Meeting nutritional needs when dealing with food allergies can be very difficult and at the same time extremely important. You can’t just take the allergen away and not look for ways of replacing the nutrients. How To Conquer Food Allergies And Nutritional Deficiencies is what we are going to be discussing today and I must confess I am excited to share what I have learned from having 6 kids with food sensitivities and celiac disease!
When you eliminate certain foods from your diet as a result of food allergies, you are doing your body a big favor. On the other hand, you could also inadvertently expose your body to nutritional deficiencies.
Taking a moment to address
what nutrients do you need to replace in your
diet is a great place to start in the
quest for good health.
Let’s take a look at one of the most common allergies, gluten When you give up wheat, which is the most popular form of gluten in our American culture, take a look at all the nutrition you are losing!
Nutritional Facts of Wheat
Wheat is rich in manganese, phosphorus, magnesium, and selenium. It is also a good source of zinc, copper, iron, and potassium. Furthermore, calcium is found in wheat in small quantities.
Vitamin Content of Wheat
Wheat is rich in vitamin B6, niacin, thiamin, folate, riboflavin, and pantothenic acid. Vitamin E and K are also present in smaller, but still significant amounts.
How To Conquer Food Allergies And Nutritional Deficiencies
My favorite website for nutritional analysis is Self Nutrition Data. Type in what ingredient you wish to know the nutritional value of and hit the search button. It is that easy!
I like to print out the nutritional information for each gluten-free substitute and line them up against the nutritional analysis of the ingredient that needs to be replaced. For example, when we examine the nutritional content of wheat and compare it to flaxseed we understand that flaxseed should be a wonderful supplement to your gluten-free baking. We also see that some other gluten-free ingredients like tapioca starch and arrowroot powder have no nutritional benefits and a very high glycemic load. You will not find an exact match for wheat but by combining several ingredients you can come pretty close.
One of my favorite ways to substitute gluten is with raw hemp seed! It is a grain-free option that provides much of the nutrients that are lost in a gluten-free diet.
Another much easier way to address the nutritional deficiencies that people with allergies have as well as the general population is through whole foods, and non-synthetic supplements.
Shockingly, In a study from the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, researchers found that 6 percent of those tested had serious vitamin C deficiency and 30 percent were borderline low. A report in the journal Pediatrics found obesity and malnutrition coexist. Obese, overfed, and undernourished children with cognitive disorders were found to have scurvy and severe vitamin D deficiency. A USDA survey showed that 37 percent of Americans don’t get enough vitamin C, 70 percent, do not have enough vitamin E, almost 75 percent don’t get enough zinc, and 40 percent don’t get enough iron.
No matter whether you have food allergies or not make sure you are taking nutritional supplements.
My family takes these excellent supplements. Click HERE!
YOUR TURN…
Pick the appropriate supplements and add them to your diet.
Blessings,
This post may contain affiliate links. Thank you for supporting The Peaceful Haven!
Right now my favorite food is anything with coconut. Any food can be an allergen. So it is so important to know what is affecting you and what is not in a bad way. Thanks for sharing at #LetsGetRealSocial
I agree Karen…anything can be an allergen depending on the person! Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
Love this post Janelle. Big food allergy advocate here and many people overlook this entire topic. Our family always ate tree nuts as a quick protein punch snack. Our youngest child has an anaphylaxis allergy to tree nuts, so they no longer belong in our home. We now supplement with eggs, meats and legumes in their stead.
Thanks Mistie for your comment and for your suggestions!
Excellent post! I have been struggling with food allergies for years, thanks for the help!
Me too, Tammy! I’m so glad you found the post helpful!