The Year My Body Forced Me to Get Healthy
In December 2015, I decided to go to the allergist to get tested for airborne allergies because I was sneezing like 40 times a day and honestly it was super annoying. Like, I would sneeze every 45 minutes. People around me at work would stop "blessing" me, which was fine with me but I could tell they were like “what is wrong with this chick, she needs to get it together”.
Allergies run in my family. While my brother and I have technically similar DNA, we drastically take after different sides of our family. While he looks identical to every single uncle on my mom’s side, I genetically take after my dad. Both my cousin and paternal grandfather suffer from allergies so I wasn’t surprised when my body started to betray me in a similar way. My dad started having issues with pollens and certain trees in his twenties that carried all the way into his late 50’s, but was never tested. So instead of following his lead and just blindly medicating myself against the unknown, I wanted to be sure what I was up against. In my mind, I was thinking I would just be really allergic to one thing. Having just moved to Austin a couple years earlier, I was becoming more and more acquainted with Mountain Cedar. Cedar Fever is real and it is ROUGH. So, if I was just really allergic to cedar I'd know what time of year to start all the meds.
On December 21, 2015, I walked into my allergist’s office and was pricked on my back over 70 times with different concentrated allergens. When my doctors administered my test, along with the airborne allergens they told me they would be testing me for the eight most common food allergens since I had never been tested before. Fine, whatever. I didn’t care as long as after this I can know what to take so I stop sneezing. Obviously, getting pricked wasn’t comfortable, but the needles didn’t hurt as bad as everyone had made it out to be. The worst part was having to lay on my stomach for 20 minutes while the skin on my back got progressively itchier. After my body was given time to react, the nurse came in to begin measuring the rashes. When measuring the reactions, the nurse was explaining to me that in order for the rash to be considered a “positive reaction,” the spot would have to be at least 3 mm in diameter. So theoretically, you can have reactions for things that maybe your body is just intolerant to versus being actually allergic.
As the nurse measured each spot, she would relay the information to her assistant who was documenting all the findings on my chart, but she would state it by prick number, not by the name of the allergen. I’m mentally counting how many positives she’s recording and it’s getting pretty high, so I’m internally going “????”. When she finished documenting all the positives, we re-tested all the negative reactions by pricking me again on my upper arms. Those almost hurt worse because I could see myself getting pricked and I could see the reactions, making them itch more. Luckily, I only got false negatives the first time from a couple allergens. After I got dressed, my lovely nurse (who was actually super great the whole time despite puncturing me over 100 times) came back into the room with a couple sheets of paper highlighting listing all of the allergens to which my body had given positive reactions. There were like 30 things highlighted on there, including two foods, soybean and egg whites.
Here's what my back told us I'm allergic to:
Grasses:
- Bermuda
- Johnson
- Timothy
- Meadow Fescue
- June
- Orchard
- Perennial Rye
- Redtop
Weeds:
- Marsh Elder
- Ragweed
- Russian Thistle
- Careless Weed (me as a plant, btw)
- English Plantain
- Fire brush
- False Ragweed
- Cocklebur
- Dock Yellow
- Pigweed
- Hemp
- SageBrush
Trees
- Red Cedar
- Virginia Live Oak
- Pecan
- White Ash
- American Elm
- Mulberry
- Cottonwood
- Box Elder
- Sycamore
- White Alder
- Mountain Cedar
- Cedar Elm
- Maple
Molds:
- Curvularia
- Aspergillus
- Alternaria
Others:
- Cats
- Dogs
- Dust mites
Foods:
- Soybean
- Egg White
Upon further testing, I would later find out about:
- Orange
- White Potatoes
- Spinach
- Green Pepper
- Apples (my own personal diagnosis)
Honestly at this point, I was more concerned about the fact that it said I was allergic to cats and dogs because in my perfect life I’m surrounded by hundreds of cats and dogs I’ve rescued from the streets and shelters and we all live on my 50 acre ranch. Also because I have a cat who is essentially my son and as much as my mom would love to steal him from me, he’s not going anywhere. He’s going to sleep on my bed with me forever, sorry. I refuse to believe I have these allergies and thus will no longer be discussing them.
The foods were the last thing on my mind, but that diagnosis ended up being the most valuable, life-changing piece of information I got out of that appointment.
