The Super Allergy Girl Blog

Saving Money on the Gluten-Free and Allergy Free Diets

The gluten-free and allergy free diets are more expensive than a regular diet - there is no disputing that! However, there are may ways to save money whether you are on a gluten-free diet or an allergy free diet or any other special diet for that matter! We have always been very budget conscious unrelated to the gluten-free diet, so when I realized over 12 years ago that we needed to be gluten free, I made a special point to find every way to save money on the foods. One of the best ways to save money if you have celiac disease and are on a gluten-free diet or are on a special diet is to make your gluten-free or allergen-free foods from scratch. You will save money and you should end up with a better tasting food and more of it. Honestly folks, we have purchased some gluten-free and allergen-free foods at the store that were simply so bad that we didn't eat them! Fifteen little cookies for $5.00!

You can save money by making your own gluten-free or allergy-free mixes! Once you find a recipe that you know you love, the next time you go to make the food item - set out three mixing bowls and mix up the dry ingredients for three batches. Then place two of the batches in self-sealing plastic bags and label them. My sons have been doing this for years! They will actually skip putting the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl and place the flours, xanthan gum, etc. right into a plastic bag! That saves washing and drying a bowl, but you should mix the dry ingredients well when you go to use the homemade mix.

Another way to save, which I highly recommend, is through a wholesaler or buying cooperative. You have to know your food prices for this because some food items are cheaper to purchase at your local grocery store than through the coop or wholesaler. I have been actively participating in buying food through a wholesaler or coop for more than 11 years. In addition to knowing your food product prices, you often have to buy products by the case, which means that you either only purchase foods that you love and will use before they expire or you find someone else to split a case. Buying foods like this could take up a whole post in and of itself!

Watch for sales and coupons! I know it does not happen often, but there are times when you can find price reductions, coupons or specials! Stock up when you find a product that is on sale. You can save a good deal of money on produce and meats by buying directly from a farmer - especially a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). We participate in a CSA - Native Offerings Farm - and a buying group that purchases directly from a wholesaler, plus we make almost all of our gluten-free baked goods and treats from scratch. I do not consider any of these activities to be too time consuming as not to be worth it! In fact, when my daughter makes gluten-free and allergy-free browie bits - I know that we are not only saving a lot of money, but the brownie bites taste just like those containing gluten and dairy! Now, go save some money!

Love,

Lisa A. Lundy

 

Sifting through the Maze of Allergy Info: "Is This Your Child?"

I've done several posts on frequently asked questions on allergies, Part I, II and III in the last few days. Now I am going to move on to one resource that will help you sort through the maze of allergy information. The reference is a book titled "Is This Your Child?" by Dr. Doris Rapp, M.D. Dr. Rapp spent her early years as a regular, mainstream allergist. Eventually, she expanded her training and experience and then went and became board certified in pediatrics and environmental medicine - making her board certified in three medical fields. She has been a physician for over 50 years, so she has the medical credentials and the experience to write a compelling resource to help people sort out the facts in allergy. Self-disclosure, Dr. Doris Rapp is a friend of mine so I do have some bias although I thought her book was every bit as good before I became friends with her!

Here is a picture of the book:

There are many reasons why I recommend this book to consumers, the first of which it is written by an authority whose experience and training trumps most physician. The book is pretty easy to read in that Dr. Rapp does not speak above the understanding of the average person - so it's the perfect book for lay people. While the book is pretty long - it is well indexed so you can look up just the symptoms or issues that you or your child is experiencing. I also have to say that I love the pictures on the back cover - just because they are helpful! 

One of the other reasons that I continue to recommend this book and other books by Dr. Doris Rapp is because in the last 10 years - no one who got the book (on my recommendation) ever came back and said that it was not helpful or immensely helpful! In fact, one memorable mother was able to solve one of her child's issues in a matter of a few days with the help of this particular book! In other words, I continue to get excellent feedback from those people who got the book - most from the public library by the way! That is another reason that I love this book - it is in almost every public library in the USA! How cool is that!

