Resources to build confidence in managing Food Allergies

Food Allergies coaching, online health coaching

Hire a Health Coach and GET YOUR LIFE BACK!
You can have GREAT SOCIAL LIFE, even with food allergies!
You CAN TRAVEL and enjoy new places while managing life with food allergies!
You can PREVENT many complications, by simply looking ahead and being prepared!
You can be CONFIDENT in your abilities to manage life and travel with food allergies!

Stress Management

Stress management is extremely important especially if you are already experiencing any health problems, including food allergies. Even more challenging can be dealing with stress levels if you are suffering from autoimmune disease, connected to diet restrictions.

health coaching, food allergies coaching, health coaching

Travelling with Food Allergies

I believe that everyone who lives with food allergies has to make special considerations when planning a vacation. Are you able to handle all inclusive package, or would you rather cook for yourself all the time, missing out that feeling of being cared for while on vacation. Can you feel safe enough to visit local restaurants and try new foods?

How to stay safe with Food Allergies

When you get a diagnosis of food allergies, the best thing you can do is to understand that your life and your needs are going to change drastically. Food allergies can only be managed, which means that you need to fairly quickly gain lots of information and start making different choices about many things in your life.

Don't give up - get inspired

Having food allergies myself, I have experienced the first hand, how challenging and even overwhelming life and travel with food allergies can be. If you love to travel and meeting new people, DON’T let Food Allergies to stop you! Getting diagnosis of food allergies or any other dietary restrictions sends you to a huge transition

How to enjoy camping with food allergies

How to go camping while managing food allergies.

No matter where you go or what you are planning to do, you always have to take care of your dietary needs.

Rule number ONE when living with food allergies – your needs have to be your HIGHEST priority!

Let me start by sharing a bit about my own experience. I have always loved being outdoors. With my husband, we have made numerous camping trips to many amazing places. Every spring, when the weather got better we started making plans to get outdoors. Being in nature, going on hikes, and discovering new places was the best spent time, we could imagine. However, afte r finding out about my food allergies, adventurous weekends and holidays had changed drastically. My complex dietary needs have put a burden on any traveling or being outside of my home environment. Not being able to have any lactose, soy, peanuts, olives or olive oil made shopping for any trips very hard. And, this is only one side of my own dietary needs – the allergic reaction if I ingest any of those foods. The second and actually harder to deal with is the autoimmune reaction of my body to any gluten. Living with celiac disease means to never know how exactly your body is going to react to any amount of gluten. I can surely count on the digestive problem, but it goes further than that. The autoimmune reaction often brings long-lasting pain and inflammation. Digestive organs and joints being affected the most. I can get lucky and only suffer an episode of pain, but it could get to the point when I have difficulty moving around or walking. That is where I don’t’ want to go.

How to handle the possibility of allergic or autoimmune reaction and still live an active life?

I am going to share some tips to help you prevent mistakes that I have made.

Take yourself seriously and plan ahead
Don’t give up what you love, just approach it with your needs in mind
Talk to others that could help you with preparations and staying on track
Don’t feel bad about asking for help when you need it

Planning ahead is the key to success of any trip. As I am good at packing and organizing I started preparing menu for myself before getting any other camping gear ready. I started with couple of simple foods that I can make and are easy to pack. My husband also helped me to add additional cooler to accompany my needs. I also started to carry my traveling set of spices, rice, and gluten-free pasta as permanent part of our travels. I would also make a menu for the whole trip to help me figure out how much food I needed and to assure that I can have variety of foods. Often, I was at least able to make it taste differently and more appealing. In addition, I would add few additional snacks and non-perishable options, in case I fancied something different. And – it worked! I started to enjoy camping again and my temporary resistance of heading out for the weekend was gone too!

I have to admit that I prefer packing for camping to any other type of travel. When going camping I can pack any amount of food that will fit in my car. Making list to remember what is stored in which bag or box is also very helpful. On those longer trips, I would always count on being able to buy fruits and vegetables at local markets. Buying local is always fun. You can meet nice people and learn more about fresh produce that you are just about to buy. You can also try something new and personally when I see signs of the organic farm or the one that sells non-GMO, no pesticide produce, I am stopping my car in a hurry.

I have been on many great trips, however for some, I had to prepare more significantly. Trying things, such as dehydrating and canning food helped me to make it to those isolated areas for a longer period of time. If you want to read more ideas how to survive long trips, go to my blog next week and check out Trip to Yukon and Alaska.

How to buy local fresh food in season

Food Allergies and shopping

My personal experience is that my body is more sensitive to what I eat, to what is added to my food and to the type and level of preservative in the food. Being aware that I may have negative reaction to the food that I may not be necessarily allergic to, made me to think twice about what I feed myself. This experience brings me “back to the ground” and looking for food in its freshest and most natural form. No matter where you are or what you are doing you can always look after yourself and get the fresh – high quality food for yourself.

