season2taste's Reviews
Cookbook Reviews
Friendly Food: The essential guide to avoiding allergies, additives and problem chemicals
By Anne R. Swain, Velencia L Soutter, Robert H Loblay
Murdoch Books Australia - 2007
What a godsend this book is for people with food allergies and intolerances and for their friends who want to cook for them. Lots of interesting recipes with an index which divides recipes into sections headed: 'Low chemical; Moderate chemical; Wheat-free & Gluten-free; Dairy free; Egg free; Nut-free; Egg/dairy/gluten/nut-free. In many of the recipes alternative hints are provided for those who don't need to watch their diet so closely.
The book is by experts in the field of food allergies and intolerances who work (or worked) at one of Sydney's largest hospital allergy units, and is attractively produced with clear instructions and enticing photography.
The introductory section is very informative about food intolerances: There are clear charts showing which foods are high, medium and low in the naturally occurring chemicals that can give rise to health problems in some people. (I used to wonder why I developed a headache after some meals - now I know! I cut back on the 'high-chemical' foods and don't get headaches any more; or if I do I can look back at what I've eaten over the past few days and easily pin-point which foods I've overdone to cause that reaction.)
It is not a 'Vegetarian' cookbook although there are many meatless recipes in it.
255 pages. Photography: Ian Hofstetter