Food Allergies

We understand how overwhelming the diagnosis of food allergies can be. Many questions run through your mind: Will I be able to find food that I or my child likes? Where will I find it? How can I find good recipes to replace the foods I enjoy? Where will I find the time to make different food from what I or my family normally eats?

First and foremost, don’t worry! Most people find it takes about a month to acclimate to the new diet, and then your palate expands and your recipe file starts to grow! Somehow it just becomes manageable, when not that long ago it felt unmanageable.

There are a lot of great alternatives and resources available. Many people are surprised to find how many substitute foods and recipes are available that aren’t hard to find. One very helpful resource is an organization called Kids With Food Allergies:

www.kidswithfoodallergies.com

Their web site is full of useful information, particularly a fabulous database of easy recipes that children and adults alike will enjoy. To access the database, you must pay an annual membership fee of $25. Patients have told us it’s well worth the investment! The Brattleboro Food Coop carries most of the ingredients called for in the recipes. There is also a section of the Coop that has gluten-free mixes and an egg replacement (called Ener-G Egg Replacer).

Some useful outlets for ordering food on-line are:

Suzanne’s Specialties, which sells rice syrup by the gallon. Even with shipping, it ends up to be much cheaper than buying it in smaller quantities sold at the Coop.

http://www.suzannes-specialties.com/products/

Gluten-Free Mall:
http://www.glutenfreemall.com/catalog/
Cherrybrook Kitchen:
http://www.cherrybrookkitchen.com/
Abigail's Bakery:
www.abigailsbakery.com

Carbohydrates often pose one of the biggest challenges in terms of replacements, especially breads and pasta.

Two tips:

Look for rice pasta of any kind (linguini, elbows, etc.) made from Tinkyada rice. Many people find it is the tastiest and has the most appealing texture. (Other forms of rice pasta get very squishy.)
When a recipe calls for flour, we recommend a combination of rice flour and almond meal (both sold at the Coop). We suggest a ¾ to ¼ ratio, respectively.

We hope that this information is useful. Take it one step at a time. It may be helpful to think of the diagnosis of food allergies as an opportunity to experiment with new foods! We know that making this change requires extra time and effort. We commend you for taking care of yourself and your loved ones in this way.