Guest Post

Being Yeast-Free in the Not-So-Yeast-Free Diet World

I wasn’t always the best at being healthy. In college, I devoured free food when it was offered to me and I didn’t pay much attention to the extra pounds that crept up on the scale. All that changed when I was diagnosed with a yeast allergy three years ago. Suddenly, my entire diet had to be super clean (pretty much nothing “tasty”) and I had to start taking allergy shots.

Fast-forward three years later and the diet has become a part of my life. I struggled at first because what twenty-something doesn’t want pizza, chocolate cake, or the occasional libation? The benefit to having a clean diet is that it’s made me not only much healthier but it’s given me a new perspective on nutrition and fitness.

I started seriously working out several years ago but it’s in the past year that I really started incorporating more and more weight training to my routine. I wanted more tone, more definition and wanted to maximize that work as much as possible. Imagine my surprise when I first walked into a nutrition store and didn’t see anything labeled yeast-free.

I knew I wanted to take protein but the hard part was figuring out what I could/could not have with my diet. I had to do a lot of research to find products that worked for me and luckily, came across a couple of protein supplements that fit the bill. They weren’t the first ones you’d see when you searched for protein and they weren’t in the biggest containers but they had what I needed. The key was finding the most natural product I could and not giving in to chemicals, lots of processed products and added unnecessary sugar.

I take the recommended amount of protein after each workout and with the added support, I can really see a difference in my muscle tone. I figured out that it wasn’t impossible to find a product that fit within a crazy diet; it just takes a little more legwork than someone who has no underlying food allergies. I even got to be a tester for a company marketing a new flavor and tell them what I thought about their product! I’ve tried a few pre and post-workout products, too, and so far, so good!

Food allergies aren’t just limited to food. You have to be vigilant of medications, supplements, and even products like lotions. You can’t let it stop your goals or inhibit your motivation. Find a nutritionist, doctor, specialist or trainer that knows and understands your unique situation and inform them of your fitness goals and needs. With determination, investigation and extra information, you can find something out there that works for the present and future you.

Laura