Help needed - conquering my food phobia

Fivenations

May I suggest you see your GP and get a proper diagnosis? If you do have a nut allergy you will need to carry an epi-pen in case you have a severe reaction. It contains adrenaline which helps to reduce the inflammation cased by whatever allergen is causing your reaction. Perhaps just having one on you may reduce your anxiety and enable you to be a little more adventurous.

pigpen

Right.. you are not 'unique' .. I live on potatoes.. peas.. chicken, turkey and pork.. hubby agreed lol.. and spagetti bolognaise.. (onion, grated carrot, mince, mushrooms and a tin of tomatoes)

I would recommend you find out the source of these reactions first.. a trip to the GP and allergy testing.. some places can do it from a hair sample!!

I find it really hard to try anything different as well..changing a brand of margarine is just as traumatic as something completely new.. I got an aubergine in my veg box.. and fed it to everyone but me!!

I will buy different things and feed them to everyone else and do myself my usual bland food.

Are you brave enough to make a pizza.. so you know what is in it and add a new topping each time ? Start with tomato and cheese and maybe add ham or pineapple or mushrooms or bits of chicken for example.

Savoury mince? add a new veg each time.. carrot/sweetcorn/peas/cauliflower/broccoli and mashed potato.. you could sneak a bit of swede in there too. just one new thing at a time.. even if you only add 2 bits to your plate. a teaspoon of something new once a week.

I put a sprout on my plate once.. now I LOVE them.. and cabbage... it can be overcome. I was diagnosed with am eating disorder when I was 3.. it has taken me 30 years to get to this point so it is a loooooong looooooong process but you can beat it.

We all are frightened of something, yours has a rational basis. Mine, heights, hasn't. 2 steps up a very small step ladder and I'm a wreck. Good luck.

I am EXACTLY the same.. I have never seen in a loft because I can't climb up the ladder high enough to see

I am also PETRIFIED.. screaming shaking vomitting mess... of... moths.. even little tiny ones.. and flies.. and dragonflies (daddylonglegs type and the pretty ones) .. horses and cows... there is no rational explanation for any of these either let alone a serious allergic reaction!!

purpleivy

moo2moo wrote: »

You don't sound sad at all. Everyone deals with food allergies differently. It takes a lot of courage to try something new on the off chance that it may cause a reaction. I have the reverse problem. My DD has a dairy intollerance but eats ice cream every chance she gets even though it gives her explosive diahorrea and stomach cramps and makes her bottom burn and her tummy feel like its on fire. The dairy free ice cream simply doesn't taste as good apparently.

If your M-I-L is as supportive as she sounds why not ask her to freeze (or save) a teeny tiny portion of everything she makes for you. That way you won't get more than a mouthful of any one thing. You'll quickly learn what does and doesn't trigger a reaction.

This will sound totally weird but why not try a few jars of baby food. They are designed for babies so avoid all the common allergens, come in small portions and are a great way to introduce new foods without having to cook. One a week of those won't break the bank either as the majority are 50p. I can wholly recommend Apple Crumble as a start point and the chocolate pudding is lovely ooh and the butternut squash. There are some mouthwatering options out there from the very bland Rice Pudding to cottage pies, risottos and banoffee pudding. Does anyone else spot the puddingy theme emerging here?

I think as Sammy is used to cooking from scratch, then baby food in jars might not be such a good idea, as they don't actually taste like the stuff she cooks herself, nor the real versions of new things. good advice from folks about taking it easy. Also don't beat yourself if something doesn't go right first time. What about making your own burgers Sammy, they're better than anything you can get in the shops and you know what quality of meat is going into them.

sammy_kaye18

Morwenna - oh poor you. I am ok with strawberries - and my little boy (just turned 4 on monday) is a strawberry hunter - I think I must be just as bad as D&DD by now - the amount fo strawberries we go through in this house is unreal. i'm also weary of fruit drinks incase they contain cherry juices etc- did you know Capri Suns contain cherry?? even the orange ones! :eek: I think i will get some antihistamines too - although me and medicine taking is a whole other issue - im paranoid about them too! Havent taken a headache pill in about 6 years! :rolleyes:

Sarah Saver - thanks. I do try and let my son eat things that i dont eat. Like for example I cant remember the last time I ate a sausage (theres a pack of tesco own brand pork sausages in my freezer) I feed them to my son but havent touched one in years. Apricots - have never tried, but my 4 year old loves. i did think I was goign to have a screaming hissy fit last week thogh - my dad came down adn took my son for a pick and mix - he came back with those cherry jelly sweets and the coconut round liqourice allsorts (the liqourice in the middle), i started hyperventilating and had to go outside I thought he was going to be bad - came back and he was fine though so i know hes ok.

Toonie - that sounds a good idea - adding a little extra thing to something id already cook. Has got me thinking now

If Only - lol the corriander is sat on my kitchen window sill now and i keep finding myself turning round to look at it as if its starring at me! :rotfl: (images of stroppy 4 year old, 'hes looking at me! HES LOOKING AT ME!!!')

pmorris - im not marvellous with heights either mind. Took my son to west midlands safari park on saturday. Hes fearless and wanted to go on one of those enclosed helter skelter slides - no one else would go and he was only 3 at the time , i got half way up, burst into tears and had to have boyfriend rescue me!

