My Son Is Outgrowing His Allergies… Or Is He?

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My poor son has inherited his Mommy’s allergies. Watching him suffer from food, animal, seasonal and indoor allergies has been so sad. In November of last year, we stopped his antihistamines so we could test his allergies… AGAIN. The strangest thing happened: all of the food tests came back negative! And so the food challenges began: Peanuts, cashews, walnuts, pecans, almonds… He has eaten them all with NO reactions. Praise God! My son has outgrown his allergies! Or has he?

Yesterday, I realized a not-so-insignificant coincidence: my daughter has been off of her antihistamine just as long as my son without any issues. AND I have been functioning on one antihistamine per day as well. You see, my allergies are so bad that I take multiple drugs each day in order function. This winter has been an allergy sufferer’s nightmare, and I’ve managed to survive on one antihistamine each day and no nasal steroid spray. 

Since it’s highly unlikely that the three of us have “outgrown” our allergies at the same time, there has to be some other common denominator(s) that have helped our cause. Here’s what I’ve come up with:

1. Last May, we stopped eating artificial food coloring because of my daughter’s behavioral issues. There have been studies linking artificial food coloring to allergies.
2. We haven’t eaten at McDonald’s (or any place like it) since June 25, 2011. This has been in an attempt to save money and to eat healthier. Let’s be honest, even the grilled chicken sandwich at McD’s isn’t the healthiest thing to be eating.
3. While avoiding food coloring and nuts, we naturally started eating more whole foods that are not processed. This means less preservatives.

Our bodies aren’t meant to have all of that extra junk in them. So is it possible that when we keep the junk out, our bodies can fight the stuff we are already dealing with better? I’m not a doctor, but I know what we’ve experienced. I think we have one more reason to escape the trap of “easiness” that processed foods provide and find time to cook healthier meals for ourselves and our families.

I know how daunting this can seem. I’m in the process of recreating a lot of the processed foods we used to buy. Check out my recipes and feel free to share your own. I will continue to add more as my family approves them.