I got tested the day I was leaving Austin and heading home for my Christmas vacation. I didn't have a lot of time between getting the results and having to face my family's questions about my immune system. Surprisingly, they didn't seem to care a lot about the airbourne results, which was annoying because those were the ones I actually knew about, and instead were shocked by my food allergies. Same, but I needed like, 5 minutes to get my head around them.
"So can you eat this?" I don't know, I'd have to read the label I guess.
"What about the turkey I made?" I don't know, what was it marinated in?
"Have you noticed any reactions?" Maybe? I just found out I needed to be looking for them.
"So, are you going to deal with this for the rest of your life?" Yes, as far as I know.
"Is this my fault?" No, Mom. I know you didn't pick out my DNA matrix. It's fine.
It made for an interesting holiday. I didn't take it too seriously at this point. I would check labels and make sure I didn't eat anything that explicitly went against what I knew to avoid, but at that point, I didn't know everything I know now about my nemesis soy.
I've learned a lot about soy this year. It's a natural preservative and a lot of ingredients are made from it. Soy is used in literally everything. Think of your normal grocery list. Now cross off things like breads (loaves, doughs, crackers), pastas, pasta sauces, butter, most coffee creamers, yogurt, soda, granola bars, salad dressings, frozen pizzas, and ice cream. You're left with a few things plus pretty much fruits and vegetables, right? Not only is soy a main ingredient, but things like "protein", "natural flavorings", "juice concentrates", and vegetable oil are made from soybean, so cross those off, too. Things like prepackaged fruit smoothies, dried fruits, potato chips, ect. all have to go.
So now your grocery basket has the following things in it: organic fruits, organic vegetables, and water. Even with the fruits and vegetables you have to be careful. Have you ever picked up an apple and the skin's felt a little too waxy? Surprise, that wax is made from soy. So wash your fruits and veggies well, and don't buy anything that you think might be too waxy. Or just cut the skin off before you eat it, I'm not going to tell you how to live, I'm not your mom.
Soy is sneaky and rude and likes to go by different names. Vegetable protein, tofu, edamame, miso, okara, tempeh, nimame, kinako, yuba, kouridofu, and natto are ALL different names for pure soy. In addition to vegetable oil and "natural flavorings", other things that are made from soy are lecithin (LITERALLY in almost any dairy product), MSG, vegetable shortening, vegetable broth, protein (we've discussed), protein concentrate, vegetable gum, guar gum, gum arabic (very common), thickening agents, vitamin E, and citric acid. If that wasn't enough, there are products containing soy as an emulsifier. I know. You don't even want to know, but I'm going to tell you anyway: Almost all commercial bakery items, cake mixes, breakfast cereals, anything breaded, canned tuna, canned meats, deli meats, ham or smoked stuff, hot dogs, packaged cold meats, imitation crab meat, canned soups, broths, dried soup mixes, almost anything labeled vegetarian, gravies, dairy free stuff, ketchup, mayo, popcorn, energy drinks, energy bars, beverage mixes like hot chocolate and ice teas, most candy, most chocolates, microwave meals, chewing gum, fast food, and herbal teas. YEAH.
I also learned from my gynecologist that soy is super high in estrogen and prolonged exposure to extreme amounts of soy leads to a lot of cancers. So he was pleased that I was forced to cut it out of my diet, while I on the other hand, was not really thinking about that since he was about to stick a metal clamp in my vagina.
Okay but here is a #funfact: Bath & Body Works uses a soy-mix for their candles. I recently discovered this when they were having a two-for-one sale, where I bought four candles, and then thought I was having a cardiac episode for the next three hours. I honestly thought I was going to have to leave work and drive myself to the hospital. I was in a meeting and I realized my left arm started to feel cold. Just my left arm. Then it just felt weird, not numb or tingly or painful, but just different from how my right arm felt. I got back to my desk and figured I was being a hypochondriac, which isn't unusual, and decided to use my stress ball to maybe get more blood flowing? I wasn't sure what I was trying to accomplish but it seemed like a good start. It didn't really do anything other than make me tired, so I told my boss in passing about it in a very nonchalant way and basically after a long story of me leaving my chiropractor a frantic voicemail about how I needed to be reassured I wasn't having a heart attack, leaving work early, finally putting the pieces together and taking an antihistamine, I called Bath & Body Works to confirm my theory and it was true. So I sold my boss my four candles and went on a Twitter rant for like 15 minutes. Anyway, no one buy me candles for my birthday.
