Food Allergy Diet - My Journey

What has eating a food allergy diet done for me? It has been about eight years since I went gluten free. Nearly ten years ago now I was incredibly ill. Chronically underweight and looking severely malnourished, I was tired, depressed and listless. I permanently felt like someone had poured concrete into my stomach it hurt so much. I didn't really want to eat any food as little did I know that everything I was eating at the time was bad for me. My digestive health was in tatters. Everything I ate felt like it went through me in a matter of minutes.

I remember visiting the doctor every month for about a year. His theories on what was wrong with me were as wild and inaccurate as they were varied. Countless tests and visits to the hospital never really seemed to locate the problem. I was put on about 4 different types of medication in an effort to stop my symptoms. The doctor really had no idea what was wrong with me and was content to clutch at straws by medicating my symptoms. Food allergies weren't even on his radar.

It took a very random chance meeting with friend of a friend before any light went on in my head about a food allergy diet. I told him my symptoms and how I had been feeling. He suffers from a wheat allergy and could relate strongly to most of the problems I was going through. He suggested I take wheat out my diet.

I knew I was on the road to recovery within about 2 days of doing just that. Not eating wheat made me feel like there was hope again. What I was eating was definitely the cause of my problems. The biggest relief is when you know what is wrong with you. You can then deal with the problem head on.

My problems didn't completely clear up however and it took another couple of months to be diagnosed as having Celiac disease. Since going gluten free my health has gone from strength to strength.

I've later also come to cut out dairy and sugar from my diet. I'm not as sensitive to them as I am to gluten, but my general digestive health and immune system benefits avoiding these foods.

To anyone reading who has just been diagnosed with food allergies, I feel relief for you. The hardest part is over. Arm yourself with some food allergy diet cookbooks and eat your way to health and happiness. Look around this site for some book recommendations if you need them.