Label reading Day 3~ allergies

I almost hesitate to even address this issue because it is really sensitive. If you feel you might have allergies or know you do please talk to your doctor/allergist/nutritionist before implementing any dietary changes!!!

There are two things I would like to address though first of all people think of allergic reactions as not being able to breath or getting severe rashes and being rushed off to the hospital. This is not always the case. Sometimes the reactions might not even be thought of as an allergic reaction. Some people just feel sluggish after ingesting something they are allergic to. Two of my children have gotten diaper rash from things they were allergic two. With my youngest I had a glass of soy milk the next day she screamed all day got a terrible diaper rash and then got really bad diarrhea. Many people with seasonal allergies and asthma find that if they cut out dairy particularly cows milk their symptoms are greatly reduced and sometimes even go away. I had a recent experience where I was having terrible dizzy spells where sometimes I would have to lie down in the floor and wait for it to pass. I was also extremely tired and could barely do anything and was getting headaches that were almost unbearable. I went to the doctor to rule out any problems and nothing came up so I started to really watch when it was happening tried to figure out what was different. I have always been sensitive to caffeine and decided to try and see if that might be causing these problems. Sure enough within a week of cutting out caffeine completely the symptoms all went away and haven't returned!
Now to understand partially about allergies there are differences in food allergies and food intolerances. If you want to know more google it or talk to your allergist as I'm not a nutritionist or an allergist so I don't want to butcher the info=)
On to the part about label reading. This can be very difficult for people who have allergies particularly wheat and corn. If you have a corn allergy you also can not have anything with corn, high fructose corn syrup, confectioners sugar(powdered sugar), baking powder, sometimes caramel, dextrin, maltodextrin,dextrose, fructose,malt, malt syrup, malt extractmono- and di-glycerides, MSG, anything that just says vegetable without you knowing what vegetable among many many other things if you need to be corn free please take some time to either research or get the information from your doctor to find out everything you should be avoiding this is particularly difficult with eating out no fast food and if you go to a restaurant only go to one you really trust to tell you everything they use!
Now wheat can be very difficult as well there are so many things that have wheat that you would never even know. Do not rely on there being a label saying contains wheat ingredients etc. It is not always there and with many other allergens it's not there at all. I have seen labels with contains wheat, dairy but it didn't say contains soy(when it did). Never trust those warnings always read the ingredient list for yourself. This is a good place for information on reading labels for wheat allergies As a matter of fact it has a lot of other good information on kids with food allergies in general.
Some people with allergies to things like garlic or other seasonings also have a unique issue with the fact that seasonings do not have to be individually listed. If you have one of these such allergies stay away from anything labeled seasoning, flavoring, spices, or anything of the nature. This also means meat has to be checked I know I have gotten ground turkey before that had seasoning on the label.
If you are allergic to MSG or just trying to stay away from it because it's bad stuff you should also know that they it is supposed to be labeled as monosodium glutamate on the label however The USDA website states
" Yes. MSG is the sodium salt of glutamic acid. Glutamic acid is an amino acid, one of the building blocks of protein. It is found in virtually all food and, in abundance, in food that is high in protein, including meat, poultry, cheeses, and fish.Hydrolyzed proteins, used by the food industry to enhance flavor, are simply proteins that have been chemically broken apart into amino acids. The chemical breakdown of proteins may result in the formation of free glutamate that joins with free sodium to form MSG. In this case, the presence of MSG does not need to be disclosed on labeling. Labeling is required when MSG is added as a direct ingredient"
So only if it is a direct ingredient does it have to be labeled at all!
Does anyone else see why eating whole foods that you know where they came from is so important. This stuff was never meant to be put together in such a fashion and look at what it is doing to us! This is especially important to do if you have food allergies and if they are life threatening it is going to be much easier to make your food all the time buy the fruit, veggies, grains, and meat and make your food yourself you can do it. Even if you don't think you have time just think about how long it takes to get ready go to the drive through and then get home. I like to make extra meals, snacks and breads and keep my freezer stocked. Last week I had homemade manicotti straight from my freezer and it wasn't anymore difficult than a frozen meal!!!
I know some of you probably think all this is way too expensive and when you go to a health food store the prices are higher. I will not argue with you on that it is! However if you are buying single ingredient foods and making your own meals instead of buying the prepackaged, pre-made meals from these places you will not be spending much if any more. Remember real food will fill you up much better than processed food so you eat less of it. This is good for your wallet and your waistline!
You can do this!!! You and your children are worth it!!!
I would love to hear about what you have found in your kitchen this week!!