If you or your children are allergic to certain ingredients or foods, cooking allergy-friendly family meals is the only solution to eating healthily. However, if you are too busy to cook daily for everyone, things can get out of hand soon. Here are some of the best tips and ideas to help you cook allergy-friendly family meals using simple ingredients without any hassle.
Identify the Allergies
Some common allergens include eggs, dairy, nuts, shellfish, soy, and gluten. So, ask your doctor to recommend you for an allergy test. For example, blood or skin tests can help determine if you are allergic to any specific ingredient.
Stay Organized
When cooking allergy-friendly family meals, it’s crucial to become organized. It is important to purchase all the ingredients in advance, so you always have what you need in the pantry. In other words, a little planning ahead can help you save valuable time.
Add Wholesome Ingredients
Generally, unprocessed whole foods are the most allergy-friendly and safest food options. For example, vegetables, fresh fruits, and lean proteins (fish, turkey, or chicken) can also be additions. Finally, if you are not allergic to quinoa or legumes, you can use them for preparing lunch items.
Check Labels
Making allergy-friendly meals for the entire family becomes easier when you buy the right items. So, don’t forget to check for allergens and look for products with clear allergen labeling. Some foods are certified as allergy-friendly, so you can add them to your cart.
Look for the Right Substitutes
Another excellent way to make gut-friendly food according to your allergies is to look for the right substitutes. For example, you can replace dairy milk with coconut, oat, or almond milk. Furthermore, you can switch to gluten-free flour or popular alternatives such as coconut or almond flour.
Prepare Dressings and Sauces at Home
Avoid buying salad dressings and sauces from your local store. Most of these are rich in sugar and preservatives, which trigger common food allergies. Finally, you can easily prepare delicious salad dressings or dips at home using lemon juice, olive oil, or herbs.
Use Dried Herbs
Another way to add more flavor to your allergy-friendly meals is to experiment with different spices and herbs. Furthermore, dried or fresh herbs like oregano, basil, or rosemary are common ingredients for adding more flavor to your meals.
Cook One-Pot Meals
Preparing individual dishes for the entire family is possible sometimes. In other words, the best way to feed the whole family is to cook one-pot meals. For example, One-Pan Roasted Chicken and Vegetables with dried herbs and spices can be a wholesome meal for the entire family.
Final Thoughts
Several cookbooks, online resources, and blogs are about allergy-friendly meal recipes. Sourdough and More is one such resource. Here you can find dozens of allergy-friendly recipes that use simple and easily available ingredients.
Involve your family members in the meal preparation or planning process. Remember, it’s crucial to consult with a licensed dietitian or a healthcare professional before you can experiment with any allergy-friendly meals for your family.
We hope you found our post easy to follow and would love to hear how yours came out or things you did differently in the comments below.