In my experience many places accommodate and even promote local produce. This is often done by setting up regular farmer’s market where you can buy fresh, quality produce grown locally. By buying at farmer’s market you can find out many things about the produce you are buying while you also support local farmers. My travels taught me that even places like Yukon or Alaska have abundance of local and fresh produce that is being regularly sold at farmers’ markets. This only applies to summer months, but I believe that most people visit cold places, such as Yukon or Alaska during summer months.

Many farmers are involved in sustainable farming and they produce fresh fruits and vegetables that are both organic, non GMO, and pesticide free. Look at their signs and ask questions when buying. My shopping contains trip to the farmers market every week, which takes care of majority of my produce needs. What I can’t get at the market I will look for at stores that offer good variety of fresh, organic produce.

Another benefit of buying locally is in ability to buy more seasonal food that should be a great option for our bodies. Cooking and eating seasonal foods was the way that our ancestors done for ever. There was not option of shipping food across the planet. Even though we have the opportunity to buy anything we want at any time of the year, it is nice to experience differences in season. Let’s get excited about first lettuce and radishes arriving to the market in the spring and look forward to explosion of options in fruit and vegetable in the late summer / fall.

When you buy seasonal foods which are typical for that particular area, you can also learn a lot about the new and interesting foods. Some people would also share their tips and recipes with you. This is especially true in rural areas where people tend to cook more and use whatever grows in their garden. They can have very creative ways in what toy use in the kitchen and how to cook it to make an interesting meal. My experience is in buying fresh produce from Amish community and asking questions about vegetables that I wasn’t as familiar with, such as okra or eggplant. I ended up with the whole list of great tasting recipes and tips how to use those vegetables.

I believe that looking for locally grown and seasonal foods leads to more natural food options that our bodies are more prepared to digest. As many cultures look at balance and ideal combination of foods, nature leads us to use more raw foods with high water content in hot summer months, which helps us to compensate for water loss and cool of our bodies. In the winter we reach for resources stored away, which we have to cook and fuel our bodies with hot, rich and more filling meals. Those fit better with our need for heat and more calories needed during cold winter months.

Vacation planning

Travel with food vacation – how to plan vacation

I believe that everyone who lives with food allergies has to make special considerations when planning a vacation. Are you able to handle all inclusive package, or would you rather cook for yourself all the time, missing out that feeling of being cared for while on vacation. Can you feel safe enough to visit local restaurants and try new foods? Even better, which option would you chose when travelling to a foreign country and you don’t speak the language. Those are definitely basic questions you have to ask yourself every time when planning to go on vacation. It is not as simple as to hit the road and enjoy.

Cooking your own meals:

I have been through making those choices many times, and it has never been an easy one. The right choice depends on many factors. If you don’t mind cooking and your highest priority is to feel hundred percent safe with your choice, you can always look for an accommodation with kitchenette and stores or local markets close by. As long as you stick to foods that you know and you can trust, you will be safe and able to enjoy your vacation. The downside of this choice is that you will be spending considerable time in the kitchen and eating foods that you already know. You will be also isolating yourself from meeting new people and learning about the culture and cuisine of the place you are visiting. However, if you are like me and enjoy exploring local markets, talking to farmers and learning about new produce, you may be OK.

All inclusive vacation and food allergies:

All inclusive vacation is fairly tricky, when dealing with food allergies. Even though this is a great and worry free option for people who don’t need to pay special attention to what they eat, it could be a disaster for someone with food allergies. All-inclusive resorts don’t provide option for your own cooking, so you end up in a mercy of a chief and resort management. Even if you call ahead and ask about their ability to accommodate your needs, you will most likely end up eating very limited variability of foods. You will also have to prepare yourself for a disappointment when it comes to food options and staff’s approach. I found out that planning ahead could make this situation much more pleasant and safe. Especially when travelling to a foreign country I make sure to have a small card printed out with the list of all of my food allergies and examples of common foods that contain those allergens. I make my list in English and use Google translate to provide the same information in the language of country that I am visiting. That way I could be sure that people who don’t speak English very well will not make a mistake. They often take my card to the chief who could make better choices when preparing my food. If you have variety of food allergies and limitation, like me, I would also suggest making another small list (on the same card) with foods that you can eat, to make some suggestions. I find this being very helpful, as people can be intimidated by complex food allergies. Also, taking to the chief at the very beginning of your stay may score you special attention and tastier foods. In countries, such as Mexico, you can get better services through giving small tips (I typically take lots of one US dollar bills). In this case all-inclusive is not completely all inclusive and additional $30-$50 can make you vacation more enjoyable and more pleasant. I know many people think you should not have to pay any extra – sometimes small additional amount truly helps. Even though I have made it through number of all-inclusive vacations it is not my favorite choice. Food options are limited and I have to be checking every food that they serve me.

