May is Allergy Awareness Month, with one week dedicated to Food Allergy Awareness Week (May 12-18, 2019), and this year some special traditions are continuing. Back in 2016, the Empire State Building glowed teal for the first time, the unofficial color for food allergy awareness. And for the third year in a row, they have launched Food Allergy Awareness Week with this special shade. And on Mother’s Day no less! 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
- Moroccan Roasted Veggie Power Bowls
- Cran-Apple Crunch Chicken Salad w/ Creamy Maple Dressing
- Bechamel / White Sauce
- 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
- 5-Spice Glazed Kabocha Squash
- Buttery Scalloped Potato Stacks
- Easy Cheesy Sauce
- Cream of Celery Root Soup
- Quick Sun-Dried Tomato and Broccoli Penne
Top 8-Free Snacks
- Cheesy Quinoa Bites
- Chewy No Bake Granola Bars
- Caramel Apple Oat Bars (pictured above)
- Mexican 7-Layer Dip
- No Bake Iced Lemon Cookie Granola Bars
- Healthy Caramel Apple Nachos
- 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
- Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
- Every Monster Edible Cookie Dough
- Strawberry Fool Dessert
- No Bake Power Cookies
- 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
- Whipped Coconut Cream
- Banana Cream Pie 4 All
- Peach Crisp Ice Cream
- Sandwich Cookies with Homemade Icings
- Fudge Bites
- Chocolate Pudding Ice Cream
- Cranberry Pumpkin Bread
- Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream
- Double Chocolate Orange Cookies
- Buttercream Frosting
- 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
- Maple Cream Fudge
- 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 Printable Food Allergy Awareness Posters – Their free downloadable posters for youth, teens, adults, and general fact awareness are now all in one place.
- 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!
Milk Allergies are Real
Despite being one of the top eight allergens, and increasing in prevalence each year, milk is often ignored as an allergen. When you run across someone who doesn’t believe, help them gain some Respect for Milk Allergies with this post.
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.
22 Comments
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This is an awesome resource! Sharing in Monday’s Link Love post!
Thank you so much Jessica!
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This is awesome, Alisa! From the infographic to the recipes – this is so valuable. Can’t wait to share it with my readers!
Thank you on all accounts Alyssa!
I developed an apparent allergy to chili peppers as an adult. I get an immediate anaphylactic type reaction. For more fun I just tested positive for Celiac. These recipes will be very helpful. I just wish I knew of a good substitute for the chili’s.
Oh no! That must be a frustrating wrench thrown into your eating patterns Karen! Believe it or not, I was recently caring for a relative who we discovered was severely allergic to chili peppers. They can definitely be hard to avoid when dining out, but at home it wasn’t too challenging. Though not identical, we found that paprika, smoked paprika and peppercorns were able to fill the void when absolutely needed. Glad the post is helpful for you!
Thank you very much for this very informative post and the accompanying delicious allergen-free recipes! Pinned.
Thanks for the pin and glad you like the post!
I love the references and the information in here. When my daughter was born she had an allergy to the protien in cow’s milk. Subsequently the pediatrician informed me that most likley any other children i have will have the same allergy. While i plan on nursing, that means I will need to give up all dairy products as well, so i love seeing fun and easy recipes i can make but that my whole family will enjoy.
Thanks!!
Hi Katie, so awesome that you are astute to the needs in advance! Yes, there are just TOO many amazing dairy-free recipes and meals!!
Really great information, Alisa! Thanks so much for sharing it 🙂
Thank you Susan!
Food Allergy awareness is so important. I love recipes that include everyone!
Me too 🙂
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