My 15 month old daughter has been recently diagnosed with food allergies to both egg and peanut. I am wondering if there are any bakeries or other stores that I can find snacks and other foods for her at. She is a picky eater already and now I have to cut back on so many of the things that she was finally eating.
We don't have allergies, but know many who do.
Diane is a great friend of mine, good heart SO full of knowledge about food allergies. Will love to help you guys out with info and support.
Parents of Children Having Allergies (POCHA)
Oak Park, IL
Meetings held at Oak Park Library (Dole Branch)
225 Augusta
Oak Park, IL 60302
Diane Zimmer Fascione
Email: ____@____.com
What about the Bleeding Heart Bakery? They are vegan and have 2 locations in Chicago - one on Belmont at Damen and the other on Chicago Ave btwn Ashland and Damen.
I looked into this a couple of years ago (as a room parent) and I couldn't locate a completely nut-free bakery in the Chicago area.
Whole Foods and Trader Joe's are both good about providing information about their products. You can download product lists for different special diets at both of their websites. Every Whole Foods store also has a concierge (check with the service desk) who can personally give suggestions. Enjoy Life foods (free of all major allergens) are sold in various stores and they are a local business, good to support.
It's out of the way for you, but Rose's Wheat Free in Evanston might be worth checking out. They also have egg, dairy, and nut-free options: http://www.rosesbakery.com/
Gluten Free Grocery in Westchester might have some good options- www.gfgrocery.com.
T.
C.,
I can't have eggs or dairy, and have found that Vegan items from Whole Foods/Trader Joe's are a good fit. Most of the stuff tastes better than it did even a few years ago. There is also a brand called Cherrybrook Kitchen that is available in the natural foods section of Jewel that has allergen-free box mixes for cakes/brownies/pancakes (which I think are a food group to themselves...).
Good Luck.
J.
Bleeding Heart Bakery..
Rose's Wheat-Free Bakery on Central Street in Evanston is WONDERFUL!!! So tasty and charming!
The Fruitful Yield stores stock many gluten free and other "allergy free" foods. Since they are much smaller than Whole Foods it is easier to get personal service/advice from the staff. They have a lot of stores in the Chicago area and a website:
My 3 year old has an egg allergy and I just found out (suspected all along) that my 1 year old has a milk allery. We shop at Whole foods a lot. Van's makes eggless waffles that are really yummy and Bell and Evan's makes a eggless chicken nugget that are also really yummy.
You can find eggless cake mixes but to me they all taste a little funny. I've had great success using all Betty Crocker mixes with an "egg replacer" powder that I've found at Whole Foods or Treasure Island. The powder doesn't do as well in some recipes I've tried from scratch. Not worth the effort to me.
We've made meatballs and meatloaves without egg and they turn out ok.
Also, Oreos are peanut and egg free.
It's not easy but certainly doable. My daughter is very picky too (my allergist says that most allergy kids are) so we tend to eat the same things over and over. At least we can bake together.
Now with my sons milk allergy, life is about to be even more interesting!
By the way, because you have to read all labels, I'd try to find a way to get a sitter those first couple of trips to the grocery store. I was so overwhelmed and frustrated when I found myself in Whole Foods for the first time pregnant and with a rambunctious toddler while trying to read labels.
Good luck!
Hi C.,
We have peanut/tree nut, dairy and egg allergies in our family, so I know what you mean. Vegan foods are good options as they will not have dairy or egg, but they are not always nut free. We are huge fans of the products by enjoy life, as they are free of the top allergens. We also like alvarado st. bread, they are very aware of allergens and the website will tell you exactly what is in the products and if they are even produced in a facility that uses nuts. Most of the breads and bagels are not. A website that I have found helpful is allergymoms.com. They send a monthly email with a ton of great information. Good luck, it seems hard, but it can be done!
Hi C.,
This is alittle out there perhaps, but you might want to check out the Body Ecology Diet. When we have too much yeast in our systems it messes up our digestive track and then our bodies can produce different kinds of allergies/sensitivities/ailments, etc. I just started implementing the diet for my son, boyfriend and myself this week and already I feel better. Ben was diagnosed with food/enviornmental allergies from 8 months- and put on flovent twice a day. We changed his diet around and he got better, but we've been in a food rut lately (eating lots of the same foods, tons of fruit- the fruit which especially can help the yeast to flourish as that is what it feeds on), so I decided it was time for a sugar detox. Its been two days for my son and already I've seen a great change. Its been hard at times because he's definately going through withdrawl, but he'll be much better for it in the end. I hope this helps. If you want to do the diet let me know and we can give each other support! At the very least I suggest checking out the site. www.bodyecology.com
Blessings,
J.
hi there! of course you can find things at whole foods and trader joes. (ie- their soybut butter instead of PB is great!) i know that TJ's now has a label that states if foods are nut-free, etc. there are lots of small businesses popping up - not sure where you live.
here are some other resources that i know of:
http://www.deerfieldsglutenfree.com/home.aspx
http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/features_julieshe...
http://www.foodallergycookbook.com/links.htm
and here is an article about a family friend, a chef who has made his downtown restaurant allergy-friendly:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3190/is_40_40/ai_n...
