Fixing Our Allergy Issues and Getting Well with Walgreens

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Well we have been going through several rounds of tests at the doctor and finally pinpointed my husband’s health issues. Among them: a gluten allergy. Have you been through this in your family? It’s changed everything about how we eat, and how I think about food, health, and wellness overall. We’ve started the new diet (because it really makes sense for family meals to be something everyone is able to eat with the allergy issues) and a vitamin regimen, and even got a family gym membership.

It’s funny how much I have taken processed foods for granted up until now – now that I have to read labels while I shop. It makes my head spin. I don’t even know what I’m looking at here:

I never felt like we ate poorly before, and if you don’t have allergies to worry about when cooking, there’s nothing wrong with doing it from the box. But now I have to decipher these mystery ingredients – right down to what they are colored with (because even caramel coloring to make foods look yummy is an allergen for my husband).

We have opted to go for fresh any time we can now. More fruit, more veggies – especially for snacktime. Simple dishes like baked potatoes and rice. Eggs and bacon. Pork chops. Pot roast. Grilled chicken. We’re hauling out the crock pot more often. We are thinking about what we’re teaching our kids about healthy eating and exercise, so we printed out the open swim pool schedule for the gym and taped it to the refrigerator (because that’s really exciting when you’re 3.) And we’re starting Raya – and Kevin – on vitamins.

I’ve always been a believer in a multivitamin regimen. It’s something my parents ingrained in me from when I was Raya’s age – and my mother has also pointed out to my husband that he needs his recommended vitamins (in that loving, mother-in-law-way, haha). But I haven’t really pushed it on Kevin too much until we started making changes. Actually, the more thought I’ve given the whole situation – it’s definitely time to start living healthy habits if we intend to teach them to our kids.

Okay, for Kevin, we have to start easy, because he’s awfully set in those old habits. Fortunately they make an adult vitamin formula in gummy form, haha.

We use Walgreens for our prescriptions already, so it’s easy to pick up our vitamins while I’m already there. It’s especially nice that the #WellatWalgreens brand is buy one, get one half off in March! We normally buy the Walgreens brand for our over-the counter medications anyway, whether it’s for heartburn or an upset stomach (and we’ve had plenty of that this year already). The Well at Walgreens commitment offers value-priced quality healthcare solutions, so you can get well and stay well. As part of my last #CollectiveBias shop, I saved over $6 on the vitamins I was going to buy anyway. Walgreens is also supporting wellness services in local communities with their Way to Well Commitment®. Through December 31, 2014, 1¢ from each Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness product will be donated to the cause (up to $3 million annually). It’s nice to know my purchase also supports that commitment.

It’s been a struggle to get everyone well this year, but I’m glad we finally know what we can do for my husband to start feeling better! With the changes we are making, I think we are all going to start feeling better, too.

Have you made any changes to your wellness routine lately? Or do you have any tips for our gluten issues?