"Okay, how do you even sustain enough nutrients to live?" That's a great question, friend.
Here's the thing, I'm super lucky and although I'm allergic to foods, my reactions aren't life-threatening. That doesn't mean that if I'm not careful about what I eat they won't get to that point. As of right now, soy is probably my #2 most allergic food, behind white potatoes which will actually make my throat hurt and mouth itch. I had Chick-fil-a french fries one day for lunch prior to being fully food tested and I had to take an antihistamine and nasal steroid spray to feel okay again.
Salads are a constant in my life. I've been able to find super organic, soy-free dressings that allow me to eat my kale salad for dinner almost nightly. If I pack a lunch for work, 9 times out of 10, it's a salad. These are also pretty safe bets when dining out. If I can't be sure what the dressing is made of, I'll ask for a bowl of lemons in lieu of dressing. One good life skill I've picked up from this ordeal is how to cook. I eat a lot of shrimp, salmon, and chicken that I need to prepare myself to control the seasonings, so I use my oven or stove-top daily. It's a lot of baked or seared meats and roasted vegetables, which is nice, but can get boring. I miss pasta, you know?
Lucky for me, when I was diagnosed, my doctor sent me home with a folder full of food allergen information including and pamphlet about Well Amy, an allergen-free online store with collections of different brand that make everything from body wash to granola bars. You can search by your allergens and find different products fitting your needs. Through this site I buy 50% of my groceries. They have rice-based, soy-free pasta (which I now buy in bulk), allergen-free cookies, sauces, breakfast foods, and chips, all of which I can't find anywhere else and truly know that it's okay for me to eat. I can find the cookies at Whole Foods, but other than that, I'm never sure about anything "allergen-free" I put in my shopping cart.
I'm going to start sharing some of my recipes I've cemented over the past few months on Á LA MODE to help other people who want or need to avoid soy or other allergens in a category called Raw Recipes, since that's essentially what I've been having to do: eat raw.
Side Note: Minor Medical History Miracle
I’d been having some painful bladder issues for almost three years. They started out of nowhere one day and WebMD was freaking me out, but they weren’t super consistent to the point where I was in pain everyday. And I use the term “pain” loosely. It never interfered with my life, it was more just very evident that there was something happening. I went to multiple doctors, gotten blood work done, given multiple samples, and taken so many different medications to no avail. Every appointment would end with the doctor saying something along the lines of, “well, I’m not sure what’s causing these issues but we’re going to give you this prescription that will hopefully help. That’ll be $50.” WOW, THANKS. Glad you went to medical school.
I’ve also had this weird acne on my upper arms since I was a kid. I’m sure a dermatologist has told me what it’s classified as but I was like 11 so I don’t remember (EDIT: it's called Keratosis Pilaris). They prescribed me lotion and off I went. I used to be self-conscious about it in junior high but then I gained a blasé attitude about life and stopped caring. I couldn’t figure out how to get rid of it, so I just accepted that these weird bumps were here to stay and moved on with my life. #kanyeshrug
But here's the thing, now that I've cut out my food allergens, both of these problems are gone.
I'm still learning what I can and can't eat. At some points, I feel like I'm relearning how to walk, when really I'm just learning how to eat again. I do my best to be diligent and avoid everything I can, but at some points I throw up my hands and say "screw it, I'm eating this pizza". On vacations, I bring breakfast bars with me and I try my best to pick and choose things off menus that seem okay, but I'm not going to deprive myself of iconic experiences. Recently, I went to San Diego and stopped at The Donut Bar, a pretty famous shop serving massive speciality donuts, and I bought two. I shouldn't be anywhere near a donut. There is nothing inside a donut that I should be eating, but I ate really well the rest of the day and stayed super hydrated to try and combat it.
If I find myself eating really poorly for an extended period of time, I'll go on a three-day juice cleanse to restart my system and cravings. If I feel gross one morning, I'll stop for lunch and get an acai bowl at the juice bar across from my office. There are little ways to help feel better when I've maybe slipped up a bit and haven't been doing what's best for my body. That's the real issue here that I try and focus on: I have to do what's best for my body. It's the only thing I'll have forever and only works well when I truly focus on it.