As an adult with life threatening food allergies. I have been frustrated with the lack of education, information, resources, and recipes aimed at adults. As a result of these parents of allergic schoolchildren communities, I have encountered an astonishing number of otherwise intelligent adults that swear food allergies only affect children.
These same adults are usually the people who do not understand that peanut and tree nut allergies are often life threatening. An allergic person can suffer anaphylaxis, hives, swelling, restricted airflow, and death, not only from eating the allergen, but also from skin contact and/or inhaling airborne particles.
I have been told that I am exaggerating, that I can "just eat around the nuts" or "pick them out," and that I "just shouldn't come" to community events because the people in charge aren't willing to give up their favorite cookie.
Recipe searches for "nut free" items usually provide alternative classic kid food. While that's a great thing, I would love to see more out there for the adult palate. One of my goals is to create a database of safe recipes, as well as resources on substitute ingredients that allow us to convert otherwise unsafe recipes.
In addition to my allergies, I am a vegetarian. Recently, mainstream vegetarian publications have been adding nuts to almost every recipe. I would love to provide an alternative: safe food for allergic and restricted adults, and resources for everyone who touches our lives (and our food).
My main goal is to provide an opportunity for education, so we can create more safe, inclusive environments for everyone.
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