Here is a link to Dr. Rapp's website:

http://www.drrapp.com/Dr. Rapp MD Website

This book was on the NY Times Best Sellers list and Dr. Rapp was on network TV shows when it came out. In my humble opinion, this is already a classic book in the field of allergy - one book that will just not go away because it has so much information and value. I would love to hear your comments and thoughts on this book!

Love,

Lisa A. Lundy

 

Gluten-Free and Special Diets for ADHD - Are they worth the time and expense?

I write this with a very biased view, which I will explain in a minute for those of you would are new to my Blog and website. First I must state that I am the author of The Super Allergy Girl™ Allergy & Celiac Cookbook, so I have a financial interest in the gluten-free and allergy free diets. That disclosure being made, let me also assert that I do not believe that everyone should be on a gluten-free or allergen free diet. So let's dive into the topic at hand: Is a gluten-free or allergen free or special diet worth the time and expense? If you have Celiac disease - it is more than worth the time and expense - it is a life-saving must! Currently there is no other treatment for Celiac disease other than the strict adherence to a gluten-free diet. It is absolutely essential. But what about those individuals who do not have celiac disease - is there any merit to a gluten-free or allergen-free or special diet? The answer is it depends on several factors.

Part of what that answer depends on is the health condition which you are trying to address by a special diet, part of it depends on your personal values and part of the answer is contingent upon the weight you put on the pros and cons of alternative treatments. Let me take ADHD as an example. ADHD can be managed by medication, however the medications for ADHD have serious possible side effects including:

*Sudden deaths, stroke, and myocardial infarction have been reported in adults taking stimulant drugs at usual doses for ADHD

*Treatment emergent psychotic or manic symptoms, e.g., hallucinations, delusional thinking, or mania in children and adolescents without prior history of psychotic illness or mania can be caused by stimulants at usual doses.

*Aggressive behavior or hostility is often observed in children and adolescents with ADHD, and has been reported in clinical trials and the postmarketing experience of some medications indicated for the treatment of ADHD.

*Aggressive behavior or hostility is often observed in children and adolescents with ADHD, and has been reported in clinical trials and the postmarketing experience of some medications indicated for the treatment of ADHD.

*Long-term growth suppression (height and weight)

The above possible side-effects are serious in my humble opinion - especially the first one -sudden death, stroke and heart attack. For someone like me, the pros of medication - it is relatively easy and covered by insurance are not worth the cons - serious possible health problems. There are multiple dietary interventions that can bring relief from ADHD symptoms including the Feingold Diet® and the gluten and casein-free diet (GFCF Diet). You can find out more about the Feingold Diet® and the Feingold Program from their website, which is:

Feingold Association Website

The Feingold Association has been around since 1976 and you can find a wealth of medical literature on their site about the positive impact diet has on ADHD and other health issues. The GFCF diet has become much more popular in the last decade for ADHD due primarily to the Autism community. Is it more expensive to be on a special diet? Well it depends on what diet you are considering and how you do it. We make our GFCF (and egg-free, nut free and other allergen free) foods from scratch saving a lot of money and getting better tasting foods. If you find that the cons or possible side effects from ADHD medication are not a problem, then clearly medication might be a good route for you. But for some of us moms - the risk benefit ratio is clearly tipped towards looking at non-medication interventions and for that diet is a key strategy! In my humble opinion, based on over 12 years of doing a gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, peanut free, tree-nut free, dye free, preservative free diet - it is absolutely worth the additional time and expense! Let me know if you have any questions! I am here to help!

Love,

Lisa A. Lundy

 

How to Use the Internet to get Reliable and Good Information on Health

Back in 1997, my husband used the internet to get a profile of a medical diagnosis for juvenile papillomatosis and in the end - my husband was 100% spot on with the condition thus supporting the case that you can get good information from the Internet. In the gluten-free world, people have been using information on the internet to help get themselves diagnosed with Celiac disease for a long time. I have seen a dramatic shift in the number of individuals and companies coming on board to provide "health" information and services since 2007. What concerns me is that some of these individuals do not have a background in anything health related. One man wanted to connect to my website and when I started asking questions about his training and background in health it became readily apparent that he had zero personal education, training or background. What this means to consumers is that you are in a "Buyer Beware" situation. 

