About Allergen-Free Diets

• Before you establish an allergen-free diet, get tested by an allergy doctor to determine the foods in which you are allergic. You may know that milk, for example, causes certain symptoms in you or your child, but you may have allergies to other foods as well. Skin tests can determine the severity of your food allergies. Learn which food allergies are mild versus those that are more severe. Your allergen-free diet should be designed around the foods in which you are severely allergic. For example, if you like bread and have a severe wheat allergy, you will need to either stop eating it or find certain substitute foods.
  
  

Brown Rice and Other Substitutes

• Though some people are allergic to gluten or sugar in certain foods, most people can tolerate rice. If you or your child have multiple food allergies, consider going on a rice or brown rice diet. White rice is more refined and brown rice has a more robust taste. Brown rice is used in many substitute foods. Most commercial foods such as bread, pasta and cereal contain gluten (mainly wheat gluten), a protein substance to which most people react. Fortunately, there are many brown rice substitutes for these food items on the market. For example, brown rice pasta comes in many different forms (i.e., angel hair, elbow macaroni) and you will not even notice the difference in taste. There are even brown rice milks. Furthermore, if you like cookies and crackers, there are gluten-free cookies you may be able to tolerate. And you can buy some tasty crackers made from almonds, hazelnut and pecans. Be sure to read the labels of the foods that you purchase at the store, especially boxed or packaged items. For example, many cereals contain multiple grains and most TV dinners contain whey, a protein found in milk.
  
  

Foods You Can Eat

• Besides substituting foods, you can probably continue to eat most meats, unless you have a fowl (chicken, turkey) allergy. Other foods that are generally allergen-safe include vegetables, fruits, potatoes and yams, most legumes or beans, and certain grains such as millet, buckwheat, hominy and quinoa (corn substitute). Start with your or your child's breakfast and make a list of all the cereals and foods that are allergen-free based on skin tests. Arrange all meals this way and do not buy any foods that contain allergens to which you or your child are allergic.