Food Allergies
What are you allergic to and how do you avoid it? The only thing I have a known problem with is pineapple. Since this is not a common ingredient, I'm pretty safe, but I do find it added to a lot of mango based salsas and glazes. Also, in tropical alcoholic drinks.
Kelly
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10 Comments:
Eggplant. Pretty easy to avoid, I just ask whether there's any in whatever I want to order. I have no problems with tomatoes or other related plants.
wellred at 12:12PM on 05/23/08
Fortunately, the only thing I am allergic to is antibiotics (they make me more ill than whatever it is I need to take them for), and it's quite easy for me to avoid them:-). However, my husband is diabetic and lactose intolerant. Of course, it's not a problem at home (it does make me more creative when I cook - I was so chuffed when I figured out a way to make dairy-free pancakes for breakfast that tasted so good neither of us felt "deprived"!). It may get tricky when we eat out though. It's good we both love sushi so much:-). But I was really surprised to learn how many foods round here have "hidden" cheese or butter or milk in them, only because even without being lactose intolerant, I wouldn't think of using cheese/butter/milk in these particular foods (a fish sandwich, for instance).
brooke29 at 12:31PM on 05/23/08
I actually sensitized myself to peanuts by eating them too much when I was a kid - no really. I still eat them a LOT (I am a reese's and peanut sauce addict) and sometimes if I have too many I can't breathe that well, but I take Benadryl and that goes away. My doctor says if I keep eating them eventually I'll be REALLY allergic, but what she doesn't know won't hurt her ;)
I was lactose intolerant for years and years and now I'm pretty sure I'm not, but I'm so used to drinking and cooking with Lactaid and eating really aged cheeses and using oil instead of butter that I don't really notice the difference. I don't even LIKE real milk or creamy dairy products anymore.
Most allergies you can learn to get around, my cousin is allergic to dairy, beans, seafood, all nuts, and soy (which is in EVERYTHING). You basically get used to reading the ingredients in everything and she actually eats healthier than most, because she doesn't eat processed food - her diet is mostly vegetables, meat and homemade bread. Family holidays can be difficult though (last Thanksgiving we realized 20 minutes before we deep-fried the turkey that we were using peanut oil) and eating out almost impossible, but she manages!
embolini9 at 12:41PM on 05/23/08
Thank God I'm not allergic to anything not even poison ivy....
Markbb at 1:39PM on 05/23/08
Apples. Fruit, juice...the whole thing. Disappointing, I know. But it's pretty easy to avoid.
Schnauzer_Mama at 2:14PM on 05/23/08
Cooking Allergy Free is a great resource for people with allergies or special diets. You can set a profile with your specific allergies/intolerances and search for recipes. It will select only recipes you can eat.
sarahj at 2:36PM on 05/23/08
Wheat and Gluten.
As much as I miss pasta and bread and baked goods, avoiding wheat and gluten has made a huge difference in my physical health. I wish I had been diagnosed earlier.
Brownie at 3:17PM on 05/23/08
Eggplant - easy to avoid.
Bell peppers - a little harder to avoid, but not too bad. Mostly in pre-made spaghetti sauces and salsa.
Artificial sweeteners, particularly Splenda/sucralose - frustratingly difficult to avoid. Splenda's popularity has made it a popular hidden ingredient in things like breads, cereals, juices, etc (not to mention things like gum and mouthwash). I have to read the labels on everything.
MSG and other ingredients containing free glutamates - almost impossible to completely avoid. Reading labels helps, as does avoiding certain categories of food likely to contain them. In the end, though, the only way I know what to avoid is through experience - I react within about 5 minutes and stop eating whatever contains it. At home I'm pretty safe, but eating out is sort of like Russian roulette. Very few places know if their food contains MSG.
Add that to a few more health problems and just outright sensitivity to most chemicals - and I have to be pretty careful about what I eat. In the end, I make a lot of food from scratch, buy a lot from farmer's markets and organic co-ops/grocery stores, and avoid most processed foods. It's a huge PITA, but it's worth it to be able to function normally.
jenilowrance at 4:37PM on 05/23/08
Apples- like the above person, allergic to everything- I even had a reaction to apple jacks once. (that one is the one that really scared me.) I've found that any low fat baked goods have to be checked, and it's nearly impossible to find fruit juices besides citrus or cranberry if you like the more natural stuff without so much sugar and junk.
I'm also sensitive to pork. I can eat it, but it sometimes gives me migraines, so I just stay away from everything but the occasional bacon.
cmtigger at 11:09PM on 05/25/08
i'm not allergic to anything, thank goodness, but my closest friend is allergic to everything and its alternative {for example dairy and soy and eggs, wheat and corn} plus she's a vegetarian and won't eat sugar. traveling with her in europe, was fun, you bet. i became fluent in italian on our first day in venice because i had to do so much negotiating with the waiters about her food.
on our last day in italy, she broke down and had a gelato. can you imagine not eating any sweets or dairy for years, then eating a real gelato in italy? i thought she was going to need a cigarette!
cybercita at 11:20PM on 05/25/08