After introducing allergens back into your diet, you may find that there are some foods that you just can’t eat without it causing a reaction. More complex allergies are to foods like dairy, sugar and wheat.

What makes this difficult it you don’t realize what you are allergic to until you start to eliminate things. This is one way that you can determine what food allergies you might have. This process definitely helps to get you on track for a gluten free diet. Let’s look at what you can do for a sugar-free living.

Diana Walker provides delicious, nutritious and easy Gluten-free recipes and foods at Diana’s Healthy Gluten Free Whole Foods Lifestyles

Sugar-Free Living

Of all food allergies, there are probably the most resources available for sugar-free living. Since diabetics cannot eat large quantities of sugar, and there are still many people who are following low-carbohydrate diets, sugar-free recipes, tips and hints are everywhere.

Living a sugar-free or low-sugar lifestyle requires dedication and research. If you have strong reactions to sugar, you may not be able to handle any sugar substitutes or food made with sugar substitutes. Sugar substitutes can cause sugar cravings and, in some cases, sugar allergy reactions. In general, it’s best to avoid them completely.

You will need to read labels on packaged and processed foods. Sugar is one of the top additives to all kinds of foods…some that you wouldn’t even suspect! Sugar is added to bread, canned vegetables and packaged sauces, among many, many other products. It’s no wonder that Americans consume 156 pounds of sugar per year.

Diana Walker, Cravings Coach

Diana Walker provides delicious, nutritious and easy Gluten-free recipes and foods at Diana’s Healthy Gluten Free Whole Foods Lifestyles

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Diana Walker provides delicious, nutritious and easy Gluten-free recipes and foods at Diana’s Healthy Gluten Free Whole Foods Lifestyles

There are various milk substitutes that can be used in cooking, on cereal or for drinking. Soy milk, rice milk, oat milk and almond milk all have different flavors and qualities. Try a few brands and types out before you settle on your favorite milk substitute. Most baking recipes can be made by adding a milk substitute in for milk. There are also many dairy-free cookbooks that will help you make the transition to your new way of eating.

There are also soy and rice cheeses available that can be used in recipes to get the “melty” texture that you crave. Soy and rice ice cream substitutes are great for hot summer days and have excellent flavors.

As dairy allergies become more recognized, manufacturers are producing more dairy alternatives. Always make sure to read labels, and balance your dairy substitutes with whole, fresh foods.

Just like with any diet you have to try different foods and see what works best for you. Soon you will be dairy free and working towards a gluten free diet. While focusing on food and allergies, try to keep up with your exercise routine to help you manage weight loss.

Diana Walker, Cravings Coach

Diana Walker provides delicious, nutritious and easy Gluten-free recipes and foods at Diana’s Healthy Gluten Free Whole Foods Lifestyles

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If you are one of these people, you may have to eliminate these allergens from your diet completely. Fortunately, there is plenty of information and support for living a dairy-free, sugar-free or wheat-free lifestyle. Today we will discuss dairy-free living.

Diana Walker provides delicious, nutritious and easy Gluten-free recipes and foods at Diana’s Healthy Gluten Free Whole Foods Lifestyles

Dairy-Free Living

When you have a dairy allergy, you may be actually reacting to the casein produced in milk. This means that all dairy products, including yogurt, ice cream, sour cream, cheese and butter, should be eliminated to avoid a reaction.

Some people are able to tolerate casein more easily, and are fine as long as they don’t have dairy products in their whole form. If you are one of them, you may also be reacting to lactose, an enzyme. Try Lactaid products, which have the lactose eliminated, before limiting dairy in all its forms.

Many “non-dairy” products on the market include casein. For example, soy cheese, almond cheese and rice cheese all contain casein. You can identify foods that contain casein by looking at the label of ingredients. Casein is present in ingredient lists that contain the following words: casein, caseinate, calcium caseinate, ammonia caseinate, magnesium caseinate, potassium caseinate, and sodium caseinate. If you have extreme reactions to dairy, then you should avoid all processed foods that contain these ingredients.

Diana Walker, Cravings Coach

Diana Walker provides delicious, nutritious and easy Gluten-free recipes and foods at Diana’s Healthy Gluten Free Whole Foods Lifestyles

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Diana Walker provides delicious, nutritious and easy Gluten-free recipes and foods at Diana’s Healthy Gluten Free Whole Foods Lifestyles

Suggested supplements to support your new way of eating:

Multivitamins and minerals. Look for a good broad spectrum multivitamin that has minerals to support digestion.

Hydrochloric Acid (with pepsin). As your body ages, it produces less HCL and pepsin (both are necessary for digestion).

Digestive enzymes. Take an enzyme capsule after meals to support digestion.

Vitamin B complex. This reduces stress and restores muscle tone in your digestive track.

Beta carotene and vitamin C with bioflavonoids. These antioxidants will help build your immunity

Essential fatty acids. Flax oil and primrose oil both boost prostaglandin levels, which help your body deal with inflammations due to allergic reactions.

Quercetin. This natural antihistamine can relieve reactions to certain foods.

