It can be difficult at first to adjust your thinking when it comes to food preparation for children with food allergies. When you start reading labels for the first time it may have you worrying weather or not you will be able to feed your child at all. In our family it was an infant who was horribly allergic to what seemed like everything. Over time we limited down to a three major allergies and a handful of irritants. Milk, Eggs and Tree Nuts (we also avoided peanuts for the first three years) were the major allergies we needed to learn to look out for. When you have children with food allergies, there is good news and there is bad news. The good news is you will all be eating at home more often and eating healthier food. The bad news being that it will be completely up to you to make everything, mostly from scratch. For some of us cooking enthusiasts, this is also good news, but I imagine to the average american mom and dad, it’s a lot to handle.
There are special recipes, books, and websites for specific items, but I have found it best to just find general ways to replace the allergy items with suitable substitutes for a recipe that I already know or use. It helps to have an understanding the basic chemical reactions that take place when ingredients react to each other so that you can pick the right replacement. For example, if you are replacing milk in a bread or cake mix, it’s important to note that milk and baking powder react and create bubbles in the batter as it bakes making things fluff up. You won’t get that reaction from soy or any other milk substitute, so consider adding orange juice, vinegar, or apple sauce to help create that same reaction.
-
- You can find this egg replacement in the grocery store. It won’t add any strange flavors to the mix and does a good job.
-
- If a child has never tasted peanut butter, then this a fine substitute. But it tastes nothing like peanut butter.
-
- Apple sauce makes a great egg substitute and also helps cakes and muffins to fluff up.
-
- The word ‘vegan’ is very helpful when looking out for milk ingredients.
-
- Look for simple items you can trust like a brand of noodle that is based on the simple primary ingredients.
About The Author
My name is Adam White and I am a graphic designer, web developer, father of six from the great state of Oklahoma. I love cooking for people while learning and trying new things.
