Talking Allergies

My Daughter turned 16 in August and by the end of August she was a vegan. On the 10th she started to show anaphylaxis to beef, four days ago to chicken and egg. I am not sure what to do at this point. I can not go vegan as my allergies prevent it yet every time I cook she gets sick and when she cooks I get sick. By sick I mean the following happens .... red face itchy hives swelling face... i think you all know what that means. We purchsed a solar oven so we could cook outside the things that cause reacations it has helped a bit but not as much as I would like. We are both walking around like zombies itching and coughing and wheezing. I would love to go to a Doctor but... it is all out of pocket for us up to 6,000. So now I am not sure what to do. Other then hanging the American health insurance up by the neck I am stuck. That old depression keeps coming back into my head and making me cry. Any suggestions...

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Karen in Ohio mom of 7
Allergic to tons and tons of food as well as perfumes, scented air sprays and cleaners. Hubby to Fish, ds #2 Shellfish, youngest to Eggplant, potato, Caesin, Raw Tomato & spinach.

Wow Karen, I don't know how you manage with all of the different allergens.

Have you looked into this? http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/fina ... tance.html

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Moderator
Daughter: asthma, allergies to egg, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, most legumes (not soy) & penicillin. Developing hayfever type allergies.
Husband: no allergies
Me: allergies to some tree that flowers in May
Cat: allergic to beef, pork and lamb

Karen...could it be the cooking oil you are using? I see that you have trouble with some of the corn derived organic acids. Pretty much ALL refined cooking oils use corn derived citric acid as a de-gumming agent. I can only use extra virgin olive oil. Some corn allergic people also do well with cold-pressed grape seed oil. I'm sorry you are having so much trouble... I have lots of problems with meats and vegetables that have been corn-taminated in any way.

I use olive oil for cooking.

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Karen in Ohio mom of 7
Allergic to tons and tons of food as well as perfumes, scented air sprays and cleaners. Hubby to Fish, ds #2 Shellfish, youngest to Eggplant, potato, Caesin, Raw Tomato & spinach.

But is it extra virgin or is it a lighter, more refined olive oil?

Trying to think of what to cook for your whole family to eat makes my head spin! I am sorry you are in such a difficult situation. I don't know quite how to make it work, but have you considered a rotation diet? The principal seems to be that if you consume foods from related food families in a carefully controlled way you can tolerate foods that you are only mildly allergic to with less issue, and rotating through the foods so completely can help keep your body from developing an intolerance or allergy to new foods. Also, there is a website that I have been exploring that deals with feeding a family that had an insane number of food allergies, and there may be some ideas there to help you keep going....it is SpecialFoods.com. Good Luck. I do hope that you don't have to resort to cooking separate meals for everyone!

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Daughter #1 eczema, asthma, and allergic to eggs, dairy, beef, nuts, soy, wheat, dogs, cats, and grass
Husband intolerant to dairy, allergic to grass and dust
Daughter #2 "outgrew" allergy to dairy and egg

rotating wouldn't be a problem if all my allergies were not Anaphylaxis... We are eating a ton of beans currently.

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Karen in Ohio mom of 7
Allergic to tons and tons of food as well as perfumes, scented air sprays and cleaners. Hubby to Fish, ds #2 Shellfish, youngest to Eggplant, potato, Caesin, Raw Tomato & spinach.