There are a lot of misconceptions about allergies and diets. And with that some accidentally hurtful comments. I was working at a restaurant about a month after getting diagnosed with Celiac Disease. We had something called “Family Meal”, which is where one of the Chef’s would make a meal for the whole staff and we would each take a quick lunch break to eat during our shift. One of my co-workers asked if I was going to go eat. Unfortunately, that days meal was sandwiches and I mentioned that I couldn’t eat gluten. Their response was, “Oh, are you a glutard?” very mockingly. I was shocked, and a little bit offended, but simply responded, “No, I have Celiac Disease. I literally can’t eat gluten without getting sick.” He then apologized and told me about how he was frustrated with the people that eat gluten free because it was just a fad diet. When I’ve told people I have a special diet, they look at my like I’m crazy and say, “You don’t need a diet. Your skinny enough.” Although diets aren’t always to lose weight, that’s generally what comes to mind when a diet is mentioned. So, what do all these words mean?
Diet: “The kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats.”
Fad diet: “A popular dietary pattern known to be a quick fix for obesity.”
Food Sensitivity: “When a person has difficulty digesting a particular food.”
Food Allergy: “When your immune system overreacts to a harmless food protein – an allergen.”
Autoimmune Disorder/Disease: “When the body’s immune system attacks and destroys healthy body tissue by mistake.”
Diet
I have been on many diets during my health journey. Some of them have included:
- Low FODMAP Diet: A temporary eating plan that restricts foods high in certain types of sugars called FODMAPs, then slowly reintroducing them to identify trigger foods.
- Anti-inflammatory Diet: Focuses on consuming foods rich in nutrients like fiber, antioxidants, and healthy fats while also limiting processed foods, added sugars, and unhealthy fats in order to reduce inflammation in the body.
- Gluten Free Diet: A dietary restriction that excludes gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye.
- Elimination Diet: A short-term eating plan that removes certain foods to identify food sensitivities and intolerances.
- Candida Diet: A restrictive dietary plan that aims to reduce the growth of Candida yeast by eliminating foods that “feed” the yeast like sugar, rice, potatoes, wheat, yeast, alcohol, etc. And focuses on eating non-starchy vegetables, lean protein, and healthy fats.
- Keto Diet: Very low carb, High fat diet intended to help you burn fat instead of carbohydrates for energy.
Although I did lose weight on some of them, that was not their intended purpose. When I was on the Candida Diet I lost 10 lbs. in 8 weeks which I could not afford to lose and it actually helped me identify a bigger problem, which led to my Celiac Diagnosis. Although, many of them did help me feel better for a time, many of them were difficult and not meant to be sustained for a long period of time. While working with a clinic that specialized in Hashimoto’s, I discovered that “low carb diets like Keto are not for you.” This helped me realized that each body is different. We have different body types, and some do really well eating a certain way, while others do not. So more important than trying a diet and saying, ‘It didn’t work.’, is finding the diet or foods that are best for your body so that we can all be healthy for our body type.
Fad Diets
Fad diets come and go, often marketed as quick fixes for weight loss. While they may help shed pounds, they also:
- Are unsustainable long-term
- Eliminate important nutrients, potentially harming the body
- Lack essential vitamins and minerals
- Can lead to serious health issues
When removing foods from your diet, it’s crucial to ensure you’re still getting the nutrients you need. Throughout my health journey, I worked closely with doctors, nutritionists, and medical professionals to make sure my body received the right nutrients. It wasn’t just about avoiding foods that caused reactions—it was about replacing those nutrients through other ingredients or supplements.
Even for healthy individuals, supplements are often necessary. Unfortunately, today’s food doesn’t have the same nutritional value as it did 50 years ago. Below is a list of common deficiencies and why we need them:
| Nutrient | Common Benefits |
| Vitamin B12 | Supports energy production, brain function, and red blood cell formation |
| Vitamin D | Aids in calcium absorption, supports bone health, and boosts immune function |
| Calcium | Strengthens bones and teeth, supports muscle function, and aids nerve signaling |
| Iron | Supports oxygen transport in the blood, boosts energy levels, and helps prevent anemia |
| Folate | Supports cell growth, crucial for pregnancy, and aids in DNA formation |
| Iodine | Essential for thyroid function, supports metabolism, and helps regulate hormones |
| Zinc | Boosts immune function, supports wound healing, and aids in cell growth |
| Fiber | Improves digestion, supports heart health, and regulates blood sugar levels |
| Protein | Supports muscle growth and repair, provides energy, and aids in enzyme and hormone production |
| Magnesium | Supports muscle and nerve function, helps with relaxation and sleep, and aids in bone health |
| Potassium | Regulates fluid balance, supports heart health, and helps with muscle contractions |
| Vitamin C | Boosts immune function, supports collagen production for skin health, and aids iron absorption |
| Vitamin A | Supports eye health, boosts the immune system, and promotes healthy skin |
| Vitamin K | Essential for blood clotting and bone health |
| Selenium | Supports thyroid function, acts as an antioxidant, and boosts immune health |
| Omega-3 Fatty Acids | Supports brain function, heart health, and reduces inflammation |
Deficiencies are impacted by many variables.
