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Thread: Allergies and other special conditions

  1. #51
    fortified twinkle's Avatar
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    Default Re: need advice-want to be vegan, lots of allergies

    Hi no-moving-lines, and welcome!

    Of course nobody would want you to "run your health into the ground", that would be terrible! Hopefully you can find a dietician who knows enough about plant-based sources of nutrition that they'll be able to work with you to come up with a really healthy plan, rather than dismissing your wish to be vegan. Maybe you could ask them what their stance is on veganism is before you arrange a meeting, to avoid wasting everyone's time, then you can hold out for someone who can do their best to help you

    I've never had to live on a diet which cut out nuts, soya and wheat all in one go, and I imagine it will take some work and good planning to make sure it covers everything, but there's nothing in any of those things that can't be found in other plant-based food sources.
    "If you don't have a song to sing you're okay, you know how to get along humming" Waltz (better than fine) - Fiona Apple

  2. #52
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    Default Re: need advice-want to be vegan, lots of allergies

    Yes you could take vitamin B12 pills, and there are also the fortified foods.

    I'm sure you're right to get advice first if you think there's a danger of damaging your health. Maybe the Vegan Society could recommend a dietician who knows about vegan diets - not all do I gather.

    I agree with twinkle that there's nothing irreplaceable in the foods you have to avoid (quite a few vegans avoid one or two of them I think, e.g. soy and wheat) but there might be some planning involved in doing without all of them. (Forgot to say that seeds are a good source of nutrients, if you can have those?)

  3. #53
    cobweb
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    Default Re: need advice-want to be vegan, lots of allergies

    I'm just wondering what it is you get by eating meat that you wouldn't get on a vegan diet?.
    I agree that you certainly have some health issues, but there are people who live exclusively on raw fruit and veg, for instance, so I don't think it's impossible to be vegan, even with your health worries.
    You can increase the absorption of iron from plant sources (such as beans, lentils, dark green leafy veg) by drinking fresh orange juice with your meals, or if you can't take orange juice, another vit c rich drink, or a vit c tablet.
    I would try and find a local health food store with knowledegable staff who could help you with this, most will be happy to do so and should be well informed about both veganism and Colitis.

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    Default Re: need advice-want to be vegan, lots of allergies

    Yes on the raw fruit and vegetables, or even just raw fruitarian. If I didn't have such a weak mind I would like to do it myself. Maybe one day I'll get there. (supplemented with B12 like you are already doing)

    If you are worried about vitamins you can always supplement with a multivitamin. I wouldn't supplement with vitamin C only. It's hard to be deficient in vitamin C if you eat fresh produce. With a multivatimin you tick all the boxes just in case.
    Last edited by Korn; Jun 8th, 2011 at 09:38 AM. Reason: This was the first post in a similar thread

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    Default Re: Food allergies: nuts, legumes, sesame

    Read up on the raw fruitarian diet. There are runners and other athletes on it.

  6. #56
    fortified twinkle's Avatar
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    Default Re: need advice-want to be vegan, lots of allergies

    I think you have to do a LOT of careful planning to make sure all your bases are covered with a raw diet, and without nuts it might be difficult to work in enough calories. I wouldn't recommend a current omni with so many allergies went straight to raw fruitarianism.
    "If you don't have a song to sing you're okay, you know how to get along humming" Waltz (better than fine) - Fiona Apple

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    Default Re: Food allergies: nuts, legumes, sesame

    Quote tom718 View Post
    Hi,

    I'm considering going vegan, but have several severe food allergies. I've been looking into this question a bit on my own, but figured it would be nice to get an answer based on the specific food allergies I have.

    I am severely allergic to the following things:
    -all tree nuts
    -all legumes
    -all forms of sesame (seeds, oils, etc.)

    I'm wondering if it's even possible to sustain a vegan diet with these limitations, especially since I'm also an avid long distance runner and cyclist, and have found that I need to consume 3000-4000 calories per day to maintain an optimal energy level during my runs/rides.

    Any advice? Thanks in advance!
    Hello Tom718,

    please take a look at Dr. Doug Graham's 80/10/10 diet.

    It is basically a raw vegan diet based on fresh, ripe fruit and leafy green vegetables. No nuts or other grains.
    Dr. Graham is actually specialized on athletes who often can use his diet to make a comeback at elevated ages. His book makes sense to me.

