It is so easy to focus on what we can’t eat now but I was reminded from reading this post from Adventures of an Allergic Foodie, that changing our diet has had very positive effects to us as well.
My son was only 9 when he was first diagnosed with food intolerances, see more of his story here. As it was quite hard to suddenly cut out so many foods I supported him by cutting out those foods as well. The doctor who diagnosed the food intolerances in my son also asked about my history. He asked if I had issues with tonsils and whether or not I had them taken out. I answered yes to both questions and he said that I was probably intolerant to dairy. I questioned why he said that I was dairy intolerant just because I had issues with my tonsils. The doctor stated that studies show that dairy affects our tonsils.
At this time I absolutely loved dairy but as I was supporting my son I stopped having it. A few months into our change of diet I realised that I was not blowing my nose anywhere near as much as I used to. In fact I never would have gone anywhere without a tissue or a hanky, now I rarely blow my nose. I thought I would be good at home but still order dairy meals when we ate out, however I now find I tend to avoid dairy when I eat out as well.
I often struggled to sleep at night and would often get up and read. Now I sleep a lot better. As my son also couldn’t have soy this cut out 99% of breads as they use soy flour to add to the wheat flour in bread and it’s also often in many gluten-free breads. I started making a damper style bread based on a Scottish Bannock recipe I found. I also noted that I was sleeping better, even during stressful times such as convening a conference. I now have very little wheat as I eat more and more like my husband. So I’m not sure if it’s the wheat, soy or sulphites that effect my sleeping.
These are just 2 of the positive benefits to me personally since my son and husband have realised they have food intolerances. I’m sure the whole family is better off since our diet has changed as we eat more home cooked foods.
What positive benefits have you noticed if you’ve had to change your diet?
Interestingly enough, no significant changes for us. I knew I was dairy intolerant from an early age, so it was easy to see this in my girls and change to something more suitable. Good luck with your continued search in finding family friendly foods.