Siberian ginseng. Helps your body fight stress and builds your immune system.

Glutamine. This is an amino acid that you should take between meals.

Probiotics. Acidophilus and bifidus both help restore friendly bacteria into your body’s digestive system.

Aloe vera juice. If you’ve have hidden allergies for a long time, you may be suffering from a condition called leaky gut syndrome.

However, if you discover a food to be safe, you must be careful with how often you eat it in the future. Just to be safe, you should eat it once a day at most, and then only every four days once you’ve built up your list of “safe foods.” And you will be one step closer to a gluten free diet and a healthier lifestyle.

Diana Walker, Cravings Coach

Diana Walker provides delicious, nutritious and easy Gluten-free recipes and foods at Diana’s Healthy Gluten Free Whole Foods Lifestyles

READ MORE ON GLUTEN FREE DIET AND SUGAR CRAVINGS POPULAR TOPICS

Diana Walker provides delicious, nutritious and easy Gluten-free recipes and foods at Diana’s Healthy Gluten Free Whole Foods Lifestyles

Begin introducing one food at a time, and then wait a few days to introduce the next food. Eat a large portion of the new food all by itself, preferably during lunch. Wait a few hours and see if there is an immediate reaction. If you don’t have a reaction, then try eating some more of the new food at dinner along with allowed foods.

Some other general tips for your new way of eating:

Avoid overeating. Your digestive enzymes are essential in processing the food that you eat. When you stuff yourself, you overwhelm your digestive enzymes before you are finished.

Don’t eat too much of one particular food in one sitting. Different enzymes are used to digest different foods. When you too much of one food at a meal, you will overwhelm the enzymes that digest that food.

Even if you find that sugar is not an allergen, it is best to avoid it. Refined sugar depletes minerals and digestive enzymes. Deserts made of unrefined sugar, fruits or sweet vegetables (like sweet potatoes) are much better choices.

Focus on raw foods! Foods like fruits, vegetables and raw milk cheese are full of helpful digestive enzymes. These enzymes can be destroyed during the cooking process.

Diana Walker, Cravings Coach

Diana Walker provides delicious, nutritious and easy Gluten-free recipes and foods at Diana’s Healthy Gluten Free Whole Foods Lifestyles

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Diana Walker provides delicious, nutritious and easy Gluten-free recipes and foods at Diana’s Healthy Gluten Free Whole Foods Lifestyles

Eat freely from the following list: Meats, Vegetables, Fruits, Fish, Quinoa, Herb teas, Spring water, Fresh whole herbs, & Salt and pepper to flavor your food.

You may experience withdrawal symptoms as you start this diet. Although they may be hard to deal with, withdrawal symptoms are actually a good sign. They show that you have removed something that has been toxic to your system. Your withdrawal symptoms can range from slight fatigue to migraines and more severe symptoms. Make no mistake, food can be a drug and the withdrawal symptoms can be just as severe.

To counteract withdrawal, up your water intake. Most people do not drink enough water and are actually dehydrated. Proper hydration will decrease the symptoms of withdrawal.

This diet is strict, but you have to remember the goal is better health for your lifetime. It is only followed for a seven to fourteen days, which is not that long when you keep your overall goal in mind. Strive to maintain your exercise routine to help you lose weight, while getting your diet gluten free.

Diana Walker, Cravings Coach

Diana Walker provides delicious, nutritious and easy Gluten-free recipes and foods at Diana’s Healthy Gluten Free Whole Foods Lifestyles

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Diana Walker provides delicious, nutritious and easy Gluten-free recipes and foods at Diana’s Healthy Gluten Free Whole Foods Lifestyles

Making your own diet is helpful if you are very connected to your body and you have been monitoring your reaction to foods for a long time. However, if you suspect you have many hidden allergies and want to be as thorough as possible a pre-made elimination diet is your best bet.

No matter what type of diet you try it is vital that you avoid processed foods. Manufactured foods contain hidden ingredients, such as cornstarch, wheat, sugar, eggs and other allergens. These ingredients may be used in such small amounts that they don’t show up on the labeling but they do effect your histamine production. Don’t trust the labels. Eat only fresh whole varieties of the allowed foods.

To start your own elimination diet, write down all of the foods that you crave, food that make you feel energized and foods that exhaust you. These can all be signs of allergic reactions. You’ll also want to take special note of foods that you feel you must eat everyday. Strong cravings for particular foods can indicate allergies. Remember, if you eat a lot of processed foods your “possible allergies” list should include sugar, corn, soy, yeast, artificial food colorings, preservatives and additives.

Next, eliminate the suspected foods from your diet and see how you feel. After two to three weeks of eating in a strict fashion, begin introducing the possible allergens and evaluate your results. Introduce only one food at a time, and eat a significant quantity for breakfast or lunch. Take note of how you feel for the rest of the day. Look at the Introducing Foods to Your Diet section for more tips on adding foods.

Avoid stimulants like tea, coffee and alcohol, sugar, honey and other sweeteners, all artificial additives, grains including wheat, corn, rye, rice, barley oats and millet, & milk and dairy products, manufactured foods of all kinds. If it comes from a can, packet, bottle or jar, don’t eat it.