So, there is really great health information available to consumers on the world wide web, but you have to know which sites to run from and which sites are above board as there are sites that are bad and should be avoided. Here are the factors to look at when deciding if a website is one you should trust or walk away from.

Credibility:

What is the person's credibility, stature, expertise, education or training? Who endorses them? Who are they affiliated with? What does their resume contain? A reputable website will contain specific information about the person, owner, staff, or other individuals providing services. It should contain pictures of the individuals as well as a phone number and address for use in contacting them. If there is no picture, no bio, no contact information, no resume - I would walk away and never return. This is a huge red flag for questionable individuals, companies and organizations. The website material should give you a clear indication that they have the background to serve your health needs. If that information is missing, you should question why.

No Free Content

If the website has No Free Content - I would walk away especially if you have to "register" to view the content, or see more information. Content is defined as FREE documents, tip sheets, white papers, recipes, videos, blog entries, etc. If you have to register, it is not free. The price of admission IS your contact information even if it is only your e-mail address. Free content does not in and of itself mean that the person is reputable or has credibility.

Google The Person(s)

You might be surprised what this will reveal. If someone is an "expert" they should have pages and pages that they show up on in a Google Search. If you are new to this process or have not vetted anyone using this process - ask for help. You can even post your question here and I will reply! 

You want to get your medical information from your own doctor or health care provider. Information from the Internet can be enormously helpful if you know what you are doing and what to avoid. I hope that this is helpful to you! Let me know if you have any questions as I am here to help!

Love,

Lisa

 

 

Why people with Celiac and Food Allergies Should Sign up for FAAN Alerts

Oh, yeah. I have been meaning to write this blog post for a very long time. I often find that people with celiac disease are not signed up for FAAN Alerts. Same for those with children who have life-threatening food allergies. Stop. I guess it would be really helpful to explain what FAAN is and does and what a FAAN alert looks like. FAAN stands for the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network. This is the link to their website: http://www.foodallergy.org/ FAAN has been helping people with IgE food allergies for about 20 years. They advocate for food allergy awareness, food labeling, and education. One of the best programs they have in my humble opinion is their FAAN Alert program.

You sign up through their website and you will receive food allergy and gluten or wheat alerts. Below are three examples of FAAN Alerts from this year.

 

October 11, 2011 Shrimp Allergy Alert Nestlé Prepared Foods Company is recalling a limited quantity of one variety of LEAN CUISINE® Dinnertime Selects which is mislabeled. The packaging identifies the meal as containing chicken, however, an error has been discovered and approximately 200 packages contain shrimp. The product possibly was shipped to retailers in Alaska, Florida, Idaho, Oregon and Washington state. The recall affects LEAN CUISINE® Dinnertime Selects Chicken Fettuccini/UPC code 13800-14880 with a production code of 1253595911G and a “best before” date of October 2012. Consumers who have purchased to the product may contact Nestlé consumer services at (800) 542-6935, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, to receive a full refund.  FAANTM (The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network) 11781 Lee Jackson Highway, Suite 160 | Fairfax, VA 22033-3309 | (800) 929-4040 MILK ALLERGY ALERT  Sept. 28, 2011 M & P Food Productions, LTD., is recalling several varieties of “Vareniki/Dumplings” due to undeclared milk and wheat. The products were sold in retail stores in Connecticut, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina,Ohio, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina. The products are packaged in 14-oz. sealed plastic bags that are distributed frozen. The recall affects the following products with “BEST BEFORE SEP 19 2011” through “BEST BEFORE MAR 19 2012:”   Bapehuku Dupling brand Vareniki cabbage, UPC 7 07163 02619 8, yellow and green background on packaging with green and black lettering. Bapehuku Dupling brand Vareniki potato & onion, UPC 7 0 7163 02616 7, yellow and brown background on packaging with brown and black lettering. Bapehuku Dupling brand Vareniki potato & mushroom, UPC 7 07163 02617 4, yellow and blue background on packaging with blue and black lettering. Bapehuku Dupling brand Vareniki farmer cheese, UPC 7 0716 302618 1, yellow and purple background on packaging with purple and black lettering. Bapehuku Dupling brand Vareniki sour cherry, UPC 7 07163 02615 0, yellow and red background on packaging with red and black lettering. Consumers may return the product to the place of purchase for a refund. Consumers with questions may contact the company at (718) 438-6421, Monday through Friday between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. ET.   WHEAT ALLERGY ALERT  Aug. 17, 2011 Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc. is recalling “Winn-Dixie Choco Charm Chocolate Drink” due to undeclared wheat.    The products were sold in the dairy departments of Winn-Dixie and SaveRite stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia,Louisiana, and Mississippi. The product is packaged in a 128-oz. (one gallon) clear plastic bottle with a yellow bottle cap and marked with the UPC code 21140-29830.   Consumers may return the product to the place of purchase for a refund. Consumers with questions may contact the company at (866) 946-6349.

