Last year, I started to consistently get extremely sick after eating most meals and snacks. I would also experience rashes, and bloating to an extreme point. I kept this to myself for a few months, in hopes that it would go away on its own. Eventually, I told my parents who immediately set up a doctor’s appointment. In an effort to try to narrow down possible causes of my symptoms, the doctor told me to avoid peanuts and tree nuts, eggs, dairy, gluten, soy, and sesame for about a month.
After finding out that news, it took me around an hour to process what I would eat during this time period. I was very upset because I thought I would no longer be able to eat yummy foods while on this diet. However, I later found out I was wrong about that. Despite popular belief, there are plenty of meals that can be adapted for those with allergies or food restrictions. You just have to get creative.
That night, my mom took me shopping and we did find some tasty food that I could eat. We got a delicious salad with lettuce, balsamic vinaigrette, dried apple, tomatoes, and carrots. It was very delicious and I ate it right up followed by some Lifesavers gummy candies.
For the days that I didn’t feel like having salad, a colorful and delectable stir fry was always a good idea. The ingredients of my favorite one were white rice, chicken, soy-free soy sauce, yellow pepper, purple onion, and pineapple. It was very nutritious and delicious.
Eating out was a nightmare for me before I knew what to order. For others who may have similar food restrictions as I had, here is what I did. I should first mention that I dislike all seafood, so no foods that I will list will contain seafood. That will be helpful because it is a common allergy/food restriction. When at a restaurant, I would first show the waiter/waitress my list of allergies so they can put them in for the chef. Then, I would order grilled chicken or steak with no sauce, and vegetables and rice that hadn’t been fried in anything that I couldn’t eat. I paired it with some A1 steak sauce or mustard and indulged. It was always very filling, tasty, and was healthier than some of the other things that I would typically order at restaurants before I was on a specific diet.
Dessert would be tricky because a lot of sweets are made with things I couldn’t have. The dessert that would always work for me was strawberries covered in Hershey’s chocolate syrup, which surprisingly has no dairy in it. It was a scrumptious dessert and also was a healthier alternative.
I didn’t mind my food restrictions much when I found things I actually enjoyed more than previous things I would eat. It also made me live a healthier lifestyle, because I was eating more mindfully.