Steps to Adopting an Allergen Free Lifestyle
December 4th 2008 00:31
The diagnosis or suspicion of an allergy can be a difficult time. Especially if the allergy is for a baby or young child. But once you get use to reading labels and substituting ingredients it does get easier.
The common allergies to be diagnosed with are nuts, shellfish, wheat or gluten and lactose or dairy. If you're lucky you will be diagnosed with only one of these allergies. Some families have all of them in the one household (like ours).
Adopting an allergen free lifestyle can be crucial in some circumstances - life threatening allergies - or just recommended - for intolerances.
Regardless of why you need to adopt an allergen lifestyle the steps are the same.
Step One
Educate yourself and your family about the reason for the new lifestyle and the style of new food that is essential. Write a list of the foods that need to be avoided and place it somewhere prominent in the house.
Sample some of the foods and recipes that are available.
Step Two
Remove all allergen products from your home. This is only important if the allergen sufferer is a child. An adult will be able to avoid the foods but children will just grab whatever looks good.
Step Three
Replace the allergen food with non-allergen foods. This can be an expensive exercise, so spread the cost across a few weeks if necessary.
The cheapest way of adjusting to an allergen free lifestyle is to develop a love of cooking. Often the home cooked versions do taste significantly better.
Step Four
Be dedicated about the new lifestyle. And this is the hardest step.
Look for support groups if necessary. Feel free to connect with others through this blog is you like.
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