Egg allergy is less common than milk allergy, but the allergic threshold is much lower. Sometimes, merely touching or smelling an egg can produce symptoms. This also happens when one is given vaccines for measles, mumps, rubella, and flu, all of which vaccines are made with eggs. Any egg, be it chicken, goose, duck, or turkey, can produce symptoms if you have an egg allergy. The avoidance list also includes eggs in any form, fresh, dried, or powdered, as well as yolk and albumin. Candy is often brushed with egg white for luster, and pies are, too, so that they bake to a golden brown. Coffee and homemade beer, as well as some soups, may be clarified with egg shells. Generally speaking, you should beware of such foods as waffles, cakes, pastries, ice cream, and sherbet (unless made from an egg-free powder), creamy salad dressings and mayonnaise, heavy sauces, bouillon and broths, root beer, Ovaltine and Ovomalt, meat loaf and sausages, noodles, and baking products. Egg-free meals can be prepared in a variety of ways. Ener-G-Foods’ Egg Replacer (formerly Jolly Joan) is one of the most readily available egg substitutes. You can also replace one egg by mixing 2 tablespoons of flour, V2 teaspoon of shortening, Vz teaspoon of baking powder, and 2 tablespoons of liquid. A package of Knox gelatin or a mashed banana can be used as a binder for each missing egg. Not all cake mixes absolutely require eggs. If you wish, you may write to the company making a particular recipe and ask for in­formation. Many so-called egg substitutes available today are not egg-free, as they contain egg whites, the major source of egg allergen for most people. Remember to eat plenty of meat, fish, poultry, liver, cheese, dried beans, or nuts to get the amount of protein and В vitamins usually derived from eggs.

The only way to deal effectively with milk allergy is to avoid milk and all milk products systematically until all symptoms (including hives, rhinitis, eczema, asthma, vomiting, diarrhea, gas, constipation, and anaphylactic shock) are controlled or have disappeared. Ac­cording to allergists, such reactions are variously caused by lactal-bumin (a simple protein), milk sugar, and casein (another protein), all of which are found in milk. The first step in avoiding foods that contain milk is to learn how to read carefully and to comprehend the ingredient labels of prepared foods. When no ingredients are listed, the food should not be eaten under any circumstances. This also applies when ingredient labels indicate that the product contains any of the following: milk (whole, skim, evaporated, condensed, or dried), cream, milk solids, yogurt, butter, margarine, whey, cheese, buttermilk, sour cream, lactose, caseinate, lactalbumin lactate, and sodium caseinate. A simple rule of thumb regarding any substance you are not sure about is: When in doubt, don’t. The following prepared foods may contain milk, and their in­gredient labels should be checked carefully before you purchase and eat them: Breaded meats and fish Creamed soups and sauces Milk chocolate, chocolate creams, and candy bars Gravies and sauces Margarines Processed meat such as hot dogs (milk is used as a binder or filler) Baked goods (cakes, pancakes, cookies, bread, cream pies, and so on) Desserts (puddings, ice cream, sherbet, junket, and so on) Although this list may at first seem overwhelming, replacing milk is actually quite simple. For cow’s milk a variety of products can be substituted, including Ener-G-Foods’ Soyquik (lactose- and gluten-free), Soyagen (for adults; lactose-free), and Soyalac (for in­fants; lactose-free). These are all made from the soy plant, which is tolerated by most people. (A teaspoon of lime juice per cup, or molasses, honey, or vanilla extract, may be used to improve the flavor.) Other possible milk substitutes include Nutramagen, a lactose-free formula with a protein base, and Gerber’s Meat-Base Formula (MBF) for babies. Nondairy creamer (if it is casein-free) can be used instead of milk in coffee. You can also use goat’s milk, or even plain water. When making hot cereal, for instance, just use a little more water than usual and add a little zest to the taste with brown sugar, honey, or molasses. Omelets and scrambled eggs are light and fluffy when water is used as a substitute. Replacing butter does not present any major problem, either; it can be replaced by any one of a number of milk-free margarines available. You may be able to replace cheese with goat’s milk cheese, with soybean tofu cheese, or with Fisher’s Chees-ola (which contains milk products but is low in lactose). Check with your doctor before using any of these substitute products. When cooking, use oil rather than animal fat; on salads, use an oil-and-vinegar dressing. If you dislike margarine, toast your bread and spread jam or honey on it while it is still hot. Excellent sand­wiches can be made with ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, barbecue sauce, and relish. Whipped cream can be replaced by nondairy dessert toppings, and when such recipes as that for beef stroganoff call for sour cream, prepare this mixture: for 1 cup of imitation sour cream, stir 4 tablespoons of allowed starch into % cup water and V* cup vinegar; adjust these proportions as necessary to suit the recipe and your taste. Whenever a food is being substituted, remember to compensate for the lost nutritious ingredients by incorporating the necessary vitamins and minerals into your diet. If you are allergic to milk, you can provide your body with calcium, for example, in the form of dolomite powder tablets or bone meal. The protein ordinarily ob­tained from milk can also be found in such other foods as eggs, meat, fish, whole grains, peas, vegetables, and fruit. Once again, be sure to check with your doctor before planning to incorporate any of the above-mentioned substitutes, dietary sup­plements, and foods into your diet. Your specific type of milk allergy may not tolerate certain products.

