If you’re considering not going on the race, because of your allergies- this is the blog for you.
I don’t know when my allergies first started. My stomach hurt often growing up, but my dad thought it was just stress.
Two years ago, my doctor said you may be allergic to something.
He said try 3 weeks without sugar and see if your stomach feels better.
I tried it and it didn’t help.
My friend Christina said, maybe you’re gluten intolerant, try 3 weeks without gluten.
I tried it and it didn’t help.
Doctors (especially in Hawai’i) are expensive, so I started testing foods myself.
I tried a month eating only fruits, vegetables, nuts, and some grains like quinoa and farrow. No sugar, meat, eggs, bread, or dairy.
I felt great, but it’s not a realistic diet for the race. Good luck finding quinoa in Africa.
Eventually, I saw a naturopath and she ordered a blood test.
It went to a lab and came back 6 weeks later showing what I’m allergic to and the level of intensity of the allergy. It was $250, but definitely worth it. The chart is based off of how many antibodies in your stomach are fighting the food you eat. Causing the lining of your stomach to wear away. That inflammation causes pain.
With that said, NONE of my allergies are anaphylactic. I won’t need to be hospitalized if I eat something with these foods in it, my stomach will just hurt for 1-3 days, depending on the food.
I hope that in seeing my allergies, remedies, and challenges, you’ll know what to expect on your race. This advice comes from my first 5 months of the race.
So far, this information is the cumulation of things I’ve learned in Montenegro, Albania, Greece, Macedonia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.
Allergies can start at any age. Allergies can also go away at any point in your life.
MY ALLERGIES & MY REMEDY
Eggs & Avoid it. Protein powder*.
Yeast & Avoid it. Protein powder*.
Dairy & Avoid it. Protein powder*.
Chili Pepper & Avoid it.
Sesame Seeds & Avoid it.
Cranberries & Avoid it.
Mosquitos (depending on the area) & Zyrtec**.
Contact Solution w/ Preservatives & LASIK eye surgery***
*Protein Powder: 2-3 tablespoons a day in water. I use plant based protein powder made from hemp seed or pea protein (Orgain and Vega are good brands). Mainly, because I don’t eat meat or get protein from the above foods.
I brought 3 Costco tubs worth. I put them in 6 large ziploc bags. I’ve only used the protein powder when I absolutely have to and now here I am in month 5 with only one ziploc left. It’s not the cure all and I wish I had some other form of meal replacements with more than 150 calories.
**Zyrtec: 1/day if you are allergic to the mosquitos in that area. I bought the off brand Aller-tec from Costco, a years worth is $15.
***LASIK: I got LASIK a month before training camp, so I wouldn’t have to bring 11 large bottles of Clear Care solution (the only one I’m not allergic to) and 11 months of weekly contacts. I’m stoked I got eye surgery before I left. If you do get LASIK, bring sunglasses that protect your eyes from UVA and UVB rays. I lost mine at the last hostel and this Zimbabwe sun has my eyes feeling burnt.
(SKIN: If you have sensitive skin, bring the products from home that work for you. I use Cetaphil Oil Control SPF 30 face lotion, Cetaphil face wash, and only non-comedogenic makeup. For skin meds, I use Acanya and Adapalene. I brought enough of all of this stuff to last me the year if I use half as much as I do in the states.)
If you have an egg allergy, DO NOT GET THE YELLOW FEVER SHOT. (Or the flu shot for that matter) The shot is made out of egg. There are about 16 countries in the world you cannot enter without it. Consider your route choice. Countries only require the Yellow Fever Certificate if you’re coming from a country that has yellow fever or are entering a country that has yellow fever. All the countries that require the certificate are in South America and Africa. Just check to see the CDC requirements.
ALLERGY CHALLENGES ON MY RACE
EUROPE. So many pastries. So much gelato.
The hardest part was that month 1 in Montenegro, I could eat the bread and some dairy without feeling sick. I don’t know if it’s because their bread is fresher and their milk is straight from the cow, but I felt fine and thought my allergies went away. Then, next month we were in Albania and Greece and my allergies were back. It was twice as hard telling myself no and having self control after a month of YES to all foods I’ve missed.
Have some grace with yourself. Your allergies may be different month to month, country to country. I’d suggest communicating with your team what’s going on with your body and trusting them with that. A team member ended up telling me a month later that she resented me, because she though I was being difficult by cooking my own food and having to shop separately on the treasury budget. I didn’t trust my team with my needs, therefore I didn’t communicate the “why’s” to them.
I struggled with the water in South Africa. I literally had diarrhea the entire month from it. It was all-squad month and some other people had it too, but not for the entire month. With that said, know your body. If you have a bunch of allergies, the lining of your stomach may be inflamed and it may be more sensitive to water with high levels of chlorine than someone else’s.
Another hard thing about all-squad month in South Africa was eating in a group of 45. There’s a cooking team and they plan the meals, therefore you have no control over when and what you eat.
My best advice would be: don’t feel like a burden. Identify and communicate your needs clearly to the cooking group and treasurer for the month. I couldn’t eat a lot of the food, but I didn’t want to inconvenience the cooking team for just one person. So, I ended up holding that in and subconsciously resenting them. It was a good lesson learned in communicating my needs and trusting they’d meet them.
Find foods you can eat and stock up when you can. We only stop by the market once a week here in Zimbabwe and literally the only things I can eat from “Mega Save” are rice, maputi (popcorn), and these mexican chips. You may have to get used to eating the same foods over and over again.
TIPS
-If you have a lot of allergies, it helps to be organized with foresight.
-If you have as many allergies as I do, bring more protein powder than I did.
-PACK LIGHT. Because of all the protein powder, Zyrtec, and meds I had to pack, my bag was always overweight. It helped that I brought only a few clothes from home and they were ones I didn’t mind dropping in the free pile. You can buy clothes along the way and pick up from the free pile along the way. If you have stuff for your allergies, you’ll need the space.
-My team bought cheap multivitamins in Europe. I can feel the difference when I don’t take them. They’ll last me the rest of the race and they have peach flavored ones.
-If necessary, get your $5/day for food from your treasurer and plan out your meals.
-If you can’t, because it’s all-squad month or manistry/womenistry month or your host is cooking for you, try not to think of the $5/day as your money you fundraised. If you have allergies, chances are you’re going to get the short end of the stick more than you’d like to admit.
When you go to countries with amazing new food, you’ll probably only get to try once in your life and you can’t eat it, you will wonder why you have this allergy and other people don’t.
Here’s a cool thing I tell myself: You still have your eyesight, your hearing, your legs, etc. You only have allergies. So when you’re feeling sorry for yourself in those moments, remember that God is using this for good. He’s humbling you.
You want what everyone else is having, but you get to rely on him in humility when you can’t have it.
Having allergies on the race will bring up any control, pride, body image, or envy issues you may have. Once those roots are dug up, you’ll be walking in freedom from your allergies. You’ll be living in ABUNDANCE. As if everything you do get to eat is a pleasant surprise.
