Food Allergies & Intestinal Healing

[Jnkmnky]

Lisawil,

The supermarkets most celiacs can find food are Wholefoods, Henry's, Trader Joes, Boney's......Google them and look for store locations in the area of California you will be staying. That's the fastest, best way to find gluten free/specialty shops when traveling.

[skbird]

Lisa - welcome to California! (ok, premature... )

There is one brand mainly of goat milk and it is available in many grocery stores here. It's called Meyenberg and is produced in California. It has a noticiable flavor which you will either like or dislike. I have seen it in the Raleys/Bel Aire/Nob Hill stores (in the health food section usually) and Safeway (in the regular dairy section). Also it is sold at Whole Foods, should you be in one of the cities with one, though it's not a common store, and it is almost always in the health food stores. It is available only in quart size and some stores will have low fat, though usually most only have the regular, whole milk. I have found at a few rare stores Meyenberg butter.

Open Original Shared Link

If you are in a town with a Trader Joes (usually only the bigger cities) they have a different brand of goat milk, in a plastic bottle, and it tastes almost exactly like cow's milk - no noticable taste. That is in the regular dairy section.

I loved being in Amsterdam a few years back - there were goat dairy products everywhere!

Another thought, though not the best tasting, is Meyenberg makes a powdered goat milk - if you find that you could take it with you and make your own milk. I haven't tried it but knowing how regular powdered milk tastes, it's probably not the greatest.

Finally, there are other milk alternatives - almond milk (Almond Breeze is better than Pacific, especially the plain or the chocolate, the vanilla is pretty sweet), and hazelnut milk. Many of these are widely available, so if you can't find goat milk. I recommend one of those. I also use coconut milk but it's pretty heavy straight up.

Good luck and enjoy your holiday!

Stephanie

[Emme999]

  i have been trying to eliminate dairy from my diet for 6 months now (majority of the time i'm very good but it gets hard when we travel or go out to lunch).  So we are still not certain that it is the dairy that is causing the hives.  We are holidaying in California for a month from 22 aug - and i have been researching the online forums and shops for gluten free and dairy free options. Our supermarkets in OZ are pretty good for soy milk, goats milk and all have some gluten free bread and flours etc in them.  I was told to avoid soy milk as severe dairy allergy usually extends to soy - so at home i use goats milk.  how easy is it to get in California supermarkets?  Will have to make do with soy in my hot tea from starbucks when we are out and about though.

Appreciate any suggestions to making travelling life easier.

Cheers

Lisa

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Welcome Lisa

My dairy allergies are severe, definitely the strongest of all my allergies - in fact, they have a little bar graph displaying the severity of the allergy and all of the dairy bars go to the end of the chart! These are the specific allergens tested for in my dairy section: Casein, Cheddar Cheese, Cottage Cheese, Mozzarella Cheese, Whey, Milk, Goat Milk, and Yogurt. Even though I had never had goat milk, it was another that I am severely allergic to. It's definitely not a safe alternative for me - and I doubt it is for most people with severe dairy allergies. Soy on the other hand, I did not have *any* allergic reaction to. Perhaps it's the goat milk that you are having a reaction to. Try cutting that and see if things improve. I hope so! https://www.celiac.com/uploads/emoticons/default_smile.png' alt=':)'> Also, there are many links here ( Open Original Shared Link ) that will help you to understand the milk allergy and know exactly what you need to avoid. It is (at least in America) in *everything* - processed foods are totally out for me, especially with whey being added to so many products as a cheap protein source. Geez!

I really think the goats milk is probably the reason you aren't getting over this. Six months is a long time - you should have seen huge improvement by now. If you are concerned about soy, almond milk is really tasty

Wishing you the best!

- Michelle

[Emme999]

I have read this message thread with interest.  Thank you Bean for giving me this info.  I kept wondering why I was developing all of my problems with foods - and it makes sense now.  I have been following the SCD diet for a couple of months, and it seems to help.  - although  I can't do the eggs and dairy.

My question is: 

in all of your reading, can this go away????? 

Is there some hope that if there is healing,  there won't be the reaction to some of these foods and they can be eaten again (except for gluten of course)????

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It depends on the kind of allergy that you have. If it is an IgE reaction (immediate) - no, it will not go away. If it is an IgG reaction (delayed) you might be able to reintroduce the food into your diet after avoidance of it for a few months. But, when you do reintroduce it - you will need to do it on a rotational basis (like, once every four days) to prevent the allergy from returning. At least that's what my doctor told me - but, on the other hand - my allergies to eggs & sesame are IgG (delayed) and though I've been avoiding them for months (since mid March), they still cause problems for me when I get them in my system. Especially the eggs - ouch!

I have also read (in many different areas) that, while children often outgrow their allergies, adult allergies are permanent. So - I don't know Sorry!

If I come across anything, I'll be sure to post.

One thing that is nice is that (after months of avoidance) I really don't miss these foods anymore I have absolutely no desire to drink milk, or even eat cheese (which I thought would *never* happen - I used to eat cheese three times a day!).

Also - be sure that you've read the l-glutamine post ( Open Original Shared Link ) - it will help your intestines to heal more quickly

- Michelle

[Misa]

When I recently found out that gluten was the answer to many health problems, I was very happy. Being sick of feeling ill and constantly wanting/striving to get out there and live a normal healthy life meant that this is extactly what I was doing as soon as I started treating the celiac disease with diet and supplements. Happy to avoid gluten and that was it....or so I thought. This last week (week six gluten-free) I've gotten a runny, stuffy nose, stomach pains, constant sneezing and itchy eyes and throat all while getting on with my life (hoping these annoying sympts. would just fade away) I unfortunately now have to spend time, thoughts and energy on finding the triggers. Which so far turns out to be corn, apples and some health supplements. In other words, new symptoms appeared out of the blue.