If you or your child is allergic to wheat, learn to avoid the follow­ing ingredients: flour; wheat flour; wheat starch; gluten flour; graham flour; cracked wheat flour; enriched flour; m onosodium glutamate (MSG); hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP); whole wheat flour; heat germ; bran, cake, and pastry flour; and durum wheat. Foods to be eliminated absolutely include biscuits, breads, and bread crumbs; candy of unknown composition; breaded products (tor example, fish, poultry, and meat); malted milk, beer, ale, wine, and instant coffee containing wheat flour; luncheon meats, ham­burgers, hot dogs, and sausages (unless they are pure meat); cheese sauces and spreads (unless they are wheat-free); noodles (unless made with potato or rice flour); potato dishes containing wheat flour; and certain canned soups. Sometimes liquor, which is usually made from wheat, cannot be tolerated in any form. Be careful with items labeled "starch"—they may have wheat starch. Avoid medica­tion, such as vitamins, that may contain wheat, as well as patent medicines whose labels do not identify ingredients. Always check with your physician or pharmacist before having a prescription filled or purchasing medicine. Wheat can be replaced by products such as Ener-G-Foods’ rice baking mix and barley mix, as well as by’ tapioca, sago, rice, potato, soya, corn, arrowroot, buckwheat, rye, oats, or barley. Chinese grocery stores sell noodles in all shapes and sizes made from rice flour. Many patients are able to tolerate 100-percent sour-rye bread, which is sometimes available at specialty food stores. (Be sure it contains no wheat flour.) The following substitutions can replace one cup of wheat flour: 1/2cup barley flour 1 1 /4 cups rye flour 1 cup rye meal 1 1 /3 cup ground rolled oats 1/2cup rye flour and 1/2cup potato flour 2/3 cup rye flour and 1/3 cup potato flour 5/8 cup rice flour and 1/3 cup rye flour

Gluten is the elastic rubbery protein that binds the dough in such foods as bread, biscuits, cakes, and pastry. Allergy to gluten requires avoidance of wheat and rye, possibly barley and oats, as well as of all gluten-containing foods. The last group includes flour, wheat flour, gluten flour, graham flour, cracked wheat flour, enriched flour, malt, malt syrup, oatmeal, oats, rye, rye flour, barley, barley flour, mono-sodium glutamate (MSG), hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP), durum flour, dried peas or beans, and millet. Wheat starch is the traditional substitute for gluten-free baking, but it is not totally gluten-free. If this is tolerated, Aproten Pasta made by Henkel Corporation can be used as a pasta substitute. Sago, tapioca, rice, potato, soya, corn, arrowroot, buckwheat, and soft wheat (cake and pastry flour) are additional cooking substitutes. Ener-G-Foods’ Rice Bread and Nutine (gluten- and wheat-free) are two ready-made gluten-free breads. If you make your own bread, try using a combination of several allowed flours. (See the baking tips given below in this chapter.) The following flour-and-meal combination can be used as a sub­stitute in gluten-free diets. It requires at least five or six sittings and long, slow baking: 1 cup corn flour 1 cup soy flour and 3/4 cup potato 3/4 cup coarse corn meal flour 1 scant cup of fine corn meal 5/8 cup potato flour (sometimes 7/8 cup rice flour called potato starch) 5/8 cup rice flour and Уз cup 1 scant cup wheat starch potato flour The following gluten-free flour mix should be thoroughly blende and can be used in any recipe calling for all-purpose flo ur except for bread, gingerbread, doughnuts, fritters, and shortbread. It also requires at least five or six sittings and long, slow baking: 2 cups wheat starch 1 cup rice flour 3/4 cup corn flour 6 tablespoons arrowroot flour 3/4 cup potato flour 6 tablespoons tapioca flour 1/4 cup soya flour What about corn allergy and corn-free diets? If you are allergic to corn, you must avoid eating and sometimes even smelling corn and all corn-related products. Some items to be avoided are: cornflakes, baking powder, corn oil, corn syrup, corn flour, corn sugar, fritters, cerelose, sorbitol, dyno, cartose, cornstarch, chewing gum, soya milk, powdered sugar, caramel coloring, dextrose, white vinegar, commercially canned jam and preserves, fruit canned in syrup, some substitute egg yolks, and aspirin and other tablets. You should also beware of such adhesive gums as those on stamps, envelopes, and tapes, since they contain small quantities of corn. Any medication with gluconate contains corn. Cornstarch can be replaced by Featherweight cornstarch. You can also make your own corn-free baking powder by substituting the j following mixture in any recipe: 1 part baking soda 1 part potato starch 1 part cream of tartar Or you can pulverize and mix the following: 1 ounce cream of tartar 1/2 ounce tartaric acid 5 ounces bicarbonate of soda 4 ounces flour For heavy batters such as Christmas cake, try using equal amounts of cream of tartar and baking soda. What are some simple baking hints that come in handy when one is baking allergy-free recipes? Although you may think otherwise, allergy-free baking is not very different from your regular baking methods. The following informa­tion will help guide you. Heavier flour and yeast-free baked products have a heavier texture, and their taste depends on your choice of flour. If you use dark-colored baking pans, especially the black-finish kind, turn the oven temperature 25 degrees F lower than the recipe calls for. When baking cookies, set your timer for two or three minutes less than the time the recipe calls for. Your cookie sheets and your oven influence baking time. Watch the bottom sheet carefully when baking two sheets at a time. When using dark-finish pans for breads and cakes, set the timer for as much as ten minutes less than the time indicated on the recipe and check the progress frequently, without opening the oven door. For future reference, mark the appropriate time on the recipe. The weather is another important factor in baking results. Since flours can lose moisture in the winter, some recipes may require the addition of liquid. If the dough is too soft to handle, add more flour. Sifting is not necessary before measuring. After combining the dry ingredients, however, sifting will ensure that the ingredients do not ball during mixing. If you are using a food processor, sifting is not necessary, since balling doesn’t affect the final outcome, but do stir the flour before measuring. (The baking tips in this answer courtesy of Carol Rudoff, President, American Allergy Association, and Editor, Living with Allergies.)

