The recipes listed are primarily family recipes my family has modified for various needs of our own. Some recipes are from outside sources. Any questions regarding the sources of various recipes/information please contact the blog owner. The information contained on this site is primarily information my family has learned first hand through our experiences and through research of our own. Some additional sources are included below.
ALLERGIES: Allergies are when your body has a histamine reaction to certain types of food (Histamine is an organic compound your body releases in response to injury as part of an immune response to foreign microorganisms that enter the body.)
. The allergic reaction can be different depending on the person, and the severity of their allergy. Some people react severely and go into what is called anaphylactic shock (see below), while others may only get a scratchy throat. Either way, if someone feels they are having an allergic reaction, it should be taken seriously. Don't wait until symptoms get worse!
*Allergies can develop at any time, but can also be outgrown. Younger children typically have a higher chance of outgrowing an allergy than an adult who develops an allergy later in life.
HOW TO SHOP SMART: Read labels (see the reading labels section below), know what substitutions to look for, and have several options to fall back on if the store either doesn't sell something or is temporarily out of a product. Look for coupons and other money-saving items the store may offer (shopping for special diets can be expensive if you don't know where to look).
CROSS-CONTAMINATION: Cross-contamination can ca
use highly sensitive people to have a severe allergic reaction. If you are baking for someone with allergies or learning to bake foods without these items for others, you must wash all items used in your cooking (pots, pans, utensils, counter tops, measuring equipment, serving items of any sort: plates etc.) before use and after (if you are making more than one questionable item) to prevent any type of allergic reaction. The person with the allergy may not be that sensitive, but better safe than sorry!
SUBSTITUTIONS: You can substitute different things for the
foods you are allergic to in most the recipes on this website (see substitutions page for more info). Never just assume you can't eat something, always look at the labels. New food options can be made available if you take the chance and look. For ideas, see the substitutions page.
READING LABELS: The first thing you should know about reading labels is that ingredients can sometimes change, so even if you've had certain brands before that you know are safe you should always check again, just in case. Companies are always striving to improve their products, so better safe than sorry.
Second, watch out for the hidden lines beneath the ingredients that say "may contain" or "processed on the same equipment..." or other
such sentences. The ingredients themselves may not actually say that the allergen is in the product, but these hidden sentences might suggest cross-contamination.
ANAPHYLACTIC SHOCK: Anaphylactic Shock, or Anaphylaxis, is a severe, whole-body allergic reaction to an allergen. It is a very serious condition and it is important to know what to do. People often have symptoms like scratchy throat (feels like pins and needles when you swallow), shortness of breath, vomiting, hives (large, itchy bumps that appear all over the body). Should anyone you know show signs of these symptoms you should first give allergy medication to slow reaction and see if symptoms go away (it may only be a minor reaction). If they do
n't go away within about fifteen minutes, or if symptoms become more severe, use an Epi-Pen (if they have one available). If there is no Epi-Pen on hand, or you have to use the Epi-Pen call 911 or get the victim to an emergency room immediately. Even if you do use an Epi-Pen, you must still take the patient to the emergency room, because further treatment may be necessary. Whatever you do, don't panic!! This is very important.
DAIRY: Look for the UD on packages (if there is one). This can sometimes tell you whether the product contains any dairy substances (if the listing only has a U, then the product is dairy free). Watch out for the phrases "may contain" and "manufactured on equipment" listed after the ingredients. There may not actually be dairy in the food, but it may be listed after the "may contain" or "manufactured on equipment" in
the ingredients section. If you are more sensitive to any allergenic food, avoiding foods that use those phrases could prevent you from having an allergic reaction.
Terms to watch for when avoiding dairy ingredients: whey, nougat, pudding, curd, Ghee, malted milk, goat's milk, milk, butter, butter fat, butter oil, artificial butter flavor, cream, sour cream, whipping cream, yogurt, cheese, lactic acid starter culture, sodium lactate, potassium lactate, sodium stearol lactylate (any ingredient with the prefix lact-), natural flavor caramel color, margarine, casein (any caseinate), lactose, chocolate (some are okay to eat, just read the labels if you really need some!!), natural butter flavor, high protein flour.
Difference between lactose intolerance and a milk allergy: Contrary to common belief, lactose intolerance is not an allergy to milk. Lactose intolerance is merely when your stomach gets upset by eating a sugar in dairy products called lactose. For the most part, people with lactose intolerance can eat cheese, yogurt, ice cream and other dairy products without getting a stomachache at all.
You can buy lactose-free milk products to avoid these stomach aches.
CELIAC DISEASE AND WHEAT ALLERGIES:
Difference between Celiac Disease and a Wheat Allergy: A wheat allergy is a histamine reaction to wheat protein and can be life threatening if severe. Celiac disease (as also mentioned below) is an autoimmune disorder of the small bowel. Most packaged foods contain some form of wheat. Depending on the severity of the allergic reaction, people with wheat allergies should avoid eating at restaurants because there is almost always cross-contamination in the kitchens. Small children
can outgrow a wheat allergy if they aren't exposed to wheat
for an extended period of time.
Celiac Disease(Gluten-Free): Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder of the small bowel. Symptoms may include diarrhea and fatigue, or associated symptoms in all other organ systems. Celiac disease is caused by a reaction to gliadin, gluten protein found in wheat (and some other grains, including barley and rye). Celiac disease interferes with the absorption of nutrients. A gluten-free diet is more restrictive than a wheat-free diet. Doctors will need to conduct specific tests to diagnose celiac disease.
XanthUM gum and XanthAN: XanTHUM gum is used to add volume and thickness to gluten-free baked goods. XanTHAN gum is used as a thickening agent and a stabilizer to gluten-free baked goods.