In my humble opinion, individuals with celiac disease and gluten intolerance as well as those individuals with food allergies and food sensitivities or on the GFCF diet would do well to register to receive FAAN alerts. These are the kinds of notices that do not generally make it into the media spotlight. I can't underscore this enough. FAAN has done an exemplary job with the relationships they have established with the food manufacturing industry and as such they are on top of the food errors that occur. Just my two cents for what it is worth!

Love,

Lisa

Celiacs and Gluten-Free Friends: Meet me in Boston for a great gluten free dinner

Yes, calling all celiacs and those on a gluten-free diet: meet me at Burtons Grill in Hingham, MA on Monday, September 3rd for a three course gluten-free meal priced at $34.95 per person with a complimentary copy of my book going to the first 25 tables ordering off of the special menu - limit one book per table. This special dinner is sponsored by Alletess Medical Laboratory!

Here is a link to see the Event Flyer for this wonderful dinner:

Autumn Dinner at Burtons Grill

 

Here is a link to the Burtons Grill location:

Burtons Grill in Hingham, MA

The address of Burtons Grill is 94 Derby Street (The Derby Street Shoppes), Hingham, MA. The first course is your choice of Butternut Soup or Mixed Greens. The second course is your choice of Turkey Meatloaf, Spinach Lasagna or Haddock Imperial. The third course is Apple Crisp or Cherry Pie - all gluten free, of course. I will be at the restaurant for the dinner to meet and greet, answer questions and help anyone and everyone attending! In addition, Michelle Clark from Alletess will be there with information and to answer questions on medical testing. Alletess is a fantastic company that offers non-IgE mediated testing for food allergies - those are the food issues that make up approximately 90 to 95 percent of all food issues. If you as a consumer have wondered about testing for food sensitivities or food intolerances, this would be a great place and a great time to get some information and some of your questions answered. I hope to see you there!

Love,
Lisa 

 

Tales from the Crypt: Gluten Free and Allergen Free Baking Disasters

The biggest topic that I get private e-mails about is kitchen failures when it comes to gluten-free and allergy free baking. So, now it is time to tell a whopper on myself! Today I had a baking disaster! I mean a total and complete gluten-free and allergen free baking bummer. Of course, I can think of other adjectives to use here, but I don't want to be overly melodramatic. I share this with you to bring comfort to the beginners - even those of us with 12 plus years of gluten-free and allergy-free baking experience bomb in the kitchen now and then! Even those of us who have published a celiac and allergy cookbook have failures now and then! So what was the problem? Yes, I really want to share that with you as well as the total experience! The problem today was the fat that I used to grease the mini-baking muffin tins. Say what?

Yes, in the gluten-free and allergy-free baking arena the fat that you use to grease a pan matters. Let me tell you what does not work - at least not of late - one non-dairy margarine and one non-dairy margarine substitutes (brand names excluded for legal liability reasons)! I ran out of the normal baking spray that I use to grease the mini-muffin tins, so I used some non-dairy and mostly allergen free margarine (contains some soy) and the brownie bites that I was making would not come out of the pan. Let me say, even with a knife going gently around the edge of the pan, these brownie bites could not be saved! If a picture is worth a thousand words, here is a picture to show my gluten-free and allergen-free baking disaster of the day.

