Let’s just say that for whatever reason you were brought to this place, you are set on trying to feel better, have more energy and then be happier. One way to do that is by eating the right foods, and that doesn’t necessarily mean only following the ‘food pyramid.’ Food affects everyone differently, and it is often challenging to determine a cause of a particular symptom. Quite honestly food is often the last consideration when you do not feel your best.

So you have been to see a doctor or other health professional such as a holistic practitioner and it is official, you or someone in your family needs to go on an allergy free diet. You’re happy to have an answer to your health issues, and some action you can take without medication yet, at the same time you don’t know where to start with making this happen.

You go home with this long list of things you cannot eat, and your mind is overwhelmed by the size of this task ahead of you. Yes it’s one thing for the doctor to recommend you do this, making it happen is a whole other concept. You take one look at your pantry and become completely overwhelmed and confused as to how to do this and where to even start.

Well, you are in the right place because I can help you with that.

It is easier if the culprit is one item, such as shell fish. When the allergy is a main part of our diet such as wheat/gluten, dairy or nuts these ingredients are much more prevalent and a lot harder to find and let go of. They can be in many unsuspecting foods and in many forms, known as hidden ingredients making it very hard to know what to exclude. Even now that food labels are much more specific when it comes to ingredients, allergy sufferers still need to be careful and diligent.

For example, if you are allergic to milk, eliminating that from your diet means removing milk, cream, casein, and whey.

In our fast-paced time-starved world, this is an enormous task. And the best part, it doesn’t have to be.

And it doesn’t have to mean the end to eating what you love either. There are more substitutes today than ever before, and it is possible to find them in your regular grocery store.

Often the hardest part is knowing which brands are good, and which ones you will like. This is especially true with dairy free and gluten free products. In addition, they are expensive and there are brands that are just not well liked, often requiring different ways to prepare, then you might be used to.

The First 3 Things You Need To Do To Quickly and Easily Adapt Your Home and Family To Life With Food Allergies

First — take a moment to determine if this is going to require a whole family adaptation/change or is it possible to have just the one person have this diet. For example, if one person is having symptoms and needs to eliminate say milk or wheat from their diet, it is possible that the entire family will not have to do this too. On the other hand, if this person’s allergy is severe, then it might be necessary to remove these foods from the home all together.

Second — the next thing you need to do is determine what foods exactly need to be replaced. Take a few minutes to write down or even just scan the pantry for favorite foods. These will most likely be obvious.

Ask yourself what foods does this person eat the most?

How can I integrate this plan into my cooking for the family rather than having to make several dishes per meal?

The most common items that need to be replaced vary depending on the allergy. Listed below are some of the main ones.

Wheat or Gluten — bread, pasta, cereal

Dairy — milk, cheese, butter

Nuts — all nuts, peanut butter

Third — look at the recipes/meals you cook most often and figure out how those will need to be adjusted or replaced. It might be possible to continue serving your family favorite dishes, with just a few tweaks here and there. If your family loves brownies, it may mean just looking for a different brand to buy instead of not buying them at all. Or maybe another possible solution is making certain things from scratch rather than using a mix.

Look also at smaller ingredients you use such as:

- Condiments — ketchup, syrup, salad dressing

- Desserts/Baking — brownies, cakes, muffins, frosting

- Sauces — cream sauce, gravy

- Cooking — sautéing, grilling, baking

Adapting to life with a food allergy seems difficult at first, it doesn’t have to be daunting and these are a few places to get you started.

Connect with me at info@worklesscreatemore.com and let’s explore your possibilities.

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Maureen Considine is Founder and CEO of Finding Your Way Coaching. A Master Coach with expertise in Income Acceleration, Business Development, Sales and Mindset, she is the Wealth Health Creation Strategist for entrepreneurs, executives, and other high performers. Maureen has over 25 years of experience in sales and marketing. She has helped hundreds of clients grow their businesses and reach their true potential using her unique, intuitive, and holistic approach. Maureen has a B.A. in Psychology, with training in mindset and the Psychology of Sales.