The number of allergy-free recipes that can be enjoyed by all embers of the family is enormous. The following recipes, courtesy f the Allergy Information Association, Weston, Ontario, Canada, suggest the variety of allergy-free recipes readily available for soups, entrees, vegetables, sauces, and salad dressings.
Combine tomatoes, onion, and bay leaf. Simmer for 10 minutes and Press through a sieve. Slowly stir in milk and add bouillon cube dissolved in a small amount of the hot mixture. Add seasonings. Stir while heating. Do not boil. Add crumbs and butter. Serves 6. Melt margarine. Stir in flour or cereal. Add milk and stir until sauce thickens. Fold in peas and add salt. Bring to a boil and serve. Serves 1.

This question is of most concern to the parent of the allergic child. As stated previously, she should try to serve as many non-allergenic meals as possible that can be eaten by the entire family. She should be on the lookout for recipes that do not use the aller­genic food or that require so little of it that substitution is easy. When recipes can be prepared almost to completion without the allergenic food, she should just eliminate the allergenic ingredient from the child’s meal. Thus, for example, if the parent is making beef strogan-off, she should serve it without the sour cream to her milk-sensitive child and with the sour cream to the other members of her family. The more the allergic child’s food resembles the family food, the happier and more cooperative the child will be. Solutions to the problem of feeding the allergic child may be found beyond the traditional limits of Western cooking. Two excellent sources of nonallergenic dishes are the cuisines of China and the East ndies, where the ingredients common in North American and ropean c °oking are rarely used. Challenging as this may seem, ones efforts may be well rewarded by the child’s pleasure in experi­encing simultaneously an exotic cuisine and relief from allergy symptoms. Lunches can be a problem for the parent of an allergic child and may require some creativity. The following tips will undoubtedly make life easier: Instead of trying to make a sandwich with gluten-free bread (purchased or homemade) that may not taste like the real thing, the parent of a gluten-sensitive child can pack a lunch including a slice of gluten-free bread buttered with margarine, a salad, a hard-boiled egg, and some fruit. Banana bread is a satisfying substitute for the gluten-sensitive child. This can be made by mashing three small or large bananas into the wet ingredients for four loaves of bread, with a little sugar if desired. Taco shells or pita bread pouches stuffed with cold meat, lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese make a more than adequate sandwich substitute for people on the gluten-free diet. Homemade soups, stews, and casseroles stored in wide-necked Thermos jars, plus a piece of fruit, make for a nutritious, healthy, and tasty lunch. Whether it be breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and regardless of the diet in question, variety and creativity are the key words. Vegetables, meat, bread, fruit, and beverages should be as varied as possible. Meals can be brightened up with colorful napkins or with a favorite snack item, such as figs, allowed on the child’s particular diet. If birthday cakes are not allowed, a brick of ice cream topped with chocolate fudge sauce and whipped cream can, if no allergies forbid, make an excellent substitute. It is up to the parent to make meals as pleasant as possible and thus to instill a cooperative attitude in the child. Thus, younger al¬lergic children should not be nagged, hurried, or scolded at the table. Family conversation should, whenever possible, be steered away from the subject of food and table manners. Once the child is psychologically in control of his problem and enjoys his meals, parents can start correcting any undesirable aspects of his behavior. If the child rejects a meal, this should be accepted quietly. However, he should not be allowed to eat anything until the next meal. It is easier to ensure a nutritionally sound diet through meals than through snacking. A most important, and possibly most difficult step involves receiv¬ing cooperation from others. This is particularly hard in the case of a child. Friends, relatives, and neighbors must be told kindly but firmly not to give the child any of the forbidden foods. Most hosts and hostesses will gladly inform the parent of a food-allergic child about the menu they are planning so that parents can match the child’s special food with the food to be served. By the same token, the child has to learn early on to reject certain foods independently. Once the taste is lost for the forbidden food, once it is grasped that eating any of it will make him or her feel unwell, the task should become a good deal easier.