 

Let's take one more look at this:

These brownie bites were literally in pieces! Now, here is the upshot - they will be eaten. How they will be used up eventually is in ice cream sundae's. Non-dairy, gluten-free, allergen-free ice cream sundae's that is. They will also be used in our "pretend" DQ™ Blizzards - the ones that we make at home with non-dairy (and gluten-free) ice cream and candy or cookies. Yes, these bits and pieces of brownies will definitely be eaten over time. For now, they have been lovingly thrown (LOL) into the deep freeze. Another use for these could be dried out a bit and crumbled for a dessert pie crust.

Going back to greasing the pans. Did anyone notice in the last few months to a year that the baking sprays have changed? I noticed the label and the ingredient change a while back, but I didn't think much of it...it seems to me that the brownie bites that we have been making for years just don't slide out of the pan like they used to. Where else does the non-dairy (allergen free) margarine substitute not work out as well? Two recipes come to mind immediately - one is frosting and the other is rice crispy treats (made with a gluten-free cereal of course). The frosting with some non-dairy margarine substitutes will be too runny for my tastes and not very creamy or soft. One of the non-dairy margarine substitutes we use makes the rice crispy treats seem stale. It is definitely the margarine substitute and not the cereal.

I hope that this will make some of the beginners feel a tad bit better. I recommend that beginners stick to a few helpful guidelines to avoid failures in the beginning:

1. Use a proven recipe (just any old recipe from the internet may or may not work)

2. Don't make any substitutions in a recipe until you have had success

3. Make sure you understand how the flour is measured (I use the method invented and supported by my friend and mentor, Bette Hagman, may she rest in peace)

4. Use an oven thermometer

5. Turn OFF Convection Bake if you are using my recipes

I hope you have many, many successes in the gluten-free and allergen-free baking area! Let me know how I can support and empower you in the kitchen!

Love,

Lisa 

 

Gluten Free and Allergen Free Dressing: Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette

One of the problems with salad dressings is that they often contain either gluten or allergens. In the allergen department the most common offenders in salad dressings are gluten, dairy, soy (soybean oil). Some dressings can contain MSG and other preservatives that some of us try to avoid. We tried a store bought salad dressing that was delightful, but it contained milk! Since my daughter has a life-threatening IgE allergy to milk, it was not something she could even try. After playing around a bit, I came up with this gluten-free and allergen free recipe for a Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette! We love it. To reduce the calories (and sugar), I used a dash of stevia, which makes it more diabetic friendly. If you don't have stevia, then you can use a little sugar to taste. 

Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette

1/2 cup pure water

1/3 cup of acceptable oil

1/2 to 3/4 cup roasted red pepper puree

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 tablespoon tomato paste

Dash of salt

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Dash of black pepper

Dash of xanthan gum

Optional: 1 tablespoon roasted red peppers, finely diced

For the roasted red pepper puree, you can either puree roasted red peppers that you buy at the store, or roast and puree your own red peppers. Blend all ingredients in a blender. This makes about 2 cups of dressing. Here is a picture of the dressing:

The black spec you can see is part of the roasted red pepper. Here is what the dressing looks like on the salad that we ate with the dressing:

It was simply delicious! And everyone in our family can eat this dressing! The irony is that my daughter didn't like it at all! O.K. this was not a big surprise since she really doesn't like red peppers! But my son who loves the roasted red pepper dressing and does not tolerate milk well is quite pleased to have this new recipe in our array of dressing recipes! Enjoy!

Love,

Lisa

Allergy Testing: My Allergy Test and Other Testing

When it comes to allergies and allergy testing there is no question that it can get confusing for the consumer. I am very excited to share with you a new testing tool for consumers, which I believe will dramatically empower consumers and change the medical testing landscape. The new testing tool is called My Allergy Test®, which is an FDA cleared testing kit for in-vitro diagnostic use. What this means to consumers is that for around $60.00 you can purchase a kit to be IgE tested (you can find the difference between IgE and non-IgE mediated allergies on my website under resources) without having to see a primary care physician or allergist. This is a real tool for consumers.

