When the author Alice Sherwood received her 2 year old sons diagnosis of nut and egg allergies she ended up putting together a collection of her own recipes due to her frustration with what was on offer in the market. Some allergy cookbooks try to cater for all allergens in each recipe - this can end up leaving the recipes bland and boring. What Alice has done with her recipes in this book is to provide a basic recipe with one or two of the 'Big Four', eggs, dairy, gluten or nuts omitted and then provide variations for each recipe so you can exclude or add ingredients depending on the particular allergens you need to avoid.
The book has a great introduction which explains why she wrote the cookery book, she loves good food and found that a lot of people she knew were having trouble finding useful recipes that would enable whole families to eat the same tasty meals together when one or more were allergic or intolerant to different foods. She then goes on to explain the differences between food allergies and food intolerance, with a good description of symptoms and a quick reference chart for anaphylaxis. The book then has a section for each of dairy, egg, nuts and gluten explaining about each and how to compensate in your diet for the missing nutrients. Alice then continues with chapters about, staying positive, allergy etiquette, helping your allergic child, eating out, special occasions, travelling, worldwide cuisine, shopping, what not to eat and your pantry.
Just before you get into the recipes - there is a handy quick reference chart about how to substitute ingredients with suggested alternatives and associated notes and tips. There are over 100 recipes divided into: breakfasts, side dishes, starters & light meals, fish, meat and poultry, pasta, noodles & rice, desserts, breads and baking, sauces, dressings and accompaniments.
My personal favourite is her recipe for carrot cake - the best I have found! This recipe book has been one of my best buys as our son was initially diagnosed with egg and peanut allergies, but has since been found to also be gluten and dairy intolerant - thus we have to avoid all of the major four allergens! Our second son is also allergic to eggs and I am gluten and dairy intolerant. Our whole family has benefited from eating a diet that is free from gluten, dairy, eggs and peanuts and this book is an essential for our kitchen bookshelf.
Please come and visit our website 'Sensitive To Food' where you will find more information about various food allergies and links to many more of the resources that we have found in the past 5 years of dealing with food allergies in our family.
What now?
Please feel free to browse my website where you will find symptom lists, information on specific foods, advice on identifying and dealing with allergies and/or intolerances, links to resources, diet links with autism spectrum disorders, book reviews, products, recipes, support and advice.
http://www.sensitivetofood.com/
or
http://www.sensitivetofood.com/allergybooks
Who am I? I am a mum of a child with allergies to egg and peanuts, intolerances to gluten, dairy and some fruits. Artificial food colours, preservatives and additives are also problematic. He also suffers with asthma, eczema and hayfever and has a diagnosis of Aspergers Syndrome.
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