When Food Gets in the Way of Eating

Chef Offers Creative Ways to Avoid Wheat, Dairy, and Eggs

DENVER, CO (PRWEB) September 29, 2005 -- It seems that our food is getting in the way of our eating. Consider this -- gluten sensitivity keeps approximately 10-15% of Americans from eating bread, pasta, pastry, and other gluten-based foods. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), nearly three million of them have celiac disease, an autoimmune condition that requires strict avoidance of gluten, a protein found in wheat-based foods. Lactose intolerance means the end of ice cream for another estimated 70 million Americans (Packaged Facts). Avoiding eggs, one of the top eight food allergens in the U.S., puts a damper on breakfast.

While special diets like these may seem disastrously limiting to some, culinary expert Carol Fenster sees things differently. She has spent years developing recipes that allow for a variety of tastes and flavors found in Americas favorite foods, yet are free of the most common food allergens that wreak havoc on our health. The result is COOKING FREE (Avery/Penguin Group, 2005) which offers the following:

   • Creative alternatives for gluten, dairy, eggs, (and sugar) in each recipe
   • Designed for gluten intolerance, celiac disease, autism, and vegan diets
   • Shopping guide for hard-to-find items
   • Resource list of associations and organizations for in-depth information
   • Menus to simplify and manage meal planning
• Nutrient data for each recipe to manage a healthy diet

Cooking for a healthy diet is challenging," Fenster admits. But I wrote COOKING FREE because its doubly challenging when conventional baking ingredients like wheat, dairy, and eggs must be avoided. Eleven million people have food allergies and many of them have sensitivities to more than one food or a particular family may have an array of different food sensitivities, so Ive created recipes that remove all three allergens in every dish. This allows the home cook to prepare a family meal that incorporates everyones dietary needs. I also suggest healthy substitutes such as agave nectar or honey to replace white sugar," adds Fenster, noting that increasing numbers of people want healthy sweeteners.

No more saying goodbye to pizza, brownies, or muffins. COOKING FREE shows readers how to prepare these foods with Fensters easy-to-follow directions and practical, down-to-earth approach. With helpful tips culled from her own gluten-free lifestyle as well as ten years as the president and founder of her culinary consulting firm, Savory Palate, Inc, COOKING FREE will keep readers coming back to the table for more.

Complete with tips on cooking without traditional ingredients and conversion tables that show how to use alternative ingredients in your own recipes, COOKING FREE can help keep readers healthy while allowing them to indulge in delectable breads, entrees, and desserts. Helpful menus suggest entrees, side dishes, and desserts that complement one another.

Savory Palate, Inc. has offered culinary information for special diets since 1995 and specializes in using substitutes for the top eight food allergens in the U.S.

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