Vegan & Wheat Free
I have been very sick the last 10 days. It turns out that I have an allergy to wheat. This allergy has caused hives all over my body. Hives are extremely uncomfortable. I am now having to adjust the way I think about food and how I prepare the meals that I love.
Wheat has never been a primary ingredient for me, however I love pasta. I know there are gluten free pastas, but I live in an area where these types of pastas are not readily available. I know it will all be okay. Many people are allergic to wheat. I will move forward and will create new dishes and branch out. It is an opportunity to grow and stretch and discover. Stay tuned for new recipes and ideas, just as soon as the itching and swelling stops.
August 1st, 2009 at 4:19 pm
Hi Wendy,
Exactly the same thing happened to me 3 years ago!!! I was already following an organic veg lifestyle and my body suddenly got very angry and erupted into nasty red hot pulsing hives and ezcema. It was also an allergy to wheat, but also other acidic-forming foods such as sugar and tomatoes so maybe have a check for those also??? How are you going? What are you using to cool your body and reduce the inflammation?
Hope your ok – I know how stagnant you feel as your body tries to cope but in the meantime creates a very painful and frustrating time for you!
And you are totally right – it is an opportunity for us to grow and my allergies have just made me honour and enjoy my food even more and there are so many ways you can work around it at home =)
August 1st, 2009 at 5:04 pm
Hi Ally,
Thank you so much for writing me. It is nice to hear that I am not alone. It has been kind of a shock to my system, to be sure.
I do not really eat sugar or sweets, but do love tomatoes and fruit. I hope I have no problem with those. I have been eating them daily, so far so good.
I am moving more and more to a raw diet. It seems to be more cooling and helps reduce the inflammation. I hope I can continue to move gracefully through this. Knowing that others have done so, helps a lot.
If you have any suggestions for me, please let me know!!
Be well,
Wendy
August 1st, 2009 at 10:33 pm
At the end of the day it’s just about ourselves and our own body isn’t it so I’m sure you are eating the right foods now otherwise your body would definitely be telling you about it!! =) Good to hear it is going well. Like you it was lovely to find your post and know that we can help each other move through a difficult situation.
My rash took about a month to progressively get worse and worse before its final big flare up and then a couple of months before it really cleared. I was not as clean-eating as you are so mine took a while to go in order for me to really concrete and understand the importance of the way I now see food as well as chemical sensitivities and a holistic natural lifestyle.
Now that I have read your site I see you absolutely know what you are talking about!!! And have alot of wonderful knowledge on your side =)
I agree- raw was absolutely the way to go. Also alkalising grains such as quinoa, amaranth, millet were good for me. After 6 months or so I reintroduced other grains such as spelt, rye, corn etc and have not noticed any problems. Wheat and sugar still aggravate me but my body is all the better for it!
Also here is a topical treatment that worked beautifully for me: Either juice or process fresh cilantro leaves (that have been stored in the fridge) and stalks. Mix juice and pulp together and like a paste apply over your body. Leave for as long as you like, then rinse off in a cool shower. Because the cilantro is cool from the fridge it drops your skin temp but also it has fantastic anti-inflammatory properties.
It does tinge your skin a little and is a bit tricky to wash off but so worth it!
Also salt water at the beach as always was very healing =)
August 4th, 2009 at 7:24 pm
Thanks for the info about cilantro leaves. I love cilantro and always have some around. It is great to know of the anti-inflammatory properties!
Have you eaten oats at all? I know oats have some gluten, but I hope they are okay for me. I have not tried them yet.
Fortunately, I live near the ocean and have a salt water system pool that I swim in daily! Salt water is wonderful to be in!
August 19th, 2009 at 1:41 am
i became a Vegan three years ago and i can say that my health have been very very good. meat and dairy substitutes like soy also works well for the body.