Cooking for Allergies

The key to cooking for those who have food allergies is adapting recipes by substituting ingredients. You don't need specialized cookbooks for allergies, although one or two will be a good start and give you confidence. Check your local library or see a listing of cookbooks for allergies. Look for cookbooks that tell you how to adapt recipes and have substitution charts.

My husband is allergic to dairy and poultry products. I have a sensitivity to wheat. My experience is in these areas and but I will share some of my research about other allergens and sensitivities.

Dave has discovered that he can use sheep cheese and goat cheese, but not cheese from cow's milk. If your allergy is not too severe, experiment and note your reaction to different sources of milk and other dairy products.

You don't need to avoid recipes because they contain an allergen, just learn what to substitute. You will need to shop at a large grocery store, health food store or on the internet to get many of these ingredients. Cookbooks dealing with allergies often contain lists of where to get supplies. I hope that the ads on this page will also help you find the suppliers you need.

To replace milk for drinking or on cereal, we use vanilla flavored enriched soy milk (Soy Dream or Silk brand). Vanilla flavored soy and rice milks are amazingly tasty. I liked it immediately, but don't expect it to taste like milk. You can use plain or vanilla soy/rice milk for drinking or cooking.

Most doctors recommend that patients allergic to peanuts also avoid tree nuts. Alternatives to peanut butter are often processed on the same equipment used for peanut butter, so traces of peanut may be included in them.

See the Cooking Substitutions Chart For Allergies for recommended substitutions. The Food Allergy and Anaphalyxsis Network is a great source for further information about living with food allergies.