I guess I've had these allergies for some time together with gluten, but my system has been so run down it couldn't even manage to produce symptoms to these foods pre-gluten-free. Jnkmnky, I'm trying to understand how those with celiac disease can psycologically provoke new allergy symptoms (as I'm generally open to the thought of how big an impact the mind can have on the body), but I'm convinced that most of us were initially thinking that gluten was THE solution, lets get on with out futuristic healthy lives and all is well. Instead we're sad, angry, annoyd and so forth that some symptoms remain as if celiac disease isn't enough...I wish things were easier.....

Misa

[Emme999]

I guess I've had these allergies for some time together with gluten, but my system has been so run down it couldn't even manage to produce symptoms to these foods pre-gluten-free. Jnkmnky, I'm trying to understand how those with celiac disease can psycologically provoke new allergy symptoms (as I'm generally open to the thought of how big an impact the mind can have on the body), but I'm convinced that most of us were initially thinking that gluten was THE solution, lets get on with out futuristic healthy lives and all is well. Instead we're sad, angry, annoyd and so forth that some symptoms remain as if celiac disease isn't enough...I wish things were easier.....

Misa 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Good points Misa!! I love that you point out that your body was so run down that you couldn't manage to produce symptoms to the allergenic foods. I've been thinking about that lately. When I last saw my gastroenterologist he gave me a pneumonia vaccine because he was concerned that my immune system was too weak. And since allergies are an immune response.. it makes sense that when your immune system is weak, your reaction would have to be weak also.

As for psychologically provoking allergies, I think that's a huge joke. If that were true, then I would be allergic to corn - which is what I *thought* I would be allergic to when I went in for the testing. If my mind were able to have such a profound impact on my body to produce allergic reactions, then it should have produced them to the food I was so sure I had an allergy to! Instead, my tests revealed allergies to the foods I loved (milk chocolate, cheese..) and would have done anything to have!

I remember talking to my neuropsychologist about the doctor I had who gave me the business card for a psychologist after she decided that my allergies were "all in my head." My neuropsych. was *really* angry that the doctor had treated me that way. She said, "What gives her the right to determine that it's your "mental problems" that are causing your physical pain? What intense psychological training has she had that gives her the amazing insight required to determine that your physical reactions are caused by a mental dysfunction? Next time someone tells you that your allergies are 'all in your head' - ask to see their psychological doctorate." She has an autoimmune disease (scleroderma) and knows exactly what it's like to have someone treat you like your physical problems are imaginary just because they don't understand them.

Anyway..

I came across this *great* site for food allergies: Open Original Shared Link It talks about diagnosis & various treatments. Check it out! Also, be sure to look at the "What are food allergies & why do we have them?" section of the site. It explains IgG & IgE reactions really well.

Take care!

- Michelle

[lisawil]

Thanks for the ideas everybody. I have been treated to date (and diagnosed) by my GP doctor who is so much more than just a normal GP - he believes in alternative therapies and in finding a cause not just treating symptoms. But after initially treating me for hormonal imbalance, finding the celiac, and adjusting my thyroid medication, he is getting a bit stumped with the hives and has referred me to an allergy specialist who i finally get to see next week. Dont know if he will have any better options for me.

Very interesting Michelle of your goats milk reaction - maybe that is still my problem - although i never drunk the stuff at all prior to getting the allergy test and hives started last year. My tests also showed up grapefruit, pears and coffee which i never eat/drink either. And yet they did not show up for wheat! But they say celiac is different to an allergy.

After having read some of these forums, I have learnt a lot and can go to the allergy specialist armed with lots of info and questions! Will report back in 10 days with the outcomes - if any!

I have in the past found Wild Oats stores, and last May discovered Whole Foods in New York (to die for brownies and blondies!!) and have heard recently about trader joes. Have searched the net and noted addresses near to the various locations we will be staying (san fran, anaheim, vegas, san diego). We have a rental car the whole 4 weeks, so can pack a cooler and carry lots of gluten-free food for me, and we have booked accom with a fridge for most places. At the beginning of our trip we spend 3 days with my cousin who lives in Livermore (1 hr east of san fran) so I have been looking at the online shopping and will get a delivery (or two) sent to her place for us to collect. May even ask her to bake one of the brownie packet mixes!

Cheers all!

Lisa

[lisawil]

"Desensitising to Allergies" - does anybody have good/bad experiences with these new treatments?

A clinic I know of in Brisbane, Qld, Australia (also in Melbourne i think) is called AAE - Advanced Allergy Elimination and i believe they started in the US.

I know they cant help celiac, but it sounds like they can treat all other allergies. i am a bit wary and sceptical, but would love to know if people have had any success. I know of a friend who took his 6 yr old daughter there who had been suffering eczema that they had worked out by elimination was triggered by wheat. She had one treatment with them and has since been able to safely eat wheat again without getting any eczema! But another friend in her late 20's went with numerous health problems/allergies, including wheat, dairy and very poor digestive acids, and after i think 10 treatments, she was no better off and her body seemed even more out of balance. This was 18months ago, and I have lost touch with her but believe most of her problems have now settled down with the help of a naturopath and herbalist.

Cheers

Lisa