Finding the Positive with Food Allergies

Now, I can hike without any medicine.

For a little kid living with the stress of food allergies day in and day out, it can seem like he got a raw deal. Obviously, we struggle with the stress of a potentially life-threatening condition all the time, but for our son, we think that it's important to highlight any positives that have come along with the situation. 

"What positives?" you might ask. (Especially if you're facing a newly discovered or diagnosed health problem in your own household.) Well, we've been able to find a few.

For one, as a nursing mother, I had to give up the same foods that my son was allergic to so as not to contaminate my breastmilk. I went from vegetarian to vegan, and my health improved dramatically. 

I struggled with asthma my whole life. I had at least a couple of episodes every year that required prednisone, and I took a steroid inhaler every day. After changing my diet six years ago, I have not had even one asthma attack. I don't even need an inhaler when I run or work out. Also, even though I had been a vegetarian for 15 years and exercised almost daily, I had crazy-high cholesterol levels. Since I changed my diet, my cholesterol is completely normal. So, I'm able to let my son know that thanks to him, I am much healthier.

Another thing that we tell him that allergies have brought us is a greater sense of compassion for others. We say, "Everyone's got something." Food allergy is our boy's challenge, but for someone else it could be color blindness, or trouble reading, or parents who are getting divorced. When you know everyone's facing their own obstacles, it can make it easier to cut them a little slack.

Because so much in the daily life of someone with food allergies focuses on the negative ... "You can't have that," etc., I consciously choose to approach Welcoming Kitchen from a positive place. I am dedicated to highlighting what you can have, can enjoy, can share. I want to help make your kitchen a Welcoming Kitchen!

Happy Cooking! 
Kim 

My new book,  Ancient Grains: A Guide to Cooking with Power-Packed Millet, Oats, Spelt, Farro, Sorghum & Teff (Superfoods for Life), is available now! Super Seeds, is available now! You can also find tasty recipes in Welcoming Kitchen: 200 Delicious Allergen- & Gluten-Free Vegan Recipes.