Dealing With Allergies
and Dietary Restrictions 101
I have compiled a list of food/cooking tips for people who are challenged by allergies or other diet limitations. This list is not a guide to great substitutions or alternative dishes or ingredients. It is a list that hopefully answers the question “What now?” for anyone who has been thrown the curveball of having to make different food choices due to allergies, illnesses or for other reasons.
Even though I lack formal education on the subject I have lived with allergies my entire life. I have had family members both with allergies and sensitivities, and I now have kids with the same issues. In addition, I have been diagnosed with a chronic disease that is agitated by inflammation in the body caused by food or other external factors and I am therefore also following a so-called "low-inflammation diet". In other words, I might not be an expert on this subject based on education or work but I live this every day and I hope some of what I have learned might help you too!
1) Take
a deep breath and open your eyes to the change
You will not discover anything new unless you open your eyes to the
change. Anyone who has been knocked on their bottom by the task of tackling
allergies or a strict diet knows how daunting it can be. I know in the large
scope of things you could have been handed something much worse, but that is
not the point! Remember that it does not matter if others want to lessen the ‘severity’
of the situation you now have on your hands. It turned your status quo upside
down and that can cause stress and contempt. Take a deep breath and open your
eyes to the changes.
2) Focus
on what you can eat
This is easier said than done but no matter
whether you are dealing with an allergy or a sensitivity you should compile
a list of all the foods you can eat, sorted by food type.
To clarify, I do not mean specifying brands
etc. I mean for example:
Proteins: Chicken, Fish, Eggs
Vegetables: Avocado, Green Beans, Onion,
Broccoli, Kale
Fruit: Apple, Pear, Peach, Strawberries
Nuts: Almonds
3) Take
inventory of what you have in your house that fits your new food list
This will enable you to see what you are
missing and what you need to get rid of.
If you are dealing with a severe,
anaphylactic type of allergy, you should strongly consider removing the
allergen completely from the house. Especially if it is a child with
allergies! This may be a big sacrifice for other members of the family, but if it
is a matter of saving someone’s life then it should be worth it.
If only one member of the family has allergies
then creating two separate sections in the pantry or fridge (two baskets/two
shelves etc.) would enable you to keep all allergy friendly foods in one area
and all other foods in the other. Again, this generally does not pertain to life-threatening
allergens.
4) Write
a list of food “must haves “
Notice I did not say “would be great to
haves” or “want to haves” or “if only I could haves”. I said “must-haves”! You
might notice that the list is not very long.
Examples would be:
A protein filled snack to make it
through the afternoon at work/school.
A portable and non-perishable food
to bring along for your kids when out and about.
A nutritious snack for soccer
practice/field trips etc.
This “must have” list is going to become
your project list. The list of items you will invest your research time and
cooking/experimenting time on trying to figure out. If you don’t limit these
projects in the beginning you will live in your kitchen and you will easily
burn out!
5) Think
outside the box
Re-structure your meals and make
your new food list work for you.
Maybe you used to eat cereal with
milk every morning but you have to cut out dairy. What about trying a recipe
for overnight oatmeal with alternative ‘milk’ (almond, coconut, rice etc.) or
switch to toast with peanut butter and some fruit?
If you always eat sandwiches for
lunch but have to cut out wheat, what about trying to take your sandwich
fillings and use them as toppings on a salad instead? Salad with turkey, cheese
and veggies for example.
Also, there is no rule that says you cannot
eat dinner leftovers for lunch or breakfast foods for dinner. Whatever works
for you!
6) Substitute,
Substitute, Substitute
I do not mean simply substituting
non-dairy milk for cow’s milk or gluten-free flour for all purpose flour.
(Though you need to do this from time to time too)
I mean truly substitute one food
you can eat for another you cannot. Maybe you love your recipe for Beef
Stroganoff over pasta but have been told to steer clear of red meat. What about
Chicken Stroganoff? Maybe you usually eat French fries with your chicken
tenders but cannot eat potatoes anymore, what about trying carrot fries
instead?
Another example: we cannot eat mayo
at our house, so we now make avocado chicken salad. Avocado + Chicken = Chicken
Salad. Although green, it is creamy, spreadable and quite good!
7) Don’t try
to recreate an allergy friendly version of all your favorite dishes
First of all, you will most
likely end up disappointed when the new dish does not taste as good as the original.
Secondly, you are missing out on the opportunity to discover new delicious
dishes that already fit your current diet.
I have made my share of
allergy-friendly wannabes that were complete flops. One example is carob
substituted for chocolate. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against carob per
se. I like carob in desserts as long as I am not trying to fool myself into
thinking it will taste like chocolate. It does not. It tastes like carob. I
have eaten carob buttercream and carob dipped cookies and both were quite good.
Did they even come close to the original chocolate butter cream or chocolate
dipped cookie? No way!
In other words, some recreations are
easy and taste great while others are not worth the trouble.
8) If
at first you don’t succeed, tweak then try again and again and again…
You will not know if you can succeed unless
you try and you will not master anything new unless you practice.
Also, don’t try to reinvent the wheel every
day. There are tons of allergy friendly recipes and resources out there, use
them! Someone else did a lot of the ground work and you get to enjoy the end
results.
9) Keep
it simple
Keep in mind that a few key
ingredients can taste just a delicious as a complex dish with a million
substitutions.
Maybe you will not be making ‘dishes’
for every meal but for example focus on a protein, vegetable and starch for
dinner. Sauces, spices and condiments are secondary.
For example: Salmon with Quinoa and
Broccoli.
Make a lemon dill sauce for the
salmon or add some broth and red peppers to the quinoa and you have changed it
up.
10) Keep a positive
attitude and be a role model
It is important to keep a positive attitude
about this change, especially if you are dealing with kids with allergies. You
might find that they are a lot more tolerant of their limited food choices if
you are.
Be as matter of fact about this
change as possible and focus on what they/you can eat.
11) Don’t look
at it as missing out
If a person with allergies/limitations
constantly hears from others that they are “missing out” or they are met with “poor
you who cannot eat this” etc. then they will feel like they are missing out. Rather
focus on making meals or especially special occasion treats feel just that….special.
A dairy free cookie can still be a
delicious cookie. A cake with no food dye icing can still be a pretty cake, and
a delicious one to boot.
12) Move some
of the focus away from the food at special occasions
Focus on the surroundings, the
fellowship, the time together etc.
Take for example a birthday party.
If you have festive decorations and maybe fun games then people are less likely
to get hung up on the fact that the food is allergy friendly (which to some non-allergic
people is the equivalent of bland or boring).
The same goes for holidays. The
dish served might be the same as is served on any given Monday of any given
week, but if it is served up on a pretty platter or eaten at a nicely decked
table it will still seem special.
If you take pride in your food and
you are happy to serve and eat it then others will be more likely to be too.
13) Be polite
and understanding towards people who do not have or deal with food
allergies on
a regular basis
They do not know or fully
understand what you are dealing with, so don’t expect them to. Though
frustrating at times, it is important to keep in mind that it may not be second
nature to others the way it has become it to you. That change did not take
place overnight.
If they are interested, then feel
free to explain to them or teach them about your limitations but don't shove it down their throats. Be nice about it!
***
I wish you the best of luck on your allergy/restricted diet journey!
If you think I can be of any more help to you with more specific advice feel free to send me an email or post a comment below.
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