Financial Friday: Tips For Living With Food Allergies

Financial Friday: Tips For Living with Food Allergies


This is National Food Allergy Awareness week. Over at Regarding Nannies we have featured numerous views of living with food allergies, today I am going to share some financial tips from some of our readers on how to save money while being healthy and dealing with food allergies. I am providing numerous links to websites and tips on dealing with Food Allergies.  They are indirectly helping you save money by giving you resources at your fingertips.  There is no need to reinvent the wheel just because you have food allergies now, many people have established the wheel for you.   Take their advice and their recipes and enjoy. 


Many families have dealt with food allergies in many ways that are helpful for them. The one common thing I have heard from all of them is to do bulk buying and use a crockpot. Making as many of your foods from scratch will ensure that you are eating healthy and safely.   


Through this gathering of tips and websites I have learned that being gluten free or having allergies does not mean you have to eat yucky foods.  One person even adapted a Julia Child's Strawberry Tart to be gluten free.  You will have to be in the kitchen more to make sure you are eating safely but many of these sites provide so many wonderful recipes that you shouldn't have a problem throwing a dinner party or bringing dessert to a friend's house one night.


Helpful Websites & Companies

• Truly Natural
• Bob's Red Mill  numerous types of grains, flours, recipes & monthly specials
• Gluten Free Mall  coupons, reward program, articles
• Celiac Disease  Anything you want to know about Celiac Disease
• Be Free For Me  Win It Wednesdays, Friday Favorite and a wealth of other knowledge
• Amazon  has a buying program as well that might be helpful on some foods, remember Amazon Prime may be worth looking into for faster and cheaper shipping.
• True Foods Market
• Gluten Free Food Directory lists of beer, snacks, bread, chips, popcorn etc
•  Nature's Path Organic
• Envirokidz fun food products for kids  
• GFCF has many products that are gluten free/casein free foods/products
• Shop at your local farmers market
• Look into joining a CSA 
• Rachel's Recipe Box  recipes, families journey through living gluten free, dairy free, wheat free, gfcf free, berry free & other top allergen foods
• Sure Foods Living  great links to dining & cooking foods
• Cherrybrook Kitchen  gluten free, egg free, peanut free, dairy free, nut free cake mixes, frosting and other products
• Food Allergy Buzz    a great blog with tons of resources and links
• The Food Allergy Queen  has a great strawberry tart recipe from Julia Child adapted to be gluten free
• Check my Tag:  food allergy awareness clothes for toddlers

Helpful Tips:

1. Do you have an egg allergy in the house?  I ran across this tip on a blog, which I can't find now unfortunately about a substitute for egg.  You can substitute 1 Tbsp. of milled flax seed(you can find this near the flours) and 3 Tbsp. of water for each egg in your recipe.
2. Write to the companies that have products that your child and you can eat based on your food allergies. Tell them you like the products etc. Many times they will send you a sample and coupons.  This is a great idea especially if you are not sure you are going to like a product.  All packages should have an 800 phone number on them to reach customer service. Never hurts to try.
3. Bulk purchasing.  Look at the websites and see if they off deals on bulk purchasing.  If so stock up on the basics like flours, grains and so forth that don't go bad quickly.  
4. Split costs of bulk buying with friends who need to purchase similar products
5. Learn how to decipher a food label
6. Learn what the major food allergens are (milk, egg, peanut, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, wheat & other)
7. Ask those who are over for meals and playdates if they have food allergies, do not be afraid to ask them to bring their own snacks and lunches.  If it often safer for the child/person especially if they have severe food allergies
8. Educate yourself on food allergies in children
9. Consider purchasing the Allergy Label Pack from Stuck on You for your child's camp belongs and for school as well. Comes with bracelets, stickers, bag tag etc.  ( listed under Stuck on You Value Packs)
10. Learn about the various non wheat flours and how to cook with them
11. Check your vitamins and medicines to make sure they are free of the food allergens, gluten free and casein free Make sure to confirm with the manufactures as well.

Through your journey of food allergies you will find frustrations and victories in the foods you try from the store and the ones you make.  The costs at first may seem high but once you figure out what foods and products you like buying in bulk and from scratch will save you lots of money.  Make this a fun time for your family in the kitchen, have everyone help out with cooking!


Please share with us some of your helpful money saving and time tips with living and cooking with food allergies!