We’ve been on a bit of a diet journey these past two weeks as we endeavor to keep Jacob off prednisone during this allergy season. We started on the Whole30 about ten days ago and saw an almost immediate impact. We were able to cut down some of his medication and we also saw his symptoms — watery eyes, runny nose, swelling, and cough — lessen. But there were a couple of symptoms – like a rash he generally develops – that weren’t abating.

So when we visited our doctor a few days into the program, we were sure to ask about dietary adjustments. It was then that I was reminded that both Jacob and I do not do well on nuts. In fact, Jacob is allergic to a number of different types of nuts. I have been on this health journey for quite some time and am just a few months away from finishing my health coaching certificate and yet, somehow, I overlooked the fact that my son and I weren’t going to do well on a diet that used nuts so much! We immediately made some changes.

We gave up on the nuts – and our kids’ favorite Larabars – in favor of adding back beans to our diet. We also brought in certified gluten free oats so Jacob would have some options for breakfast (he can’t stand eggs). With these changes we seem to be doing okay. Jacob’s symptoms have stabilized into a certain zone we are comfortable with for now. We’ll just have to see if staying consistent with the diet for a week or so will make a difference.

Bringing beans back to the table was major for Jacob because one of his favorite meals is black bean soup. The rest of our family enjoys this one, too, so I made a batch for lunch today. Here’s the recipe!

[yumprint-recipe id=’3′]