Tapioca: Tapioca is a starch extracted from the cassava plant. It is used as a thickening agent in foods that are gluten-free. Do not make your own tapioca as there is a risk you could be poisoned (the cassava plant has traces of cyanide in it making it safer if you buy the processed product).
GLUTEN: Watch out for the phrases "may contain" and "manufactured on equipment" listed after the ingredients. There may not actually be gluten in the food, but may be listed after the "may contain" or "manufactured on equipment" in the ingredients section. If you are more sensitive to any food item those phrases could prevent you from getting sick.
Terms to watch for when avoiding gluten: bran, malt, bulgar, cereal extract, couscous, durum, farina, graham flour, seitan, semolina, spelt, malt, germ, starch, pasta, gravy, wheat, flour, bread crumbs, cracker meal, gluten, wheat starch.
WHEAT: Watch out for the phrases "may contain" and "manufactured on equipment" listed after the ingredients. There may not actually be wheat in the food, but it may be listed after the "may contain" or "manufactured on equipment" in the ingredients section. If you are more sensitive to any allergenic food those phrases could prevent you from having allergic reaction.
Terms to watch for when avoiding wheat: bran, bulgar, cereal extract, couscous, durum, farina, graham flour, seitan, semolina, spelt, malt, germ, starch, pasta, gravy, wheat, flour, bread crumbs, cracker meal, gluten, wheat starch.
EGGS: Watch out for the phrases "may contain" and "manufactured on equipment" listed after the ingredients. The eggs may not actually be in the food, but may be listed after the "may contain" or "manufactured on equipment" in the ingredients section. If you are more sensitive to any allergenic food those phrases could prevent you from having allergic reaction.
Terms to watch for when avoiding egg: yolk, egg wash, eggnog, albumin, mayonnaise, maringue, lecithin, nougat, artificial flavoring, natural flavoring, etc.
SOY: Watch out for the phrases "may contain" and "manufactured on equipment" listed after the ingredients. There may not actually be soy in the food, but may be listed after the "may contain" or "manufactured on equipment" in the ingredients section. If you are more sensitive to any allergenic food those phrases could prevent you from having allergic reaction (soy can also be found in some cosmetic and personal care products, medications, supplements, pet foods, and in toys and crafts).
Terms to watch for when avoiding soy: soybean, soy lecithin, soya, okara (soy pulp), edamame (soybeans in pods), tofu, kyodofu (freeze dried tofu), soy sauce, some artificial flavorings, vegetable broth, vegetable gum, vegetable starch, etc.
CORN: Watch out for the phrases "may contain" and "manufactured on equipment" listed after the ingredients. There may not actually be corn in the food, but may be listed after the "may contain" or "manufactured on equipment" in the ingredients section. Corn is especially tricky because there is corn in everything! Look out for corn syrup, corn starch, corn, etc.
Terms to watch for when avoiding corn: cornstarch, corn nuts, and corn cakes, hominy (ground corn), corn oil, corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, etc.
NUTS: Includes pine nuts, macadamia nuts, almonds, cashews, walnuts, hazelnuts, coconut (coconut oil is usually okay, check with your doctor for specifics), chestnuts, pistachios, peanut, pecans, among others (the ones listed are more common nuts). Watch out for the phrases "may contain" and "manufactured on equipment" listed after the ingredients. The nuts may not actually be in the food, but may be listed after the "may contain" or "manufactured on equipment" in the ingredients section. If you are more sensitive to any allergenic food those phrases could prevent you from having allergic reaction.
Terms to watch for when avoiding nuts: any specific nuts or nut oils (listed above or otherwise noted), goobers (peanuts), beer nuts, arachic oil, arachis, etc.
*Please note that some personal hygiene products contain nuts (lotion, shampoo, facial scrub, lip balm, etc.), and could be dangerous to people with nut allergies. Avoid products containing shea, shea oil, shea butter, as well as other nut ingredients.
FISH AND SHELLFISH: Watch out for the phrases "may contain" and "manufactured on equipment" listed after the ingredients. There may not actually be fish or shellfish products in the food, but may be listed after the "may contain" or "manufactured on equipment". Fish allergies can develop at any age. A shellfish allergy and a fish allergy are not the same thing (though if one is allergic to seafood then both shellfish and fish should be avoided), but if you are allergic to only fish or only shellfish, that doesn't necessarily mean you are allergic to both, but sometimes it's better for people with a fish allergy to avoid ALL fish.
Shellfish protein can become airborne in the steam released during cooking and may be a risk to those more sensitive, but for safety it should be noted to avoid cooking areas. Shellfish include shrimp (prawns), lobsters, oysters, clams, mussels, crayfish, crawfish, crabs, scallop, abalone, snails, squid etc.
Terms to watch for when avoiding fish or shellfish: bouillabaisse, fish stock, seafood flavoring, surimi, shrimp (prawns), lobsters, oysters, clams, mussels, crayfish, crawfish, crabs, scallop, abalone, snails, squid, fish, krill, barnacle, sea urchin, sea cucumber, whelk, cockle, cuttlefish (or cuttlefish ink), limpet, octopus, glucosamine, etc.
SEEDS: Watch out for the phrases "may contain" and "manufactured on equipment" listed after the ingredients. There may not actually be certain seeds in the food, but may be listed after the "may contain" or "manufactured on equipment". Includes, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, linseed, mustard seed, flax seed, poppy seeds,
Terms to watch for when avoiding seeds: sesame sesame oil, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, mustard seed, flax seed (sometimes known as linseed), poppy seeds, etc.
*Please note that some personal hygiene products contain sesame seed oil (skin creams, lip gloss, soap, and pet foods) and could be dangerous to people with allergies to seeds.
While this site may contain useful information about some allergies, it does NOT include information and recipes for every allergy.
For more info and other recipes see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celiac_disease
