Balancing Adequate Nutrition and Food Allergies

Managing a food allergy can be overwhelming, but the right guidance can make all the difference. From getting accurate testing and personalized treatment at Allergy Associates of La Crosse (AAOL), to getting support from our onsite dietitian, you can navigate your allergy safely and confidently.

Manage the Food Allergy

The first thing to consider is managing the food allergy and keeping you or your child safe. If you’re ready to figure out where your symptoms are coming from, the first step would be allergy testing. Even if you know your trigger, allergy testing is key to determining the specific level of sensitivity you have to that food. At AAOL, food allergies are diagnosed through a thorough exam, history, and blood test.

Based on your results, your provider may recommend allergy drop treatment following The La Crosse Method™ Protocol. It helps to slowly and safely desensitize the body to the food allergen to reduce, or eliminate, life threatening reactions.

Some are able to reintroduce the food back into their diet after successful treatment, while others use allergy drops to add a layer of safety in case of exposure.

Add In Replacements

While taking treatment, of course, avoiding the food – or foods – from your diet is crucial to avoiding reactions. This means you’re often also eliminating some key nutrients, and it’s important to replace them so that you’re maintaining a healthy diet.

Let’s say you’re allergic to eggs; they’re high in protein, biotin, and choline, which may now be lacking in your diet. You may have to supplement with other foods to make up for what you’re missing from eggs. Consider:

• Protein: meat, poultry, legumes
• Biotin: almonds, sweet potato, oats
• Choline: turkey, quinoa, beans

This page highlights the top nine allergens and different ways you can supplement what is missing in your diet.

See a Dietitian

Managing a food allergy is hard enough, and having to think about nutrition on top of it can be overwhelming. AAOL has a wonderful Registered Dietitian Nutritionist on staff, Emily, who specializes in helping patients reach optimal nutrition while managing food allergies.

She can help with things like:

• Making meal plans
• Label reading
• Ingredient substitutes

You don’t have to navigate food allergies alone. Reach out here to schedule an appointment and get the support you need with AAOL.