    The only thing i would be wary about would be where you get your omega-3s from (they most often come from seeds like flaxseed or legumes like soybeans or nuts like walnuts). But winter squash, olive oil, spinach, cauliflower and broccoli also are good sources.

    Best regards,
    Andy

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    Default Re: need advice-want to be vegan, lots of allergies

    Quote twinkle View Post
    I think you have to do a LOT of careful planning to make sure all your bases are covered with a raw diet, and without nuts it might be difficult to work in enough calories. I wouldn't recommend a current omni with so many allergies went straight to raw fruitarianism.
    I been looking into raw fruitarian more lately because I have a few online contacts that are into it or venturing their first steps to it... and I must say raw fruitarians aren't fruitcakes They probably are on to something. Processed foods are really nasty for your body... and best thing, this one slim and healthy looking girl was eating like 10 bananas in a meal. Who wouldn't like to eat 10 bananas! All but one meal she described she was having that day was monotone, so just one type of fruit, but each meal was a different fruit. The other meal was a mix with green stuff and leafs. I might try it, when I get my weak mind in line.

  9. #59

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    Default Re: need advice-want to be vegan, lots of allergies

    Hi coolcat,

    yes, fruit monomeals are a great idea. However, I need my green smoothie in the morning.

    To be honest, a month ago I did not think I could do without bread or rice (ok, just as I thought I could not do without meat, or fish, or cheese etc.)

    Now I'm happyly limiting this kind of 'empty carbs' to one serving per day after reading Dr. Joel Fuhrman's 'Eat to live', which is a great book.

    Best regards,
    Andy

  10. #60
    Bad Buddhist Clueless Git's Avatar
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    Default Re: need advice-want to be vegan, lots of allergies

    It would require a bit of homework to be done, but here is one idea ..

    1. Get 'the' list (I assume there is 'a' list?) of all the nutritional things you need and how much of them per day/week/whatever ..

    2. Make your own list of all the things you can eat that contain those things ..

    3. Search out recipes that use those things (but dont use any allergens that cannot be easily substituted) and create a menu plan from there ..
    All done in the best possible taste ...

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    Default Re: Soy-Free Vegan

    I cook all our meals without soy and find that legumes are a great cheap source of protein. There are heaps of legume dishes in my soy-free vegan cookbook Triumph of the Lentil

  12. #62
    Making changes Est's Avatar
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    Default Re: Soy-Free Vegan

    Hilda, you are SUCH a spammer. Are you planning on posting anything other than self-promoting links to your own cookbook? Move on, it's old already...
    .

  13. #63
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    Default Re: Soy-Free Vegan

    Good title though

  14. #64

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    Default Re: Soy-Free Vegan

    Thanks Harpy.

    Est, you don't have to read my posts if you don't want to. Maybe if you'd written a cookbook you'd want to promote it too, and wouldn't be spending your time complaining.

  15. #65
    Making changes Est's Avatar
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    Default Re: Soy-Free Vegan

    Hilda, it's against forum rules to spam (to say nothing of bad etiquette). It's also hard to avoid your posts about the book when it's all you're posting about. Why not leave the cookbook promotion at that, and try joining in the community for a while? It would be nice to get the chance to know YOU! I'd much rather hear about how long you've been vegan, why you made that step etc.
    .

  16. #66
    baffled harpy's Avatar
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    Default Re: Soy-Free Vegan

    I don't think anyone minds your promoting it here but one post is enough - check item 9 of the Faq

  17. #67
    Ex-admin Korn's Avatar
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    Default Re: Soy-Free Vegan

    Quote Hilda View Post

    Est, you don't have to read my posts if you don't want to. Maybe if you'd written a cookbook you'd want to promote it too, and wouldn't be spending your time complaining.
    It's understandable that you want to promote your book, but if we wouldn't have a policy against 'repeated promotion' (of... anything), the forum would be full of spam. In order to figure out if a post is worth reading or not, one first needs to look at it... and for all those who don't have unlimited time to use on forums, a spam-free forum means more time to spend on other posts.

    So please no more posts about your book - but good luck with it!
    I will not eat anything that walks, swims, flies, runs, skips, hops or crawls.

