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FAQ

What are the Top 9 Food Allergens?

THE TOP 9 ALLERGENS:

  • milk/dairy
  • wheat/gluten
  • eggs
  • soy
  • tree nuts
  • peanuts
  • fish
  • shellfish
  • sesame

Is coconut classified as a nut?

According to FDA regulations, coconut is classified as a tree nut. However, most people with tree nut allergies are not allergic to coconut.
According to the USDA Forest Service, “nuts are actually fruit. They are defined as dry, single-seeded fruits that have high oil content. They are usually enclosed in a leathery or solid outer layer.” With this working definition, it is easy to see how coconut could be classified as both a fruit and nut.

Are oats safe for celiac?

This will truly depend on the person with celiac disease. Some people with celiac will not be able to tolerate any trace amount of gluten found in oats. Some people with celiac can tolerate oats with no problem as long as they are labeled gluten free.
Furthermore, some people with celiac disease find that the makeup of oats is too similar to gluten, so their bodies don’t handle it well in general.
All that aside, when making recipes, be sure to figure out what is safe for you and the people you are cooking for.

Why should you use The Allergy Friendly Kitchen recipes?

The Short Answer

We have been where you are and want to make your journey with allergies a little easier.

The Long Answer

The owner of The Allergy Friendly Kitchen, Nikki, began her allergy journey 10 years ago when she began having random reactions to food. A few years later, her condition worsened and she was diagnosed with adult onset autoimmune diseases known as POTS, EOE, and GERD. She thought she’d never enjoy food again, but then she began to crack the codes for allergy friendly cooking. And, here we are today, with many years of allergy friendly recipe knowledge, vast experience with trial and error, and an understanding of the situation you and your family might be facing right now.
We know how it feels when there is only a limited number of foods you can enjoy. We know how it feels to no longer dine out, and no longer enjoy your families’ good cooking.
We have dived into this world of allergy friendly cooking with science, trial, and error for us and for you. Making things from scratch is time consuming, but this process is now quicker and easier for you. Today is the day you can make those craved cinnamon rolls that you wish to have even with all your allergies.

Substitutes for corn?

Most of The Allergy Friendly Kitchen recipes can be made free from corn or alternatives listed. But, if you are suffering from a corn allergy, we highly recommend doing some research, because there are many ingredients derived from corn that you will need to become aware of that we may have missed! Some ingredients that may contain corn include:

  • Baking powder (you can find corn free options)
  • Bleached flour
  • Cake yeast
  • Caramel
  • Cellulose
  • Citric acid
  • Cornflakes (we like to use rice crisps instead)
  • Cornflour (we use potato or rice flour instead)
  • Cornmeal
  • Cornstarch (arrowroot powder is a good substitute)
  • Corn oil
  • Corn sugar
  • Corn syrup
  • Dextrin and dextrose
  • Glucose
  • High fructose syrup
  • Hominy and maize
  • Maltitol
  • Malt syrup
  • Maltodextrin and maltodextrose
  • Monosodium glutamate
  • Powdered sugar (you can buy powdered sugar with tapioca starch instead of corn starch added in).
  • Sorbitol
  • Starch and modified starch
  • Vanilla extract (Pure Vanilla extract is ok)
  • Vegetable starch
  • Vegetable gum
  • Vegetable protein
  • Vegetable paste
  • White distilled vinegar
  • Xantham gum (a good substitute for this is guar gum)

If you need more information about corn, here is a good place to get started.

Substitutes for legumes?

Legumes are found in many top 9 allergen friendly foods. Pea protein is the one we see most often. Although it is harder to buy prepackaged foods, when cooking at home, legumes can usually be easily substituted. Here’s a list of some ingredients containing legumes and some substitutions:

  • pea protein (rice and potato protein are great substitutes)
  • soybeans & its derivatives (more info about soy here)
  • peanuts
  • All beans: navy, soy kidney, Lima white, black, etc. (subbing in more meat, veggies, and cauliflower in the place of beans is great!)
  • Green peas
  • All lentils (a good substitute is quinoa)
  • chickpea
  • chickpea protein (rice and potato protein are great substitutes)
  • aqufaba (whipped potato protein is a good substitute)
  • lupine
  • cowpea
  • pigeon pea
  • fenugreek (substitute ideas: yellow mustard seeds, maple syrup, burnt brown sugar)

Many people will only be sensitive to a few of the items on this list above, but it is good to be aware of these common ingredients when you are cooking for someone with legume allergies. A good rule of thumb is to double check first, then cook if found safe.

If you need more information about legume allergies, here is a good place to get started

Substitutes for rice?

Here at The Allergy Friendly Kitchen, we do use rice a lot in our recipes. But if you cannot do rice, we recommend using these substitutes in place of rice, rice flour, and rice based pasta:

  • quinoa as a side dish with dinner
  • oat flour
  • potato starch, flour
  • sorghum flour
  • tapioca flour
  • cassava flour
  • Coconut, & coconut flour
  • Sunflower seed flour
  • potato starch
  • corn gluten free pasta
  • lentil pasta
  • Arrowroot
  • Flaxseed
  • Plaintains and plaintain flour
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Chia seeds
  • Pumpkin seeds

If you need more information about rice allergies and intolerances, here is a good place to get started.

Also, if you are considering going grain free, here is some more information about how to get started!

Substitutes for coconut?

Coconut is in many store bought top 9 allergen free foods. However, coconut is usually easy to get around in your food at home. The most challenging one to get around is coconut oil.
Coconut oil is hard at room temperature, making it a great alternative to soy-based vegetable shortening (use this as an alternative to coconut oil, IF you can have soy).
However, if you can’t have coconut, a good substitute for coconut oil is palm shortening. It is a little softer than coconut oil which means your food will turn out softer, but it works great as a substitute.
And if you can’t have palm shortening or coconut oil, then you have a few options to try: lard (fat from pork), tallow (fat made from beef), or schmaltz (fat from chicken or turkey). All of these fats are softer than coconut oil, but may work for some recipes.

How to make your own Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour?

…info coming soon…

Allergy Disclaimer

Here at The Allergy Friendly Kitchen, we try to offer recipes that can cater to your allergy-specific needs. All of our recipes are made without the Top 9 Allergens and most can be made without corn or legumes. However, we are not doctors and cannot guarantee our recipes will be safe for you. Please read all ingredients and know the allergy information about your food before you consume it.

Affiliate Disclosure

At The Allergy Friendly Kitchen, we want to make your life with allergies easier. So, we offer links to specific equipment & allergy friendly foods that you can buy at the stores nearest to you. We are proud affiliates for some of these tools, meaning if you click a link for a tool and make a purchase, we earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Our recommendations are based on our vast experience with and knowledge of these companies and their products, and we recommend them because they are genuinely helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions we may receive. Please don’t spend any money on the products unless you believe they will help make life with allergies easier for you. And of course please do your own research to make sure each food you consume is safe for you.

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