How can I stay healthy while managing my allergy free diet?

It is still possible to live a healthy stress-free life, while managing food allergies.

Following are a few tips to help you maintain long-term wellness:

Allergic to dairy but concerned about calcium? If you must stick to a dairy free diet, opt for fortified soya milk, orange juice and breakfast cereals while including plenty of sesame seeds, tahini paste, broccoli, tinned fish (with bones), oysters, soybeans and parsley for dietary calcium. Also, when making soups and stews, only remove the bones from meat after cooking (as these pieces simmer, calcium leaches out, and enriches the liquid). Buy tofu prepared with calcium sulphate. Munch on hazelnuts and almonds which are relatively good calcium sources. And remember that children need 700-1300mg of calcium daily and 1000-1300mg for adults. Consider a calcium supplement if unable to meet this via diet.

Your diet may be low in selenium if you have multiple allergies. The main sources of this antioxidant are eggs, wheat, seafood and dairy products. Other low allergy sources are chickpeas, beans, lentils and meat (liver and kidney in particular).

Children with eczema may be lacking in iron due to loss via skin shedding. Vegetarian diets are also often low in iron. Ensure that vitamin C is taken in conjunction with vegetable greens for added iron absorption, and include cereals, baked beans, tofu, dried apricots, raisins, nuts, whole grains, chickpeas and lentils in your meals. Vitamin C supplements are recommended, because this will support immunity, which is most often involved in allergies.

Check food labels each time before purchase or use as manufacturers can change ingredients and processing from time to time. Do not consume foods which state they 'may contain' anything you are allergic to. While these are only precautionary warnings, food manufacturer's use this statement to cover a wide range of situations, so they risk can be variable.

When eating out phone the restaurant in advance, explaining that you have a food allergy and asking whether they can cater for you. If this is impossible, read the menu carefully and check anything you're unsure of (eg. dressings, sauces, garnishes etc). Enquire wait staff about their opinion in regard to possible cross contamination (eg. gluten free foods being prepared on chopping boards that have had wheat on them). Take medication with you in case of reaction.

Given the abundance of information available to us now via the media, it is natural to feel empowered to self-medicate and monitor your allergen-free diet. However if the allergy/ies have been chronic, or aren't improving, it is important to seek advice from a health practitioner, ensuring that you give yourself the best chance of moving forward, with your good health intact. Surviving food allergies requires boosting up your body, above and beyond removing allergic reactions. For coealics and those sensitive to wheat and gluten, discover Healtherie's Simple – a range of healthy gluten free products that cater for all eating occasions.

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