gluten

Torfun (@t0rfn – 17 years old)

July 23, 2026 / , , , , , , ,

My allergic reaction started when I was 8 months old, but because of my age, doctors couldn’t provide a diagnosis yet. My second reaction occurred when I was 1 year and 2 months old; the reactions included eye swelling, coughing, and rashes. I then went through skin testing and was diagnosed with allergies to gluten and albumin (egg white).

The first method I followed was avoidance, waiting for the allergy to heal naturally. Throughout this process, I had to carry a large bag of essentials for my allergy, including medication and an EpiPen. However, the results were unclear, as my blood test allergy levels didn’t show signs of decreasing, and carrying the bag everywhere slightly impacted my school life.

After I turned 9 years old, I tried another treatment method called OIT (Oral Immunotherapy), starting with egg. This treatment showed very clear results, and I was able to eat a whole egg within six months. I continued this treatment with gluten, starting with only 30 milligrams of gluten powder daily. After 10 months, I was able to eat 45 grams of gluten (about 3 pieces of bread), and I maintained this amount for 6 months. My doctor then suggested I try different kinds of food while maintaining the same gram amount, including spaghetti, pizza, donuts, and snacks.

Finally, after a year, I was able to travel EpiPen-free and consume gluten and eggs normally like everyone else. It has been 6 years, and I am still extremely grateful and enjoy everything I can eat!

Since I was very young when I was diagnosed, my mother was responsible for all the research. She visited every page and joined every group affiliated with food allergies that she could find, as well as baking and cooking pages dedicated to children with food allergies, since everything I ate had to be homemade.

  Benjamin, Christopher and Abigail (@themomplicatedeater)

October 17, 2022 / , , , , , , ,

When Benjamin was 6 months old, I had eaten a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and given him a kiss on his neck. He broke out in hives in the area he was kissed pretty soon after. We took him to an allergist who diagnosed him. Since then his blood work results have continued to worsen. For both of my subsequent children, our allergist tested them before we introduced foods. With my second child, he was positive for dairy and egg, which I had not cut out of my diet (and was breastfeeding), but did so after his diagnosis. We saw huge improvements with his skin and discomfort level. Our third baby is about to be tested, but based on similar signs that Christopher displayed, I eliminated dairy, egg, soy, gluten and peanuts at 8 weeks of age.

We were so unaware when Benjamin was first diagnosed. But as we’ve attempted OIT and experienced anaphylaxis at home, we have joined Facebook groups, receive several newsletters and follow multiple accounts on IG to learn and grow. Some of the resources we use currently are Allergen Inside and Susie at Spokin.

Amanda (18+ years old)

March 8, 2021 / , , , , , , ,

I was born with rashes, leaving my mom to suspect I suffered from food allergies since my first day. However, I was not properly diagnosed until I was 4 years old. My mom was taking me in and out of doctors who couldn’t figure out why the rashes were starting. Most just gave her creams to help them go away but that never helps. It took until one doctor finally suggested an allergist and we learned I was allergic to dairy, shellfish, and red meat. I never grew out of my allergies. They expanded instead. Today, I am allergic to dairy, soy, corn, gluten, shellfish, nightshades, and coconut.

We kept up with the trends of FARE. Recently, we discovered Spokin to help us find new food allergy brands.