Food Allergies by Gail Winning, RN-BC

 This week we have two well acclaimed guests joining us to talk about food allergies and how to cook great tasting food while still adhering to the parameters set by the allergy. This event made me think of all the people I know with food allergies, more than a handful, and I'm sure you can think of more than a handful.  According to the CDC, 4-6% of kids and 4% of adults live with food allergies.  Now, we aren't talking about those who chose to be vegan or are cutting gluten out as means to curb carbs but those whose bodies chemically respond to the allergen.

Selfishly, having those people over for dinner can be difficult, goodbye mixed nuts to accompany your great cheese platter, no pasta as a side dish, and definitely no chocolate mousse for dessert.  But it does force me to be more creative when it comes to cooking which maybe is a blessing in disguise.  The most common food allergies are milk, egg, fish, shellfish, nuts, wheat, and soy.  Learning more about cooking without certain allergy triggering foods sounds like a daunting undertaking but can definitely be done.

As a nurse, I've taken care of patients who have had reactions, which can range from hives to full out anaphylaxis.  It can be scary knowing that even just peanut dust in the air can make it hard to breathe and requires a hospital visit for help.  Avoidance of the trigger is the only prevention which requires vigilance by the individual.   So how can we help those with food allergies? Awareness is the first step towards making changes. 

Ready? Here are great places to get started:

http://www.foodallergy.org/http://www.foodallergy.org/

http://www.foodicinehealth.org/http://www.foodicinehealth.org/

https://www.ming.com/food-and-wine/food-allergy-awareness.htmhttps://www.ming.com/food-and-wine/food-allergy-awareness.htm