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    Default Re: Soy-Free Vegan

    I tried to reply earlier but I'm not sure what happened... Was saying that I won't be posting in any more threads about the book, unless someone is specifically asking about cookbooks.

    I didn't realise that so many people read all the forums on here. The reason I put it in a few different places was because I thought, for example, that some people might check the Australian forum and not the cookbooks one, and that people may find this thread looking for soy-free resources.

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    Default Re: Soy-Free Vegan

    Try almond milk, hemp seeds, and quinoa for some amino acids. Soy products are usually found a lot in meat substitutes and vegan substitutes, and you really shouldn't focus so much on substituting vegan products in for animal products, there are so many already vegan products like grains, fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds(:

  20. #70
    shaunamom
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    Question Personal food restrictions

    I have looked at veganism before; didn't think it would be possible with my food restrictions. But my husband has finally decided to change his eating habits to match his ethical beliefs and so I want to look at it again. I am hoping that, if there is a way I can actually eat vegan, some of the experienced people here might know how it could be done with my restrictions. Truly, I am not sure it is possible, but I want to look at it again.


    So *deep breath* this is what I have to work with.

    I have celiac disease, food allergies, and sulfite sensitivity. All of these are on the more sensitive side of the spectrum, unfortunately, which means that I cannot have the following, either due to the food itself or contamination of the food that occurs during processing.

    CAN'T HAVE:
    All grains
    All legumes, including soy
    All nuts and peanuts
    All brassicas (cauliflower, mustard greens, etc...)
    All alliums (oinions, garlic, etc...)
    Everything processed except for one olive oil, a sea salt, and a coconut oil (so no pre-made vinegars, other oils, pectin, sweeteners, nothin')

    In addition:

    I cannot have vitamin supplements except iodine, at least me and the docs haven't been able to find any that are safe after almost 3 years of looking, even at compounding pharmacies.

    I cannot have nutritional yeast, any brand we've explored to date.

    And the real kicker - in a city of over a million folks, I have so far found only one farmer I can get food from. That's it (I have reactions to both ingredients in pesticides and to ingredients used in organic farming, so it's been a right pain.). So everything I eat, I can only have what this one farmer grows, in the season it is grown in, unless I freeze it or preserve it, except the only preservative I can use is salt or vinegar (vinegar which I had to make myself and which I don't have enough of to preserve much of anything with).

    - I can only purchase the amount that he grows. As an example, he grows sweet potatoes and I bought everything he grew. That's enough to eat 1 small sweet potato a day for three months and that's it. Then I'm out.
    - He grows lots of veggies and almost no fruit - apples, citrus, a few melons, and a couple pounds worth of strawberries for the whole year.

    The only exception to the fresh foods I can eat seems to be organic avocados, which I tolerate all right.

    I have tried gardening, but I can't use any garden supplies any more than I can eat food from farmers that use these - mulch, compost, fertilizer - it's all a problem. I live in a desert, so it's hard to garden here, anyway. Looking at permaculture.

    I have an herb garden that is successful.
    I harvest native cactus fruit when I can.

    For the future...

    Some day I might be able to eat a few nuts, as processing contamination is the problem there, not the nuts themselves. (except peanuts) Might be able to find a safe source with a local person maybe - I already have someone with a few pecan trees who is looking promising.

    Some day I might be able to eat legumes, if the reactions tone down with that. Unsure, though.

    Amaranth and quinoa I might be able to eat someday if I grow my own, but it would be limited quantities only.




    So, what do you think? Is veganism actually a viable choice for me, or is it not possible with what I'm restricted to? Any thought about what might be needed to make it work would be appreciated.

  21. #71
    shaunamom
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    Default Re: Trying to determine if I can eat vegan with my food restrictions

    Just realized i forgot a few things, sigh.

    1. I can have seeds I grow myself or process myself, like roasted seeds from my squash is good, seasonings from plants I grow that I let go to seed are good ( I got a few sunflower seeds that way), but purchased seeds like sesame are no good.

    2. I can't have mushrooms unless I find a source someday or learn to grow them myself.

    ...think that's it.

  22. #72
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    Default Re: Trying to determine if I can eat vegan with my food restrictions

    Oh dear I am so sorry about that...

    May I ask the question that every vegan hates: So what do you actually eat?

