Food Allergy Awareness Week: Over 100 Recipes and Resources

May is Allergy Awareness Month, with one week dedicated to Food Allergy Awareness Week (May 8-14, 2016), and this year is quite special. Teal has taken over as the food allergy awareness color and on May 8th, the Empire State Building will light up in teal! In honor of the occasion, I’ve updated this food allergy awareness week post with even more information, share-ables and top 8-free recipes from my kitchen!

Food Allergy, Intolerance, …

Below is a cool diagram that outlines at a glance the differences between what we think of as a classic food allergy and food intolerance.

…or an Allergy that Behaves Like an Intolerance?

But this simple assessment is not the end all be all of possible food reaction issues. Lying somewhere in the middle ground is Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE) – a condition that hits home for my family – and Food Protein-Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome (FPIES). Both are immune system reactions to food (like classic food allergies addressed above) but occur specifically in the gastrointestinal tract (like food intolerance). Both EoE and FPIES are typically classified by the medical community as food allergies, but the reaction times may be more delayed and they can onset later in life.

As you may have guessed, milk is a top trigger in all four of the aforementioned food reaction types. For those without an IgE-mediated food allergy reaction (a.k.a. that classic food allergy diagnosis), but who are certain they are reacting to the protein in dairy, not the lactose, EoE and FPIES might be worth looking into. They are both cell-mediated reactions, so traditional IgE testing may not be enough to uncover the issue.

Alisa’s Top 8-Free Recipes

What would Food Allergy Awareness Week be without amazing food? Following are some allergy-friendly and gluten-free recipes that we have enjoyed in my home. All are free of the Top 8 Food Allergens (dairy, egg, wheat / gluten, soy, peanut, tree nut, fish, and shellfish) and for the most are free of the Canadian Top 11 Food Allergens, too!

Top 8-Free Smoothies and Bevies

• Mighty Molasses Milk
• Sunbutter & Jelly Smoothie (adapted)
• Tropical Spring Smoothie
• Banana Split Shake
• Homemade Maple Hemp Milk
• Super Pumpkin Spice Protein Shake
• Cherry Chocolate Chip Shake
• Black and Blue Smoothie
• Peachy Power Smoothie
• Papaya Mango Shake with Fresh Raspberry Puree
• Sweet Potato Pie Smoothie
• Summer Sunrise Smoothie
• Cosmic Coconut, Cranberry and Cherry Smoothies
• Chocolate Spice Smoothie

Top 8-Free Breakfasts

• Cream Biscuits and Gravy
• Strawberry Shortcake Waffles (pictured above)
• Jumbo Triple Chocolate Mug Muffins
• Maple & Brown Sugar Steel Cut Oatmeal + Griddle Cakes
• Chocolate Chip Muffin Tops
• Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal
• Mini Maple French Toast Casseroles
• Banana Oat Trail Mix Muffins
• Vanilla Chia Pudding Parfaits (pictured above)
• Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
• Cinnamon Buckwheat French Toast
• Healthy Power Muffins
• Overnight Buckwheat Pancakes

Top 8-Free Meals and Meal-Makers

• Cheesy Broccoli “Nachos”
• Creamy Italian-Style Baked Risotto
• Cran-Apple Crunch Chicken Salad w/ Creamy Maple Dressing
• Butternut Pasta with Sage Cream Sauce
• Salt ‘n Pepper Sweet Potato Fries (pictured above)
• 7-Layer Salad with Creamy Chipotle Dressing
• Southwestern Stovetop Mac and Cheese
• Cheesy Pepperoni Pizza with Roasted Tomato Sauce (pictured above)
• Homemade Taco Seasoning
• Apple Cider Vinaigrette Coleslaw
• Vietnamese-Style Lemongrass Chicken Noodle Soup
• Spring Rolls with Spicy Apricot-Ginger Sauce
• Tex-Mex Dinner Night
• Baked Curry Risotto
• Rustic Roasted Eggplant Puttanesca
• Massaged Kale Salad with Pomegranate and Citrus
• Buttery Scalloped Potato Stacks
• Easy Cheesy Sauce
• Cream of Celery Root Soup
• Quick Sun-Dried Tomato and Broccoli Penne

Top 8-Free Snacks

• Caramel Apple Oat Bars (pictured above)
• Mexican 7-Layer Dip
• No Bake Iced Lemon Cookie Granola Bars
• Frozen Fruit Pops
• Healthy Vegan Queso Dip
• Maple Spiced Pumpkin Seeds
• Super-Friendly Trail Mix Cereal Bars
• Wholesome Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
• Triple Chocolate Granola
• Wholesome Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie Dough Balls

Top 8-Free Desserts

• Strawberry Fool Dessert
• S’mores Ice Cream Sandwiches with Homemade Marshmallow Ice Cream
• Deconstructed Banana Cream Pie Parfaits
• Pumpkin Apple Pie Cake
• Chocolate Truffles
• Mint Chocolate Chip Brownie Pizza
• Banana Cream Pie 4 All
• Peach Crisp Ice Cream
• Sandwich Cookies with Homemade Icings
• Chocolate Pudding Ice Cream
• Cranberry Pumpkin Bread
• Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream
• Double Chocolate Orange Cookies
• Sunbutter and Jelly Ice Cream Sandwiches (adapted)
• Chocolate Pudding with Raspberry Infusion
• Instant Sweetened Condensed Mylk
• Perfect Pumpkin Bread
• Mini Salted Caramel Cupcakes
• Oatmeal Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches
• Fruit ‘n Crème Ice Pops
• Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries
• Ice Cream Sandwich Cake with Vanilla Whip and Chocolate Cream Filling
• Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheesy Frosting
• Strawberries ‘n Cream Chocolate Cups
• Homemade Peppermint Patties
• Multi-Grain Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Chunky Maple Blueberry Sauce
• Hot Chocolate Cookies (pictured above)
• Easy Ice Cream Graham-wiches

Want more? See all 800+ Top-8 Free Recipes and Reviews!

Visual Guides for Food Allergy Awareness Week

Enjoy and share the infographics, printable posters and bookmarks below for visual awareness!

• 18 Things To Know About Food Allergy Reactions – A helpful ebook guide from top allergy experts.
• Talking Food Allergies – Snappy Comebacks – This quippy printable offers conversation starters and fast responses to the inevitable food allergy doubters.
• Six that Save Lives – An infographic / poster with the critical and life-saving steps to take during a food allergy emergency.
• I am a Child with Food Allergies – Cute printable posters to bolster food allergy awareness – one for a girl and one for a boy (they may take a few seconds to download).
• Food Allergies in the U.S. – An infographic that displays the stats on food allergies in America.
• FARE’s React with Respect Youth Poster – An informational printable for kids. Available in two sizes.
• FARE’s React with Respect Teen Poster – The teen version!
• FARE’s Allergy Awareness Week Poster – How many kids have food allergies? An amazing comparison in this poster.
• FARE’s Food Allergy Action Month Poster – A colorful comic book-themed design to catch attention.
• Common Symptoms of Anaphylaxis – An at-a-glance poster with action item list.
• Food Allergy Awareness Bookmarks – So cute!
• More Food Allergy Posters – An assortment from Allergy Home (all free!).
• How to Read a Label for Food Allergies – Pictures by me!

The above post is for informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or sway you toward any type of diet. If you believe you have any type of food reaction, consult your physician.