Question about cooking and allergies.

[kyrielle]

I know some of those reading this journal cook, and some have food issues, and I'm hoping you can help me. One of my relatives must now avoid both wheat gluten and dairy products. She's lived her whole life cooking for a normal diet without these restrictions, and she's trying to find alternatives and good recipes.

Anyone have any good recipes, especially ones that substitute for things like bread/pasta/etc.? I'm sure I could do a search and turn up tons of recipes, but I would have no clue whether they were good or not.

Comments

[evalerie.livejournal.com]

Oh -- beware Bob's Red Mill cornmeal. They grind it on the same equipment that they use for wheat. Their company is so gluten-aware that you'd think they would at least put a warning on the packages of cornmeal to say that it's not gluten-free. But they don't. I recommend Arrowhead Mills cornmeal instead.

Someone mentioned spelt flour here, but unfortunately it is not gluten-free. Spelt is a close relative of wheat, and not safe for someone with celiac disease.

A food I love is soy yogurt. WholeSoy makes single-serving containers in a variety of flavors, and Wildwood makes 24-ounce tubs that are the only soy yogurt I've ever found that isn't overly sweet. The Wildwood soy yogurt works well in all sorts of recipes that other soy yogurt is too sweet for. Both brands say "gluten free" and "vegan" right on the label. (I appreciate any company that labels their gluten-free products instead of making you contact them to ask.) One of those companies also makes a soy yogurt drink that I like as a treat.

When my digestive system is feeling yucky, I find soy yogurt often helps. It's soothing to eat, and it feels to me like the good bacteria in the yogurt help to get my body back into balance.

Some grocery stores have a Gluten-Free Product List and a Dairy Free Product List that you can get at the information desk, just by asking for it. Here in Ann Arbor, you can get this at Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, and I think Hillers.