Food Allergies

Maybe it is just me, but I have a LOT of food allergies and or course it seriously effects what kind of food I can eat.  Some suggestions would be much appreciated..

Let me give you the list:

nuts,chocolate,shellfish,aspartamine,MSG,yell ow dye(annatto),nitrates..pretty much any preservative in anything.

probably does not sound too bad right..except the MSG and yellow dye, which is what they dye cheese with and add to nearly everything for color, it makes it very hard to buy prepackaged anything.

of course, to top it off, no red meat, by choice, just don't like it.

I am kind of sticking to the basics of fresh fruit,veggies,chicken and turkey..but that will get old fast.  HELP!

I think you're really lucky that you can't eat a lot of packaged foods...   Shame about the nuts, shellfish and chocolate... but we've all got crosses to bear.  There are lots of delicious, healthy wholefoods in the world beyond fruit, veg, chicken and turkey.  And if you're prepared to roll up the sleeves and get creative in the kitchen you can extrapolate that up to hundreds of different meals.

Vegetables and fruit covers a huge range of foods... You're not allergic to dairy products (beyond coloured cheeses) and you can do quite a lot with milk, natural yoghurt, cottage cheeses.  Grains.... there are lots of grains.  Oats, barley, quinoa, wheat, different types of rice...   If you invest in a bread machine you could churn out some fantastic, home-made loaves that don't contain either colour or preservative.  Then you've got pastas.... good quality pasta usually just contains flour, egg and water.   Thinking about protein, eggs... very versatile, all kinds of dishes possible there.  Pulses/legumes is another protein-packed treasure trove... lentils, beans, chickpeas... lots to choose from there and they can be turned into soups, casseroles, burgers, curries.   You probably aren't allergic to tofu... that's very healthy.   Seeds are as  beneficial as nuts... pumpkin, sunflower, all kinds.   There are lots of different fish that aren't shellfish.  And then the fats.... olive oils, seed oils.. you can buy unsalted, uncoloured butters (less problematic than margarine).  There is a vast range of natural herbs and spices that you can use to add flavour and variety to your foods... no need for nasty artificial things.

So there are more options than you might think and your allergies may be a blessing in disguise.  Just got to be creative, think outside the box and get cooking!

Thanks, I actually do eat almost all of the foods you suggested, such as grains and pasta, legumes and beans.  Use to eat sunflower seeds, but pretty high in fat and don't fill you up so well, maybe on salad for protein.  I don't eat any other types of fish due to my severe, anaphalactic allergy to iodine, it comes in contact with other stuff and I have had too many close calls with fish...

I have only had tofu once or twice, not sure how to really use it.? 

Thanks for your suggestions, I do need to cook more, I am a nurse and work 12-14 hour shifts in an ICU and need to take my lunch and multiple snack stuff, so I am still working on cooking ahead of time and making enough and a variety for lunch.

Peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, fish, beets, cucumbers, lagumes.  That's my list.  EVERYTHING is freakin processed with peanuts.  I also don't like red meat.  Have you found ground turkey yet?  I like that a lot.  Also, you can make your own granola/breakfast bars--just google and adapt the recipe a little.  I don't know how much cooking you want to do or any of that, but I've found that oatmeal is always good in a pinch, and I can have most of Quaker's instant flavors.  I don't know whether or not you can.  Soynut butter (which contains no nuts and isn't processed with any) is a good peanut butter substitute and you can even make cookies with it!  I like boiled eggs, they're a good, fast breakfast that I can make ahead of time. 

I hope some of that helped.

xx

Thanks Sarah, I guess you know where I am coming from.  I have not had soy butter, but I love sunflower butter from Trader Joes.  Just google the granola bars???  I tried before, but maybe I need to try again.  Yeah, love oatmeal, not great in the protein department...have not tried ground turkey yet, but will.  Eggs I do love, boiled or whatever, thanks for all your help!

I'm allergic to eggs. It's not too bad, but people think it's a weird thing to be allergic to.

I was just thinking last night about getting some sort of protein powder to mix into stuff.  Wonder if there's any we can have?  I'm going to look into it. 

xx

Sarah, I would love if you could post the granola bar recipe you use.  Is it high in fat??  I could probably use Sunflower Butter in it if it has some nut butter included.  Thanks, Veronica