- What did you eat today?
- What didn’t you eat?
- Did you forget to take your vitamins or medication?
- Did you forget to eat lunch?
- Where you are at in your cycle (for both girls and boys)?
- How much sleep did you get?
- How much do stress do you have?
- If you made an appointment to see the doctor, has any of it changed since you initially made the appointment?
At the end of the day, you know your body the best. Doctors are great resources to help you feel better, but they aren’t three 24/7. Writing a journal and noting the answers to the questions above will have a big impact of your ability to see patterns and potentially help your doctor know how to better treat you. If something that is considered a ‘Fad diet’ helps you feel better, by all means go for it, but makes sure that you are still getting all your nutrients, consult with professionals and Listen to your body.
Sensitivity vs Allergy
People with Food Sensitivities can usually still eat the food in small quantities or if they take an enzyme first to help break it down so their body can process it and not have a big reaction. People with Food Allergies have to avoid the food entirely or they will have a reaction. Some food allergies can be anaphylactic, like peanuts, which closes off their airway or they can be more subtle like an upset stomach, diarrhea, vomiting, etc. Symptoms which most people chalk up to having eaten a food that was a little old, nerves, having the flu or a stomach bug. Either way, eating foods your body can’t process can be damaging to your body, especially if eaten consistently. The following is something I heard once and it made me laugh, “I wonder how many Chefs during midlevel times were killed unnecessarily because the king had a food allergy?” Because sadly, I’m sure there were a few. If only they had the resources that we have today, some of their lives might have been spared. While cooking for my own restrictions, I have come across others that have similar issues. Some of the things on this list surprised me at first, but as I’ve cooked for people that have these restrictions, what I found more surprising was the ones that were easily substituted and the ones that were extremely difficult to substitute for. I recognize that this list is not a list of every allergy or sensitivity, but I wanted to give you an idea of what some people can’t eat.
| Common Allergies | Less Common Allergies | Common Sensitivities |
| Dairy | Artificial Dyes | Lactose Sensitivity |
| Eggs | Corn | Gluten Sensitivity |
| Gluten | Rice | Fructose Sensitivity |
| Peanuts | Fresh Onions | Histamine Sensitivity |
| Tree Nuts | Fresh Garlic | Sulfite Sensitivity |
| Fish & Shellfish | Pork | FODMAP Sensitivity |
Vegetables have vitamins and minerals. So do fruit. We have been blessed with a variety of plants and herbs that are there to help us. But I think sometimes we focus so much on eating our vegetables that we forget other foods give us important nutrients as well. It’s amazing what our bodies get from the foods that we eat. When you have a food allergy or sensitivity, avoiding foods with your allergies or sensitivities is important to allow your gut to heal. However, it is also important to think about what your body gets from each of the foods you are taking out of your diet. Many people that find out they are allergic to something often struggle with their health while they’re figuring out how to navigate their new restrictions. Below is a list of potential nutrient deficiencies you might experience and how you can avoid it.
| Dietary Restriction | Potential Nutrient Deficiencies | Alternative Sources |
| Dairy-Free | Calcium, Vitamin D, Iron, Iodine | Leafy greens, fortified plant-based milks, nuts, seeds, seafood |
| Egg-Free | Protein, B12, Folate, Iron, Zinc, Selenium | Legumes, tofu, nutritional yeast, whole grains, fortified cereals |
| Gluten-Free | Fiber | Whole fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, gluten-free whole grains like quinoa and brown rice |
| Fish-Free | Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Iodine, Selenium | Chia seeds, flaxseeds, walnuts, seaweed, algae-based supplements |
And the most important question, are you getting these somewhere else?
Key things to look for when planning your diet:
- Make sure to get a proper diagnosis.
Some people avoid going to the doctor because it cost too much money, or they think it’s not that serious. However, finding the root cause of the problem is always better than guessing. I had a friend that got really sick when she at rice and corn but didn’t get sick when she ate wheat. She later got an allergy test done and found out she was allergic to all 3 (along with pretty much everything). It surprised her because she didn’t get sick when eating wheat. She is not going through a treatment to hopefully help her with this. Had she not gotten the diagnosis, she would have continued to eat wheat and continued to not feel well without knowing why.
