The recipes on this site have been formulated to suit a large number of food sensitivities and/or dietary restrictions.
- My recipes are grain-free. Therefore all recipes are gluten-free, wheat-free, corn-free, and rice-free.
- These recipes are vegan. Therefore all recipes are egg-free, dairy-free, casein-free, vegetarian, and parve.
- All recipes are also xanthan gum-free, nightshade-free, soy-free, and urushiol-free.
- The recipes are yeast-free if you substitute lemon juice for apple cider vinegar.
- I use organic ingredients in the interest of overall health.
Additionally I try to use simple and relatively inexpensive pantry items in all my cooking. Almost all of my recipes have been made to appease my children and are therefore sweet. I will try to provide healthy, natural alternatives to conventional sweeteners as I go along.
Here are links to nightshades http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanaceae and urushiol containing plants http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urushiol . I avoid these since I am highly sensitive to nightshades, and my son is highly sensitive to urushiol. They are both groups of plants that contain toxins which have an inflammatory effect. Some individuals are more sensitive than others when it comes to handling these toxins in the body or on the skin.
On a more personal note...
as a child I suffered from environmental allergies, frequent colds, indigestion, vomiting, and heartburn. It was not till I had my son whom developed autism and subsequently started GFCF dietary intervention that I realized I suffered from food allergies; I didn't even know existed. I had taken enzymes before and thought I was lactose intolerant. I also knew I got contact dermatitis from tomatoes, but I never thought of not eating tomatoes and other nightshades.
After a couple of years of reading labels, researching food origins, and closely monitoring what I ate and what happened to my body afterward, I am finally able to avoid everything I'm allergic to, feel good, and not constantly be sick. I get contact dermatitis from everything I am allergic to; So it is relatively easy to tell what effects me, since I'm usually preparing and therefor touching the food. My allergies/sensitivities include tomatoes, nickel, gluten, pineapple, red #40, blue #1, canola oil, dairy, eggplant, potatoes, nightshade spices, corn, agave, and tapioca.
My sons are more affected by food allergies than I. My first born developed a rash when he first ate rice. I had told his pediatrician but was told it wasn't a food allergy and not to worry about it. He also had a problem digesting oatmeal. He suffered from chronic diarrhea and had an insatiable appetite. It has taken a lot of suffering and years of sleepless, screaming nights to figure out the allergies of my son whom is afflicted with autism. His allergies include gluten, cashews, mangoes, sugar alcohols (maltitol, sorbitol, xylitol, etc.), onions, oranges, food dyes (yellow #5, blue #1), pesticides on strawberries and blueberries (but not the berries themselves), BHT, sodium acid pyrophosphate, corn, rice, chia, tapioca, and bananas.
My youngest whom has been diagnosed with PDD-nos also has dietary issues. I noticed early on he was allergic to soy and that it caused him horrible constipation. Later he developed chronic diarrhea at which point I immediately put him on a gluten-free diet and that cleared. He also gets swelling and dermatitis from adhesives, including medical grade tape and stickers. He didn't start talking much until I switched him to organic fruits and vegetables and switched to almond butter from peanut butter. His bedwetting didn't clear up till I took food dyes out of his diet. He is also sensitive to BHT and sodium acid pyrophosphate as well as a problem with millet, a gluten-free grain.
Here are links to nightshades http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanaceae and urushiol containing plants http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urushiol . I avoid these since I am highly sensitive to nightshades, and my son is highly sensitive to urushiol. They are both groups of plants that contain toxins which have an inflammatory effect. Some individuals are more sensitive than others when it comes to handling these toxins in the body or on the skin.
On a more personal note...
as a child I suffered from environmental allergies, frequent colds, indigestion, vomiting, and heartburn. It was not till I had my son whom developed autism and subsequently started GFCF dietary intervention that I realized I suffered from food allergies; I didn't even know existed. I had taken enzymes before and thought I was lactose intolerant. I also knew I got contact dermatitis from tomatoes, but I never thought of not eating tomatoes and other nightshades.
After a couple of years of reading labels, researching food origins, and closely monitoring what I ate and what happened to my body afterward, I am finally able to avoid everything I'm allergic to, feel good, and not constantly be sick. I get contact dermatitis from everything I am allergic to; So it is relatively easy to tell what effects me, since I'm usually preparing and therefor touching the food. My allergies/sensitivities include tomatoes, nickel, gluten, pineapple, red #40, blue #1, canola oil, dairy, eggplant, potatoes, nightshade spices, corn, agave, and tapioca.
My sons are more affected by food allergies than I. My first born developed a rash when he first ate rice. I had told his pediatrician but was told it wasn't a food allergy and not to worry about it. He also had a problem digesting oatmeal. He suffered from chronic diarrhea and had an insatiable appetite. It has taken a lot of suffering and years of sleepless, screaming nights to figure out the allergies of my son whom is afflicted with autism. His allergies include gluten, cashews, mangoes, sugar alcohols (maltitol, sorbitol, xylitol, etc.), onions, oranges, food dyes (yellow #5, blue #1), pesticides on strawberries and blueberries (but not the berries themselves), BHT, sodium acid pyrophosphate, corn, rice, chia, tapioca, and bananas.
My youngest whom has been diagnosed with PDD-nos also has dietary issues. I noticed early on he was allergic to soy and that it caused him horrible constipation. Later he developed chronic diarrhea at which point I immediately put him on a gluten-free diet and that cleared. He also gets swelling and dermatitis from adhesives, including medical grade tape and stickers. He didn't start talking much until I switched him to organic fruits and vegetables and switched to almond butter from peanut butter. His bedwetting didn't clear up till I took food dyes out of his diet. He is also sensitive to BHT and sodium acid pyrophosphate as well as a problem with millet, a gluten-free grain.