Hotel accommodation and eating out while travelling with food allergies:

This is a great option of learning about the place you are visiting, while also trying out new foods. This option provides many varieties with many risks. If you are lucky and find restaurants that will cater to your needs, you can truly enjoy this option. I find that visiting places outside of busy hours (lunch and dinner) provides more flexibility and attention to your food. I know, you want to eat at the same time as anyone else, but maybe a slight change of plans and eating an hour later can lead to more pleasant time and better food. Many places are too busy to make special meals, or may not simply have much on their menu for someone with food allergies. Talking to the manager about your needs is an additional assurance that you will get what you have asked for. Don’t hesitate to double check when they serve you the meal, that they have truly paid attention to your specific request. I had been in situations when bread croutons found their way to my salad, or cheese has been added to the tomato sauce. Don’t assume that everyone is as concerned about your well-being as you are. Be polite, but remember that you are the only one paying the price for their mistake. Only you know how much you are going to suffer if you eat something you are not supposed to.

My journey with food allergies

Professional health coach sharing a life story with food allergies

Hi, my name is Dusana, and I would like to share my personal journey with food allergies with you. I am an outdoor enthusiast, who loves to travel, eat good food and meet new people. As a Psychologist, counselor and coach myself I have always been interested in people’s lives and troubles helping them to find solutions and confidence in their own strengths and their lives.

The game-changing moment came many years ago when I got diagnosed with several food allergies.

Finding out that I was allergic to a variety of foods sent me on a fascinating journey.

In the end, I have become an expert on managing food allergies, while continuing to travel and living a good, healthy life.

Going through this challenge tough me many things and I have evolved into a new self. I have found peace and grace in the way I live and nourish myself. I have found gratitude in being different and growing through the process of learning to take care of my own needs and valuing my health high enough to ask many questions when ordering my food. TRUST ME, YOU CAN DO THE SAME.

In order to share my story, let’s go back a number of years. At that time I was an ordinary person, eating regular foods and enjoying life. I explored the world through travels, work opportunities and out of curiosity. I loved to see new cultures and new cuisine. But, that was just about to change…… When I got my initial diagnosis of being celiac (gluten free), lactose intolerant (no milk or cheese), allergic to soy, peanuts and couple other things I felt that I have hit rock bottom. It sounded like a death sentence to me. I almost believed that I was going to starve myself or die of an allergic reaction to the food I wasn’t supposed to eat. How does a person, who loved so-called “regular foods” such as cakes (cheesecake was my favorite!), pizza and pasta with mouthwatering cheese sauce, get by without it? I didn’t know the answer, I WAS LOST AND DESPERATE.

I didn’t know about health coaches who specialize in food allergy coaching. I WISH I DID! It would have saved me a lot’s of trouble when I struggled with finding information, learning to read labels and being stuck eating the same disgusting foods, day after day. Not having many food choices was upsetting and it took all the joy of eating. Also, not knowing about cross-contamination of foods left me with lessons about not being able to eat with others or share good times with them. I WAS DESPERATE FOR CHANGE.

As you can imagine, I have been through times of ISOLATION because let’s be honest, how do you enjoy going out with friends or colleagues, when you can’t touch any of the foods served? Romantic dinners or even buttered popcorn at the movie were out of the question too. I have tried to go back to “normal” way of life and do simple things, such as having a coffee with a friend or going out for a wing and beer night at the pub. Quickly I have discovered that those outings were not simple or enjoyable for me. If you are like me, you might find yourself struggling to find the sense of being normal again and trying to reach to others to re-establish your life. However, I had a period of time, when I had closed my doors and stayed in, feeling sorry for myself and looking for strengths to keep going.

But I have to say that I have learned something. It has been a steep learning curve, from not being able to cater for myself to gather any information and knowledge there was about food allergies and how to manage life with food allergies. I got into my own healthy cooking and finally developing allergy free recipes that TASTED GREAT!

I found the way to cater to myself when staying home more often. I started with trying new things that were safe for me to eat. I had tossed away anything that wasn’t safe for me to eat and literally cleaned out my kitchen. I have stocked on foods that I could eat. Another benefit was that I was looking healthy again. My energy also increased, and life was almost feeling “normal.” I could manage my foods, as long as I didn’t have to leave my home. As long as there was no invitation to the dinner or lunch; I was OK. I have also spent hours and hours searching for advice, recipes, and connection with others in similar situation. How to enjoy your life and get through those moments of isolation and self-pity is going to be shared on my blog. It all started with me wanting my life back, wanting to travel and enjoy every day.

This wish for a healthy life with well-managed food allergies also affected my professional journey. As a Nurse, who furthered her education by getting a Master Degree in Psychology I got myself heavily involved in health coaching and developing individual plans for clients living with food allergies. My passion for coaching people who wanted an active, healthy life was born. It was simple – I realized that we all deserve the good life – despite food allergies!

Has it been like this from the start? No way! Contrary to my struggles and difficulties, you can approach your situation differently and make the best decision to hire a health coach specializing in food allergy management. Get an outstanding quality of services through knowledge and expertise in the area of health coaching. Make the first contact with me to start building your confidence based on a safe and comfortable plan for handling food allergies that work for you, your family and your lifestyle.