Diana Walker, Cravings Coach

Diana Walker provides delicious, nutritious and easy Gluten-free recipes and foods at Diana’s Healthy Gluten Free Whole Foods Lifestyles

READ MORE ON GLUTEN FREE DIET AND SUGAR CRAVINGS POPULAR TOPICS

Diana Walker provides delicious, nutritious and easy Gluten-free recipes and foods at Diana’s Healthy Gluten Free Whole Foods Lifestyles

For example, on Day 1, your protein would be from the poultry group. On Day 2, eat from the shellfish group. On Day 3, eat from the meat group, etc.

Make sure to try foods that you normally don’t eat. Remember that the foods that comprise your normal diet are causing your hidden food allergies. Expand your food palate and try some new foods. You may be surprised at how many new flavors and textures that you learn to love.

If you feel better after following this diet for several weeks then slowly and gradually try to introduce new foods. Only add a new food every several days (see the following section on Introducing Foods to Your Diet for more details on this process). Keep a food symptom diary to track your reactions to new foods, and proceed carefully.

You may find that over time you are able to eat certain foods at long intervals. For example, if corn is a problem for you, you may find after the diet and testing that you can get away with eating it once every week or two weeks.

All this testing and tracking may seem like a lot of work, but it is necessary in order to learn about your body and its allergic responses to help you reach your goal towards a gluten free diet. The relief that you feel from eliminating your allergens will be well worth the trouble and help it can help you lose weight too.

Diana Walker, Cravings Coach

Diana Walker provides delicious, nutritious and easy Gluten-free recipes and foods at Diana’s Healthy Gluten Free Whole Foods Lifestyles

READ MORE ON GLUTEN FREE DIET AND SUGAR CRAVINGS POPULAR TOPICS

Diana Walker provides delicious, nutritious and easy Gluten-free recipes and foods at Diana’s Healthy Gluten Free Whole Foods Lifestyles

Food Families List:

Abalone, clams, mussels, oysters & scallops. Anise, caraway seed, carrot, celery, celery seed, coriander, cumin, dill, fennel, parsley & parsnip. Apple, pear & quince. Artichoke, chicory, dandelion, endive, escarole, lettuce, sunflower seeds & tarragon. Asparagus, chives, garlic, leeks, onion & sarsaparilla. Avocado, bay leaves, cinnamon & sassafras.

Banana & plantain. Barley, corn, millet, oats, rice, rye & sorghum. Beets, spinach & swiss chard. Black-eyed peas, licorice, lima beans, navy beans, peanuts, peas, pinto beans & string beans. Blackberries, boysenberries, loganberries, raspberries & strawberries. Buckwheat, rhubarb & sorrel.

Cabbage, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, collards, horseradish, kale, mustard, radish, rutabaga, turnip & watercress. Cantaloupe, casaba melon, cucumber, honeydew melon, persian melon, pumpkin, squash & watermelon. Cashews, mango & pistachios. Chicken, duck, goose, pheasant, guinea hen, quail, squab, turkey & eggs. Chocolate, cola & cocoa. Coconut & dates. Crabs, crayfish, lobster, shrimp & squid.

Grapefruit, kumquat, lemon, lime, oranges & tangerines. Ginger, cardamom & turmeric.

Mint, basil, peppermint, rosemary, sage & spearmint. Meat: beef, goat, horse, pork, lamb; & milk from these animals.

Peaches, plums, cherries, almonds & apricots. Pecans, walnuts, butternuts & hickory nuts. Peppers, bell peppers, cayenne peppers, chili peppers, eggplant, paprika, potatoes & tomatoes.

Turtle & rattlesnake.

Diana Walker, Cravings Coach

Diana Walker provides delicious, nutritious and easy Gluten-free recipes and foods at Diana’s Healthy Gluten Free Whole Foods Lifestyles

READ MORE ON GLUTEN FREE DIET AND SUGAR CRAVINGS POPULAR TOPICS

Diana Walker provides delicious, nutritious and easy Gluten-free recipes and foods at Diana’s Healthy Gluten Free Whole Foods Lifestyles

While it’s not necessary to eat organic foods, it certainly is preferable. If you have limited access to organic foods, just make sure that you are eating fresh and whole foods. For example, get real tuna and not tuna from a can. There can be hidden allergens in manufactured products that are not listed on the label.

On a rotation diet, foods are rotated according to their food family. You will eat foods from a certain set of food families on each day. Foods from the same family are eaten in the same day because these foods most likely have the same chemical makeup. If you are allergic to one food, then you are likely to be allergic to foods within the same food family. Another benefit is once you determine what your allergies are you can start focusing on your gluten free diet and lose weight. Everything will help you to become a healthier person.

Diana Walker, Cravings Coach

Diana Walker provides delicious, nutritious and easy Gluten-free recipes and foods at Diana’s Healthy Gluten Free Whole Foods Lifestyles

READ MORE ON GLUTEN FREE DIET AND SUGAR CRAVINGS POPULAR TOPICS