The first thing you’ll notice about The Total Food Allergy Health and Diet Guide is that there is a lot of information here.  The book can actually be pretty overwhelming if you try to take it as a whole.

It begins with an introduction and then an entire chapter about understanding food allergies, intolerances, and sensitivities.  This gets into how the immune system works, and what types of reactions are taking place in various instances.  It explains how “intolerances” differ from “allergies.”  There’s a lot of science in this chapter and, if that’s overwhelming to you, you might want to skip it (at least for now).

The next chapter briefly addresses “associated conditions.” It’s pretty scientific, too, describing how food reactions can lead to the various symptoms we sometimes see.

Chapter three talks about how food allergy is diagnosed.  It talks about taking health histories, etc.   It also describes various allergy test options, how they work, and how they differ.

Then we get into the next section.  This section is full of chapters about specific food allergens or allergen categories.  These are chock-full of information.  They describe the allergy, often discussing its prevalance and how it may develop. Sources of the allergen are listed, as well as other foods within the same family.  Specific common questions are answered.

Depending on the allergen, some sections also suggest alternative sources for nutrients (for instance, where else can you get your calcium if you’re not eating dairy?) or other cooking tips (like how to bake without eggs).  You’re even walked through each section of the grocery store, with a chart telling which foods to “enjoy,” “question,” and “avoid” in each section.  Of course, if you aren’t allergic to everything the book covers, you can skip any chapters that aren’t relevant to you!

The last section (about half the book) is recipes.  Divided into seven categories (Breakfasts, Bread & Snacks, Soups & Salads, Main Dishes, Side Dishes, Desserts, and Beverages), most of which are free of all of the allergens listed in the book.  (Yes, even the bread!  There are two different loaf breads here that are specifically free of gluten, egg, corn, and lactose, plus dinner rolls, pizza…)  I’m really looking forward to trying some of these!

The book is both US- and Canadian-friendly.  Recipes are in both US measurements and metric measurements.  In the section about planning meals for those with food allergies, both the MyPlate (US) and Canadian Food Guide are included.

This is a great general resource for those new to food allergies.

Gluten-Free, Egg-Free, Corn-Free, Dairy-Free, Soy-Free Brown Bread

1/4 c. flax flour or ground flax seeds
1/3 c. warm water
1 1/4 c. brown rice flour
3/4 c. sorghum flour
1/3 c. rice bran
3 Tbsp. tapioca starch
1 Tbsp. xanthan gum
1 Tbsp. bread machine or instant yeast
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. water
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
3 Tbsp. liquid honey
1 Tbsp. light (fancy) molasses
1 tsp. cider vinegar

In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine flax flour and 1/3 cup warm water; set aside for 5 minutes.

In a large bowl or plastic bag, combine brown rice flour, sorghum flour, rice bran, tapioca starch, xanthan gum, yeast and salt.  Mix well and set aside.

In a separate bowl, using a heavy-duty electric mixer with paddle attachment, combine 1 cup water, oil, honey, molasses, vinegar and flax flour mixture until well blended.  With the mixer on its lowest speed, slowly add the dry ingredients until combined.  Stop the machine and scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.  With the mixer on medium speed, beat for 1 minute or until smooth.

Spoon dough into lightly greased 9×5″ loaf pan.  Let rise, uncovered, in a warm, draft-free place for 75-90 minutes or until dough has risen almost to the top of the pan.  Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350.

Bake for 25 minutes.  Check to see if loaf is getting too dark and tent with foil if necessary.  Bake for 10-20 minutes or until internal temperature of loaf registers 200 on an instant-read thermometer.  Remove from the pan immediately and let cool completely on a rack.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher to facilitate my review.  As always, all opinions expressed here are entirely my own. 

Recipe is reprinted with permission.  (Additional notes and formatting are available in the book itself.)