Food Allergies And The Holidays

The holidays can be a challenging time for those of us with food allergies. I know it is tough for us! Holiday parties frequently have plenty of prepared foods, home-baked goodies, candy, nuts, etc. The most important thing to remember is that if you are unsure of the ingredients, it is probably best that you do not consume it. Depending on food sensitivities and comfort level, asking the person who prepared the food about the ingredients may help you make the decision to eat it or not. It is also important to think further into the ingredients used in a dish. Frequently, chocolate as the "may contain peanuts or tree nuts" statement. If a prepared dish contains chocolate, this should be kept in mind. A good alternative to eating foods prepared by others is bringing "safe" foods.

An idea for a dessert is to use the mock graham cracker mix at www.missroben.com - this mix may be used to make a pie crust and it is delicious! You would never know that it is allergy-free! You can fill it with whatever you like! These are the ingredients:

unrefined cane sugar, brown rice flour, white rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, corn-free baking powder (sodium acid pyrophosphate, potato starch, sodium bicarbonate), cinnamon, guar gum, salt (contains yellow prussiate of soda (used as anti-caking agent).

There is another internet site, www.naturalfeast.com - this site sells pies that cater to special dietary needs - perfect for the holidays! For example, here are the ingredients for the chocolate mousse pie:

Filtered Water
Pure Organic Agave Nectar
Chocolate (unsweetened)
Rice Flour
Natural Cocoa
Tapioca Flour
Pure Apple/Pear Juice Concentrate
Apple Powder
High-Oleic Safflower Oil
Agar Powder
Sea Salt
Baking Soda

You can also order these pies at www.glutenfreemall.com