    You say with nuts it's a "processing contamination problem"? Is it pesticides or the fact that it can get contaminated by peanuts?

    I have a friend who has a similar problem and all she eats is plain meat and a few carefully chosen veg - she can't even have dairy. When you say you have a sensitivity - do you have proper allergic reactions to pesticides?
    What kind of fertilizer/mulch/compost does the farmer use that you get your veg from?

    Some people have good results after a detox (I never did one myself - so please don't take my word for it but it might be worth a try)

    I feel that if a person really can't be on a vegan diet (due to problems like severe allergies to certain foods) then this is something we have to accept...Like most vegans would not refuse a life-saving medication even if it was tested on animals - if you can only have animal products to sustain yourself then the only way to minimize suffering is to chose the source of your products wisely. Maybe try to only phase out the meat and try dairy and eggs...could you keep your own chickens?

    But if it's more the pesticides that you are sensitive to, maybe there is a way you can work around it? You could get a mini greenhouse - it is possible to grow without the use of fertilizers or pesticides. But there is obviously a problem when it comes to nuts, grains and legumes that are hard to grow yourself and would be an important source of protein.
    Last edited by thegreenjudy; Mar 2nd, 2012 at 09:37 AM.

  23. #73
    shaunamom
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    Default Re: Trying to determine if I can eat vegan with my food restrictions

    Quote thegreenjudy View Post
    Oh dear I am so sorry about that...
    May I ask the question that every vegan hates: So what do you actually eat?
    Not a problem.

    Of produce, I eat lots and lots of veggies, anything the farmer grows that's safe, just has to be in season. So potatoes and sweet potatoes, summer and winter squashes, melons, bell and chile peppers, lots of greens (just not mustard greens), a few apples, lemon and limes and grapefruit, tomatoes, eggplant, strawberries - I think there are more, but those are in season right now so I'm kind of blanking. :-D I use whatever I can from these suckers, like roasting the seeds from the squash.

    I have been exploring foraging in the desert, so I harvest cactus flowers, fruit, buds, native amaranth leaves (grains are so small I can't make them work. These are uncontaminated and seem to be edible, though.), and seeds from native gourds.

    I do not eat dairy or eggs, as I am allergic. I've had some lovely neighbors down the way who have pets that are poultry, cows, or goats, and was able to get uncontaminated sources to really test them out, and it was a no-go. I do eat meat; beef from one specific rancher and fish from one specific fisherman.


    Quote thegreenjudy View Post
    You say with nuts it's a "processing contamination problem"? Is it pesticides or the fact that it can get contaminated by peanuts?
    Anti-fungals are some of the problem, peanut contamination is some, wheat contamination is another (often processed with wheat), and the cleaners used on the processing equipment is usually the last issue. Avoiding all four of these has been insurmountable, so far. :-(

    Quote thegreenjudy View Post
    When you say you have a sensitivity - do you have proper allergic reactions to pesticides?
    What kind of fertilizer/mulch/compost does the farmer use that you get your veg from?
    It's a combination of things. I have an allergic reaction to some ingredients in pesticides, usually derivatives of my allergens. I also have a few non-allergic reactions that are honestly worse, from my perspective. I can't breakdown sulfites and aldehydes properly, so I have neurological issues with many chemicals in pesticides - headaches, mental confusion, disorientation. With the celiac disease, I am super sensitive, and react to bizarrely low levels, and my reaction is, again, neurological. It's almost like a have a mini-seizure, with slurred speech, mental confusion, severe vertigo, etc... I'm being referred to a neurological clinic to see if they can make heads or tails of it, at this point.

    My farmer uses his own veggies for making compost at this time, local plants for mulch, and he has pasture raised (not grain fed) chickens that live off the bugs, so no insecticides. He doesn't use a fertilizer, just the compost. Basically, he's this old codger who has been farming in the desert since before there were people around, so he does his own thing. Doesn't have the money for 'fancy chemical stuff.' But without the extra stuff, he also doesn't have as big a harvest as some, due to the difficulty in growing produce in our area.

    Neat guy, though. He's been lovely, and even gave me some of the produce I eat the most of, rather than keeping as big a portion for himself like he usually does, since he knew I didn't have any other options.