Even after my Celiac diagnosis, I thought I would be fixed by going gluten free and it took me 3 years to finally decided that “I didn’t feel normal. I shouldn’t have to live in pain and discomfort for the rest of my life.” And neither do you. There are answers, there are solutions. Keep in mind that Doctors have to know a lot of information about the human body and each body is unique. Most doctors go off of their own life experience, but no one can be perfect in all areas. So, listen to your gut, literally and figuatively. If you know something is off keep working towards that diagnosis so that you can treat the problem not the symptoms.
- How realistic or sustainable is it?
This is hard to judge sometimes. But you have to think about how much time it takes to eat that way. Keto, for example, was not for me because my body did not do well with the low-carb and low sugar aspect. I have a tendency for low blood sugar, so this was not something my body did well with. My husband, on the other hand, did great on Keto. He is diabetic and when he ate keto consistently it kept his blood sugar in check. It used to go out of range multiple times a day, but on keto it only went out of range once in a week. However, it was hard to maintain. He had a hard time finding a variety of food and it was near impossible if he went out to eat. If you eat out a lot, doing the Keto Diet might not be realistic. There are limitations you have when you start any kind of diet. Make sure you assess if it’s realistic, sustainable, and worth it. ‘Do I have time to make all of my food for every meal?’ ‘Am I willing to put in the time to meal prep, so I don’t starve myself?’ ‘What is the purpose & is it worth it?’ are all questions you should ask yourself and then go from there.
- Who are you doing this for?
Are you doing this for other people or are you doing it for you? I just want to say that if you are not determined to maintain this diet/way of eating, then it’s not going to happen. If you are doing it because other people say you should look a certain way, it might happen, but at what cost? If you are doing this for you because you want to improve your health and feel better in your body, you can do this! It might be hard, but it will be worth it. It is ok to be selfish when it comes to your health. Just make sure you’re doing what’s best for you and your body. Every person’s body is different and reacts or breaks down food differently.
There will be lots of people that are quick to tell you what you need to do, how you should look, etc. I used to be really self-conscious of my weight and how people saw me. As I mentioned before, I was really skinny. In Junior High I had friends (stupid teenage boys that were my friends but didn’t understand what they were saying) ask me if I was anorexic. I stated, “No. I love food too much.” Which was true. ~ This was during my eat ever 30 minutes to an hour stage. ~ Their response was, “Oh you must be bulimic then.” I was surprised, but responded, “No. That’s gross.” Those words stuck with me however and is why I spent the next almost 10 years trying to gain weight. I would eat when I wasn’t necessarily hungry because I was worried what people might say about me. I would eat anything and everything in the hopes that it would give me some more meat on my bones. Eventually I began working out more because the only way I could gain weight was to gain muscle. I checked my weight frequently to make sure I wasn’t losing weight. Unfortunately, it got worse when I was in culinary school because people would find out I was a chef, and say things like, “I can’t trust you, you’re too skinny.” “Never trust a skinny chef.” When I’d explain to them that I couldn’t gain weight no matter how hard I tried, they’d respond with, “Man, I wish I had that problem.” And this bothered me. We should be happy with who we are and the body we were given. We are not all meant to look like the CGI and photoshopped super models. It’s unhealthy. Not to mention it would be incredible boring if we all looked the same. Just know that what classifies as my healthy will look different than you’re and that is 100% ok.
- Lastly, make sure you have a supports system.
I think this is one of the most underestimated parts of the healing process. Having supportive people around you allows you to heal in a safe place, free of judgement. I think the lack of support almost subconsciously stops our healing process. My friend allowed me to share some of their story. They were working with specialists on their illness. They were excited because of the promise of finding answers, however, their spouse had reservations about their methods. This resulted in arguments about money due to the spouse feeling like it was a waste of time. My friend saw some improvement, but there was also doubt stemming from their spouses arguments. In the end my friend continued through the program because they had noticed a difference but was discouraged because they were still not where they wanted to be health-wise. And it took them some time to find the answers they were looking for. Now I’m not saying that this story would have had different results for their health had the spouse been supportive, but the emotional strain it put on them and their relationship was huge and in some ways I believe did impact their health. So, my point is, make sure that you have people that are in your corner. That are excited for you when you have even the smallest of successes. And make sure that your spouse is on bored so that you don’t have more heartache or stress to add to your healing journey.
Life is not easy, but I want you to know that I am here for you. I am rooting for you. Because I’ve been where you are at. I’ve considered that life might be better if I didn’t have to live it anymore. I’ve pleaded with God for the pain to stop and for the healing to come. I’ve been there. And I know how discouraging it can be when people don’t understand what you are going through. So, I will be a shoulder to cry on, a smile, and a cheerleader (even silently). I want to see you, and I truly hope that you do, become the best and healthiest you! Together, we’ll find the joy in food again.
Hailee Danner – Mom, Chef, Artist
Cooking with Restrictions 