On August 4, 2014, I was told I was not allergic to tomatoes. I could eat them after 12 years of not eating them. My food list changed. I could not eat potatoes but tomatoes was a YES! After my Dr. appointment I called my sister and told her to make some spaghetti and meat sauce for dinner that night and I was a very happy person.
My new challenge began in May of 2014, when I was told about my new allergies. How was I going to cook and figure out what to eat? I could not have soy, peanut, potatoes, sunflower and all the others. Food, my challenge, was going to have to be made at home. This should not be real difficult for me beacuse I used to do it when my boys were youngsters and living at home. We ate homemade products all the time. Well, foods you buy in stores has changed, most of it is processed and prepared with too many preservatives. Let’s compare a store brought loaf of bread, Wonder or Natures Own, to a freshly baked one. How long will it take for each one to mold (turn green)? When I was a kid it used to take about 4-5 days but now, well I don’t think I have seen that happen with the store bought loaf. Yes, store bought bread has a lot of preservatives in it.
Here are typical things that I see for common products on store shelves:
- Chicken- some are injected with chicken broth-( for me means carrots)
- Canned tuna – in water- contains vegetable broth or soybean.
- Packaged Sausage – soybean products
- Canned beans- soybean oil
- Cashews or pistachio nuts- roasted in peanut oil or soybean oil.
- Bagged shredded cheeses- cheeses have potato starch in the bag to prevent cheese from sticking.
They are just a few of the items I found that I can’t eat. Please keep in mind the above information is not true of every brand. I have to read labels for everything I purchase and I get frustrated by what I see a lot.
I have learned how to make my own mayo, beans, cashews and more; none of these things are hard to make. When you have allergies or are buying and cooking for someone with allergies, you should read labels at every visit and purchased you make. I have purchased chips that were made with sunflower oil and then the following month it is made with corn oil. The food manufacturer, yes, manufacturer, will use whatever they have on hand. You will notice sunflower and/or canola oil on the ingredient list. This means it may contain both or just one of the oils and would be a no go for me. All of this is time consuming but you will make something yummy and you or your guest will be able to eat it AND you’ll know what’s in it!