    Quote thegreenjudy View Post
    Some people have good results after a detox (I never did one myself - so please don't take my word for it but it might be worth a try)
    I have a feeling it wouldn't do much good, sadly. In part because that's essentially what I did, when all this happened, even if it wasn't intentional. I was just so sick, so fast, with everything I ate. It was pretty crazy. Lost about a pound a day there for a while. D: I'm always looking for anything that might help, though, so if you've heard of one many people recommend, i wouldn't mind hearing about it!

    Quote thegreenjudy View Post
    I feel that if a person really can't be on a vegan diet (due to problems like severe allergies to certain foods) then this is something we have to accept.
    That's what I try and remember when I hit a wall on this. I have really looked at this, been trying some different ways to make veganism work at various times, and haven't been able to do it. Maybe in the future. I am slowly trying to transform my yard into a permaculture based source of food. I just planted an almond tree, have a few other fruit trees, but it's a tricky climate to work with so I'm trying to figure out what will work with us, with limited help. Making more of my own compost, so that will slowly build up until I have a good amount.

    Mostly native plants are what I end up with- I know a large number of foods I can get from the desert now - and they attract local wildlife, too. I've been checking out herbalism at this point, as well, because I react to just as many medications as I do foods, if not more.


    Quote thegreenjudy View Post
    But there is obviously a problem when it comes to nuts, grains and legumes that are hard to grow yourself and would be an important source of protein.
    Is it possible to be vegan without these three groups of foods? Grains, I may not ever be able to do (we're unsure if contamination is the only issue), although quinoa, amaranth, and buckwheat might be a possible 'grow it myself' as they aren't in the same problem food family. They do different nutrients than the grains, though, so I didn't know if they were a good enough substitute. Nuts, I really hope, might be doable if I grow myself. But amounts are going to be lower where I am; I can't afford the water bill to make a big yield, I don't think. Legumes I'm unsure of, but it may be a 'never' on that one, too.

    I suppose I just want to make sure I've explored every avenue of this. If it's something I really can't do right now, but might be able to with some work on gardening and yard changes in the next few years, that's a goal I can work towards. If it's just not possible, then I just have to learn to live with it.

    With all this craziness that's happened with this stuff, I figure I'm getting better at acceptances of things I can't change and all that, ya know?

    Thank you for the reply! Appreciated.

  24. #74
    Dogboy
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    Default Re: Trying to determine if I can eat vegan with my food restrictions

    So your main problem seems to be getting protein from a vegan source but Nuts and Grains are out? Allergic to soy?

  25. #75
    Abe Froman Risker's Avatar
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    Default Re: Trying to determine if I can eat vegan with my food restrictions

    That's quite a list of intolerances! I hope you don't mind me asking but are they all medically diagnosed (by a medical professional) or are some self diagnosed or diagnosed by non medical professionals/self testing kits? How did you eat before you found this farmer?

    I think a visit to a dietitian would be the best option, they would be able to help you plan out a diet that fits your needs and meets your nutritional requirements.

  26. #76
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    Default

    @risker:I think at such an extreme level of sensitivity she already knows what's going on and went through all this already...best diagnosis: if your face ends up looking like that of a gerbil after eating certain foods ..

    To be honest you are pretty close to veganism already..your body needs a certain amount of protein and I can't imagine you could get that out of seeds only...I am pretty sure you cover all other nutrients with your diet though quinoa would be a good start but you might have to eat a good portion every day...I guess soy is a no-no as well then...

    Could you get some compost from that farmer?

  27. #77
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    Default Re: Trying to determine if I can eat vegan with my food restrictions

    Quote thegreenjudy View Post
    @risker:I think at such an extreme level of sensitivity she already knows what's going on and went through all this already...best diagnosis: if your face ends up looking like that of a gerbil after eating certain foods ..
    You can assume if you want.

  28. #78
    shaunamom
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    Default Re: Trying to determine if I can eat vegan with my food restrictions

    Quote Dogboy View Post
    So your main problem seems to be getting protein from a vegan source but Nuts and Grains are out? Allergic to soy?
    That's one of the definite issues, yeah. I'm a bit concerned about calories, too, however. With the seasonal aspect of things here, my higher calorie foods like potatoes and sweet potatoes all run out at the end of their season. I've been stretching them as far as I can, buying up as much as I can afford and freezing, but even with that I run out before a food comes into season again. The avocados are a help, but I worry a little about eating them in huge quantities every day, partly because I don't want to start reacting to them, too, you know?

