You, your child, or someone you love has been told they have a food allergy (or intolerance) – so now what?

Our family is big on food. Really. My husband and I have spent decades feeding people in various capacities. When you come to our home, you eat. That’s just the way it is. And for the last six years, everyone we feed has been a guinea pig for all sorts of gluten-free goodies. So, while I’m not an expert by any means, I have learned a few things about living with food allergies and and making it an enjoyable experience.

The first thing you must learn when you find out you have a food allergy is that it is all about attitude. Food is, first and foremost, to be enjoyed! There are many tools available to help you have meals that you can love and share with your family. Enjoy the process, embrace the possibilities and don’t be afraid of failure.

You can love pretty much all of the foods you loved before. You just need to be more creative now. Pizza? Why yes. There are tons of options out there for you. Frozen crusts, more recipes than you can shake a whisk at, restaurants that offer allergy free options …

It’s OK to start out with store-bought solutions. That’s how we got started. When we first became gluten-free, there weren’t all the books, prepackaged foods or reams of information that exist today.  And our daughter was five.  A lot of the options were disgusting. But the boxes of bread mix and cookies got us started, allowing us time to find new recipes and new ways to make her favourite foods.

Ask around. There are so many people with food allergies nowadays that it is easy to find someone who has a great recipe or tip to share.

Order some books from the library. There are cookbooks for every allergy. Try before you buy – taste test some new recipes. Some books are good; some not so much!  Every set of taste buds is different.

Don’t try to read everything and learn it all at once. You will go into information overload and this will feel like an insurmountable problem. Learn a little bit; then implement it. Learn some more next week and implement that. Unless this is a life threatening situation, you have time to make changes.

Remember that real food is usually allergy-free.  A roast chicken is dairy-free, gluten-free and nut-free. Put that with some veggies and rice or potatoes and you’ve got yourself dinner!

Probably my biggest piece of advice is this: make it a family thing. Find foods that everyone enjoys so that no one feels “weird” or left out. If everyone is eating the same thing, you all get the benefits of this new lifestyle.

So, go out and enjoy this new life and all the possibilities it offers! Eat and be merry!

I will have more tips and advice in upcoming columns.  And I have recipes to share.  Check out my version of an enchilada casserole below.  Feel free to make your own version!

“Enchilalas”
Kind of a Mexican lasagna. I often make this vegetarian, but you can add meat if you prefer. This is a very loose recipe so you can make the substitutions your allergy requires. Great for a crowd.

Tortillas (corn or wheat)
Cheese (regular or dairy free)
Refried beans (optional)

Chili:
Black beans or kidney beans
Canned diced tomatoes
Your favourite chili seasonings (Fajita spice, ancho chili, paprika, cumin …)
Onion
Garlic
Frozen corn
Red or green pepper

Saute the veggies, pour in the beans and tomatoes and seasoning and let cook for a few minutes. I usually add fresh cilantro at the end for some extra flavour.

Layer chili and tortillas as you would for lasagna. Add a layer of refried beans if desired. Finish with cheese on top. Bake at 350 till bubbling, 45- 60 minutes.

Garnish with cilantro, avocado, diced tomatoes, green onions, sour cream. Enjoy with a green salad on the side.

Angeline Street
Glass Slipper Cleaning
Whole Hog Farms GF Sausages
Tel: 250-954-0246
Email: angstreet@telus.net

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