Fivenations - I did have an allergy test - you know the pin !!!!! thing on your arm and then the drop in your elbow that is the reactory thing - i know what i mean. There was about 10 drops in total - cant remember what it all was but im sure one was peanut , one was dust cant remember the others but they were all ok. I have been looking at going to holland and barretts and looking at getting a sensitivity and allergy test done.

Pigpen - Do you knwo what I felt like a right muppet thinking I was this weird food phobic freak but im kind of comforted knowing others are going through it to. im ok with basic veg - carrots, peas,sweetcorn, swede, potato, green beans, sprouts, onion, mushrooms, but thats about my limit at the minute - i was looking at baby sweetcorn earlier and figure they are exactly the same as sweetcorn (duh they are sweetcorn0 so i think i might be brave and attempt a stir fry at some point as I use to love them. Soy Sauce - now theres a challenge. have to say i do the same too (the aubergine thing) I feed everything new or different to the bf, son and step son and I eat something basic. and oh my god dont get me started on daddy long legs!!!

purple Ivy - ive never tried making my own burgers yet. i do make my own pies though so i figure this can be another way of trying things. If i dont get on with a herb etc when its plain or in a meal i can prehaps put it in pastry or sauces etc.

I was looking at the garlic today in Tesco and my baby sister (ha! 21) rang me and asked what I was doing. She seemed really happy that I was doing something about it after such a time and said she'd come up and visit me. She lives about half hour/40 minutes away. She said she'd bring my niece up and spend the day - take my son to school then when we come home she was going to make me something to eat - she recommend garlic mushrooms. She said she'd eat them if i decided i didnt like them, she'd also be there if anythign happened and my son is in school. I also spoke to my mother in law again today and shes being very supportive too. Shes offered to mae a few things (she has wild rhubarb in her garden) so she is making me a mini rhubarb crumble to see if i like rhubarb - if i dont eat it i know the boyfriend will inhale it afterwards. She also said if i wanted I could go to her house once a week for lunch and she would make something relatively easy but with something i havent eaten before.

razra

Im allergic to cinnamon and that causes my lips/tongue to swell up and then
I get severe cold type symptoms for upto a week afterwards so because of this I wont eat cakes/fruit pies etc unless Ive made them myself or I 100% know that the person who made them did not use cinnamon or mixed spice. I also wont touch chinese food ( apparently its in chinese 5 spice) and when I was away one time I had goulash only to find the "secret" ingredient was cinnamon :eek:

So I now do not eat any red food when I'm out ( apart from pizza /tom K of course) or cakes etc

So I can sympathize with you totally as people always look at me strangely when I refuse cakes etc.
Now I did t have any patch test etc to discover this, I found out what it was by trial and error and I doubt very much if this is one of the allergies they test for anyway.

However I do know if I get any cinnamony based stuff on my hands it tingles so maybe its worth trying foods on the inside of your arm and if theres no reaction then maybe try tasting it would that work for you?

huge hugs and well done for trying new foods:beer:

marybishop

Dont know whether this helps anybody but my DD had reactions to fruits she'd happily eaten previously. She has hayfever and had the reactions during the HF season which apparently is not uncommon. She now takes an antihistamine tablet daily for a couple of months before HF season starts and obviously during but also has an epipen in case of a severe allergic reaction.

I found a very useful website (for the life of me cant remember where as it was a while ago) that had a table showing the different types of tree/flower pollen and which fruits/veg they are linked with in causing allergic reactions (if that makes sense!!). It made very interesting reading! Will have a hunt and post the link if I find it.

marybishop

http://www.allergy-clinic.co.uk/food_allergy_for_doctors.htm

Here's one that's quite helpful - 'Oral Allergy Syndrome', now I remember!

marybishop

And another ... http://home.clara.net/radcliffe/oas_foodlist.htm

Horace

I have an intolerance to tangerines - I cannot abide the smell or taste of them, they just make me feel ill. I have an on/off lactose intolerance as well which means I will get a dodgy tummy. My OH thinks its funny that I don't eat curry, I can't stand the smell of the stuff and tasted a tiny bit once *shudder*.

I know where you are coming from with food faddyness (that's what my mum calls it), I used to eat fish and seafood but now I don't I put that phobia down to an aunt who tried to give me smoked mackerel sandwiches for every meal 3 days on the trot (I lived on sour apples from the orchard instead), she had to throw the horrid things away in the end.

I am very careful with the food that I eat so the only oil I use when cooking is extra virgin olive oil - just a bit smeared in a pan to fry onions and meat works a treat and it doesnt over flavour food either.

What you are doing is great - just trying little bits and re-introducing food to your diet. Don't be afraid to ask to try something especially in a shop - sometimes they are only too willing to let you have a taste and you don't have to buy either.

Carrying around some antihistamines are a good idea although on a personal level I would avoid Piriton it makes you drowsy and when I take it I am transformed into a member of the living dead:eek: . The one that I use is Clarityn and the tablets are quite easy to swallow and you only need to take one per day. They come in packs of 7 or 30 (Lloyds pharmacy had an offer recently on buy one box get one at half price on the 30 tablet boxes).

Good luck, if I can find anything that is relatively plain and simple and not overly spiced, I will post the recipe.

Good luck.

kitschy

Hiya!

Mine is mostly texture I think - the thought of teeth sliding through a banana makes me feel all nails down a blackboard! And eggs I just can't get my head around - I eat them in things like cake, but that's it! Some great suggestions here, think I'll be trying them too