Maya's Happy Place

A multiple food allergy kid grows up.

  • BEST Soy-Free Gluten-Free Chinese Fried Rice EVER!

    Growing up part Asian (Filipino), I think an affinity to Asian cuisine ran through my genes…especially Chinese food. For two decades I was able to eat it without an allergic reaction, until my soy allergy became much worse and I could no longer eat soy sauce or anything made with soy. Because of my experience… Continue reading

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  • FABlogCon 2014

    Cheesy arrival at Vegas airport!  How Jenny and Homa pulled off an entire ‘free of the top 8 allergens’ weekend with FABlogCon 2014 is beyond me. Well, ok, not actually. They were lucky enough to find South Point Hotel and Casino in Vegas whose food safety manager is truly one of a kind. Keith Norman is a happy, friendly chef who… Continue reading

  • Superfoods: The Convenient Option For Traveling With Food Allergies

    Lately, I have become a permanent fixture at either Starbucks, Barnes and Nobles or Whole Foods. I don’t go to places like Panera because I cannot eat there (everything is contaminated with soy or peanuts) and at Starbucks, I only have a menu choice of 1 item….buttered popcorn. I stare longingly into the Boulangerie case… Continue reading

  • Soy Allergy and Dimethicone Allergy: A Makeup-Artist's Dilemma

    Food allergies and eczema affect every aspect of one’s life. For people with an allergy to something like soy, you not only have to look out for things you eat or drink, but anything you touch. I became a makeup-artist soon after high school and continued to work in the cosmetics industry for about thirteen… Continue reading

  • My Endoscopy Nightmare Part II: Weaning Off Gabapentin

    Continued from ‘My Endoscopy Nightmare – Part I’ So last month, I went to my neurologist after an emergency ER visit from severe withdrawals after trying to wean off of the Gabapentin too quickly. I was on Gabapentin (aka Neurontin) for a seizure I had during an endoscopy in December. The Gabapentin was literally making my thoughts different… Continue reading

  • Natural Remedies For Allergies

    Growing up with eczema and allergies makes you pretty desperate to figure out a way to combat the dreaded itch and skin inflammation. Over the years, I heard natural allergy relief suggestions ranging from specific odd-sounding herbs to eating honey or even pieces of honeycomb from a local beekeeper. We all have different physiologies, so the… Continue reading

  • 5 Rules To Make Gluten-Free Pasta Taste BETTER Than The Real Deal.

    As I scan through Pinterest and look at all these amazing recipes, I ponder whether people know some of the tricks I have up my sleeve whenever I cook my gluten-free pasta. Many of you might already know these tricks, but I promise you, after reading this, you and your family won’t believe how delicious… Continue reading

  • Be Careful Where You Sit If You Have Severe Food Allergies

    This post applies mostly to those who are anaphylactic to anything; never in a million years would I have thought where I sat in a public place would be an issue. A few months ago, I had an experience that terrified me. Since I could not drive due to a health incident that happened in… Continue reading

  • Spring Allergies and Environmental Allergy Survival

    Spring allergies have been kicking me back into bed for the past two months. Every time I spend more than fifteen minutes outside, I have to shower as soon as I get home or else I will face hives, sneezing and itchy eczema on my face later on from my hair which basically becomes a dry Swiffer… Continue reading

  • How Vitamin D Affects Your Immune System

    Two months ago, I was told after a visit to my primary care doctor that I was low on vitamin D and needed to take at least 2,000 i.u. of vitamin D. So I did. Every day. Yet, I was experiencing bad body aches, extreme fatigue (to the point that I was taking 2-3 hour… Continue reading