    Quote Risker View Post
    That's quite a list of intolerances! I hope you don't mind me asking but are they all medically diagnosed (by a medical professional) or are some self diagnosed or diagnosed by non medical professionals/self testing kits?
    Oh goodness, no, I don't mind. These ones are all diagnosed and confirmed by tests, with a general MD, a board certified allergist, and a board certified GI doc (Still waiting to get in to the neurologist gentleman, though). Well, all confirmed except the super-sensitivity, because it doesn't have a test, but after a lot of other issues were accounted for, I was still very sick. When I thought super-sensitivity might be the issue and changed my diet accordingly, the change was dramatic enough that my doc took all the information about the diet changes, as well as pictures and measurements for his records on what I'd done. So we both believe it is an issue, even if we can't test for it.

    The allergies have been also tested with an elimination diet and reintroducing the possible allergens, since the allergy tests can be inaccurate. So far, I do react to the ones I tested positive for. The sulfite/aldehyde thing has been a bit trickier, as it seems to be molybdenum based. After some research on my reactions, I asked my doc to test my molybdenum levels, which turned out to register as '0' on the blood test. We tried a pure sulfite solution, and I reacted to that, too, so we know that's an issue. But molybdenum deficiency is not supposed to really exist in 'healthy' individuals (I don't think my body qualifies for that, yet, though!), so there's no medical standard to follow on supplements and such. Doc and I are feeling our way at this point. I found one supplement for this that might work (crossing fingers), so we'll see how that goes. If the supplement worked, and I could up my molybdenum intake, I might not have sulfite issues anymore, which would be awesome. :-D


    Quote Risker View Post
    How did you eat before you found this farmer?
    Honestly, I just ate the average American diet. I've been sick for over 20 years, steadily getting worse. I overate like mad, constantly, and that's likely why I was still getting any vitamins at all at that point. But I suppose in some ways my celiac disease helped me out. Everything in my body was very nutrient deficient because of it, so nothing worked right, including my allergic responses, etc...

    When I went gluten free and my body started healing and getting nutrients, that's when everything blew up in my face. That was 3 years ago. It all came on within a few days, with reactions and massive weight loss and more reactions. I was in the ER 4 times within that first month. I kind of stopped eating, nearly, because everything made me sick, but was really lucky and found a few foods at a local health food store that worked 'so-so,' the reactions at least weren't horrific. Introduced a few more foods that I could say the same thing about, but the cleaner I'd get, the more I'd start to notice low level reactions to the foods. I was still having a hard time until a lovely lady from the internet saw me asking questions on a forum and contacted me because something similar had happened to her. With her help, I knew what questions to ask farmers - I figured it was worth trying, you know?

    And that did the trick.

    Quote Risker View Post
    I think a visit to a dietitian would be the best option, they would be able to help you plan out a diet that fits your needs and meets your nutritional requirements.
    I have one at the moment -we meet every 6 months or so - but she's been focusing more on trying to find me alternate sources for foods/calories/protein so that I'm not in such a precarious position with my food supply. I thought I would check out what other vegans had experienced to see the diet and my weirdo body sounded like it could work before I started asking her about it, you know? If veganism seems viable, I definitely have my dietician, though. She's a great one - she even calls farmers in the area that she hears of if their practices sound like they might work for me. Seriously awesome lady.


    @thegreenjudy
    Darn. That's what I was kind of worrying about, yeah. At first, I had a quinoa that I could eat and I ate a LOT of it, but it started making me ill and we discovered the company had changed their processing practices. Grrr.

    I might be able to get some compost...I hadn't even thought of it, to be honest! Don't know why. That would be a great help. I'm still trying to get in this kind of bartering mentality with some of my food and gardening, you know? Too used to doing everything myself, I think.


    Appreciate all the thoughtful responses, everyone. Thank you! Really, really do.

    shauna

  29. #79
    Muvesz's Avatar
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    Feb 2012
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    Aptos, California
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    Default Re: Trying to determine if I can eat vegan with my food restrictions

    I don't know a lot about it, but maybe look into a raw foods diet. It sounds like most of the foods you have trouble with are ones you have to cook.

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