The company who makes the MyAllergyTest® kit is ImmuneTech, and you can visit their website at: www.ImmuneTech.com for more information. The MyAllergyTest® kit tests for some of the most common allergens including: 4 pollens -Timothy Grass, Bermuda Grass, Mountain Cedar (Juniper), Short Ragweed; 1 mold - Alternaria; 3 foods - Milk, Egg White, Wheat; and 2 others - Cat and House Dust Mite. I was so excited when I found about the existence of this product!! Why? Because it puts some power in the hands of the consumer when it comes to their health. I see several areas where this product will be helpful to consumers.

One is to determine if they have an IgE mediated allergy to the allergens being tested for in the kit. While, yes, the kit is limited to ten allergens - the fact that you can get this testing on your own without seeing a doctor is helpful for those consumers whose primary care doctor will not refer them to an allergist. Now a consumer can take the results into their physician - assuming there are some positive results - and make a request to be referred to an allergist and have real data as the basis for the request. It is also helpful to consumers if their test results are positive to milk, egg whites or wheat to know immediate to avoid these foods. They can then seek the appropriate medical advice from their physician on how to proceed with further testing or avoidance.

This kit also opens up new doors for consumers, in my humble opinion, who do not have health insurance. For the cost, this is valid, scientific testing that can be a tool for consumers with limited or no access to health care to help them sort out what might be causing particular symptoms that are allergy related. The kit is easy to use. Yes, I did use one on myself so I know exactly how easy it is to use. I was most intimidated by the lancet in the kit. You only need a very small amout of blood - this is a finger stick type of test. You mail the contents of the kit back to the company as instructed in their directions, and you will receive an e-mail directing you to go to the company website where you can view, download and print your test results. It really is that simple! 

This is a picture of the front of the MyAllergyTest® Kit.

You can order the MyAllergyTest® kit directly from the company or find out more about the company or the kit through their website: www.ImmuneTech.com. My results showed that I had no IgE allergies to the ten items tested! Whew! What a relief! The most intimidating aspect to me was using the lancet. This is really a finger-stick test, which means you only need a few drops of blood from your finger tip. Once you follow the instructions in the kit and send the sample back to the company, you will then get an e-mail from the company directing you to their website where you can view, download, and print your test results. Or if you request it, you can have your results sent to you by U.S. mail. It is a kit that is well put together and has a great deal of potential to help consumers!!! Yay ImmuneTech! I'd love to hear your comments and results if you used this product!! Have a wonderful day!

Love,
Lisa 

Post Script dated September 28, 2011:

I understand from the company that they have updated their packaging, so I asked for a new image. Here is the new image of the MyAllergyTest® product:

Gluten-Free & Allergen Free: Winter Warm Up Soup

I invented this soup recipe to use up our CSA winter root vegetables. I was actually taken aback that my children loved the soup! This soup has a unique taste and it simply will not appeal to everyone. It’s the best way that I have come up with to use up those winter root vegetables that are abundant with organic cooperatives. In the last year since I came up with this recipe, we have made it many, many times. My children will ask for it by name, which is interesting since I would not consider this one of my better recipes. If it were not for their insistence on having it again and again, this recipe would have ended up being tossed. Let me know your thoughts.

4 cups or 32 ounces of chicken or vegetable broth

6 cups of pure water

1-1/4 cups of chopped onion or 1 large onion chopped

4 cups parsnips, peeled and chopped

2 cups carrots, peeled and chopped

4 cups potatoes, diced (we leave the skins on)

2/3 cup shredded or grated celeriac (you could use celery instead of celeriac)

1-1/2 cups turnips, diced

4 teaspoons Celtic salt

2-1/2 teaspoons dill

2 teaspoons basil

1 teaspoon thyme

dash of marjoram

Combine all ingredients in a large stockpot and cook over medium heat until the vegetables are cooked through and the flavors well melded. Let the soup cool and then puree. Puree the soup and return to the pot. This makes about 11 cups of soup. If you simmer it for a longer time, you will want to add more water. This does thicken up as it stands, so add water to your desired consistency. We have made this recipe and not pureed it. My strong preference is for the pureed version. This freezes well.