which of the eight “free of” ingredients is omitted from each recipe.
Example 1: Protein dishes for light and main meals
| Name of recipe | Free of:W = Wheat; G = Gluten; Ma = Maize; E = Egg;Mi = Milk; L = Lactose; So = Soya;C+P= Colourants and preservatives | |||||||
| W | G | Ma | E | Mi | L | So | C+P | |
| Pan-grilled fish | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • |
| Oven-baked white fish | • | • | • | • | • | |||
| Tuna bake | • | • | (•) | (•) | (•) | • | ||
•If you take a look at Oven-baked white fish, you will see that this dish is free of wheat, gluten, egg, soya, colourants and preservatives.
•If you take a look at Tuna bake it has brackets (•) at milk, lactose and soya. When the milk in the recipe is replaced by soya milk, then the dish will be milk and lactose free, but not soya free.
2.The “free of” information is provided at each recipe.
Example 2: Tuna bake
| Free of: | W | G | Ma | E | Mi | L | So | C+P |
| • | • | (•) | (•) | (•) | • |
3.Substitutes will follow at the bottom of each recipe, for example:
| SUGGESTIONS AND VARIATIONS•Replace the milk with soya milk, then the dish will be milk and lactose free but not soya free. Use lactose-free milk, such as Parmalat EasyGest, then the dish is lactose free but not milk free.•Crosse & Blackwell Trim Low Oil Dressing is milk and egg free. It contains maize starch as a stabiliser so it is not maize free. It contains the preservative potassium sorbate, which is considered quite “safe”. |
Hints to make your meal plan more practical
•To make it easier to buy ingredients and prepare food, plan a menu for every day of the week. Plan the menu so that most of the dishes are suitable for everyone in the family. Only substitute those dishes that are not suitable for the person with the food allergy or intolerance.
•Substitute each unsuitable dish on the menu with an alternative. A person who has to restrict their diet due to a food allergy or intolerance will achieve better long-term compliance if he or she does not feel deprived.
•Make provision for the days when there is little time for food preparation by preparing food in advance when you do have time. Pack, seal and chill or freeze these dishes until they are needed. Each recipe includes “Will it keep?” information which will give you an indication of whether the dish is suitable for freezing or for how long it can be kept chilled.
•Make provision for packed meals away from home by preparing and chilling or freezing breads, muffins, soups and light meals in serving portions.
•Mark the dishes to be chilled or frozen and store them in a specific spot in the fridge or freezer. Mark each dish with a label and the following information:
–Name of dish
–Date of preparation
–Portion size or number of portions
•Although it is preferable to use fresh and unprocessed ingredients, some recipes include tinned food such as tinned tomatoes, lentils and mushrooms to assist and speed up food preparation.
•Store special flour in an airtight container in a cool place or in the fridge.
•View the dietary prescription and meal plan, with all its restrictions, in a positive manner as part of a balanced treatment and lifestyle.
Special occasions
VISITING AND EATING OUT
•Follow the guidelines under the heading “Hints to make your meal plan more practical”.
•When eating out or when you are invited for a meal, it is a good idea to visit or call the restaurant before the time, or to call the host to determine if you should take a substitute along for certain dishes which will be served.
CHILDREN’S PARTIES
If you follow these guidelines, children’s parties can still be fun:
•Choose an interesting theme, cheerful décor and a colourful table arrangement, including cheerful containers for snacks.
•Consider the child’s food allergy or intolerance and plan the snacks with this in mind. Add more snacks where needed, to accommodate the needs of the other children as well. Explain to the child which snacks are acceptable for him or her.
•When your child is invited to a party, it is advisable to contact the host beforehand to ask whether you should bring something along. By doing this, you will make sure that your child will enjoy the party without suffering any ill effects afterwards.
LUNCH BOXES AND PADKOS
•Sometimes homemade food is the only safe choice for people with a food allergy or intolerance because the selection of take-away foods and snacks is sometimes limited and even dubious.
•The variety of recipes in this book gives options for breakfast, light and main meals, muffins, breads and snacks.
Food allergies and intolerance – the social dilemma
Outsiders do not always respond positively towards people with a food allergy or intolerance. I know of people who have consumed forbidden foods just to avoid negative comments, only to suffer from ill symptoms for hours or even days afterwards.
When your allergy or sensitivity has been diagnosed by experts and responsible people, such as a medical doctor or a dietitian or by medical tests, and positive treatment is recommended, it remains both your choice and responsibility to stick to the treatment and to take a firm stand when others react as if it is “nothing to worry about”. Everyone has choices in life and these should be respected by others.
Nutritional analysis
The nutritional analysis of the recipes has been done with a computerised programme according to information regarding nutritional values found in the following sources: South African Food Composition Database (SAFOODS), including information from the South African Medical Research Council (MRC) regarding the “Food Composition Tables” (1991); updated information regarding vegetables and fruit (1998); and updated information regarding beef, milk and eggs (1999/2000).
Abbreviations
| °C | degrees Celsius (metric unit of temperature) |
| CHO | carbohydrate |
| cm | centimetres (metric unit of length) |
| g | gram (metric unit of mass) |
| kg | kilogram (metric unit of weight) |
| kJ | kilojoule (metric unit of energy) |
| med | medium |
| mg | milligram (metric unit of weight) |
| ml | millilitre (metric unit of volume) |
| mm | millimetre (metric unit of length) |
| MUFA | monounsaturated fatty acids |
| PUFA | polyunsaturated fatty acids |
| SF | saturated fats |
| “Free of” abbreviations | |
| W | Wheat |
| G | Gluten |
| Ma | Maize |
| E | Egg |
| Mi | Milk |
| L | Lactose |
| So | Soya |
| C+P | Colourants
|
