’m going to get a lot healthier and feel tons better. Too bad that thought doesn’t make up for my current sadness about no more peanut butter sandwiches. Oh well. I’ll get over it. That’s life for you.
If you have allergies, here are a couple of resources for you.
Good grief, girl. I’m not ever getting tested for that stuff. lol
NO beans? NO Parsley? NoO SASSAFRAS ????????
Bless your heart. And good luck with finding enough food to eat.
(Tomgue in cheek)…but you know…
Oh boy. I’m having fun now (NOT).
This is turning out to be a really big pain in the neck, really fast. Seems that soy and soy-products are EVERY WHERE. Just this morning, I had to hop out of the shower to go find a bar of soap, because my shampoo, conditioner, body wash and moisturizer all contained something I am allergic to. Good Grief!
Then, I went through all of my makeup and gave over half to DD, because it contains bees wax, shea butter, almond or cherry something or other, or it is impossible to determine what is in it. I am sooooo sad about that. I am a bit of a makeup geek (which, on the bright side, I can use their eye-shadows and cream eye liners, but not lipstick).
Last night, after work, I ran to the grocery and looked all over for some corn chips that weren’t fried in an oil blend (which invariably contains soy oil). That was difficult to find. But, I was so hungry, I just needed some relief. Fortunately, I found some.
I made scrambled eggs in olive oil for dinner. NOT a great combo. But at least I could eat it.
Interestingly, by day two, I have lost over a pound of water weight. I have had super-high inflammation markers for years, and allergic reactions cause inflammation. So, low and behold, when I got up this morning, I could actually see my left eyelid, instead of looking like a have hooded eyes. (The eyes were the first place that I noticed weight loss too.) I have a pretty accurate scale.
Tonight, I’m making pancakes with my extra sourdough starter. At least it will be some sort of bread.