Enjoy Life Foods: Granola

June 23, 2011 By 1 Comment

I ate cereal with my breakfast! I haven’t been able to eat any cereal in months. I bought Enjoy Life granola a while ago, but hadn’t tried it until now because I was afraid the milk would bother my stomach too much. I finally gave it a try and was fine with the small amount of milk.

Granola

The granola is super yummy. I tried the cinnamon flavor first. It’s very cinnamon-y, which is great! The main ingredient is brown rice flakes. And of course, all of their products are free from the top eight most common allergens so I know they are always a safe choice. I love their brand!

Being fine with the milk makes me think it’s time to give some of my other allergens a try too. Supposedly, eliminating my allergens for six months will make me more tolerant to them again, as long as I have them in very small amounts. It makes me a little nervous to try the other foods again since I had more unpleasant reactions to them, but it sure would be nice to not have to worry so much when eating away from home. I’m getting close to six months now so we’ll see.

Filed Under: Allergies, Food Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Allergen Alert Dogs

June 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment

I read a fascinating article in the Tampa Bay Times last week about an allergen alert dog. This kid, Billy, is so allergic to peanuts that breathing even the slightest peanut residue could be fatal in seconds. He used to hardly ever be able to leave the house, but now he feels safe as long as he has his dog with him.

Medical alert dog tagBilly’s parents bought the specially trained dog for $10,000 three years ago. Since then Billy has been able to travel and do all sorts of things they never thought he would be able to do. When Billy arrives everyone must be checked to make sure they haven’t eaten anything with peanuts or have any peanutty snacks with them. Then the dog is sent in to confirm that everyone and everything is clear of any and all peanut residue before Billy follows. The dog can even check Billy’s food without drooling on it or nibbling at it! Dog trainer, Leslie Staven, has trained 15 more working dogs since Billy’s dog. She can train them to find other allergens too.

I am so, SO glad that none of my allergies are this severe. I think it’s amazing that a dog can be trained to be so careful and thorough. I’m also glad that there are people taking the time to find ways to make life easier for people with allergies.

I just had to wonder though… I’m allergic to dogs, is there another animal I could train? Perhaps a bird? Not that I need one, but someone else might. 😉

Filed Under: Allergies Tagged With: , , , ,

Quercetin Confirmed?

June 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment

QuercetinA while back I shared that I had started taking Quercetin to help control my allergies. Quercetin is supposed to be anti-inflammatory as well as block the release of histamines. There are so many factors playing into my allergies that it’s so hard to tell what I’m doing that is making the most difference. I’m just thankful that I’m still feeling so much better than I was at this time last year.

Yesterday I unknowingly forgot to take my Quercetin in the morning. The unknowingly part is very important because if I did it on purpose there would be no telling what was actual symptoms and what was my brain making me think it was symptoms.  All day I was itching my nose, blowing my nose, and sneezing. I was trying to figure out if I had eaten something I shouldn’t have. I know we didn’t spend too much time outside because it’s SO hot! I hadn’t changed anything around the house. I couldn’t figure out what bothering me so much.

It wasn’t until I went to take a different dinner-time pill that I realized my morning pills were still there. Coincidence? I think not! These same symptoms also happened one other day that I forgot to take my Quercetin. Only that day I had been cleaning out our closet, switching out winter clothes for summer clothes. So I had no way to tell if my allergies that day were from my missed dose or from going through winter sweaters and such.

You never know how true the claims of these herbal type vitamins will be, but I’m convinced that this one is worth the small cost to keep taking it. I made sure I remembered to take it today, we’ll see how much better I feel than yesterday.

Filed Under: Allergies, Food Reviews Tagged With: , ,