DEALING WITH MULTIPLE DIETS

I was suddenly saddled with obeying 5 diets at once.
Here is what I did to obey all of them simultaneously:

The Diets:

1. Egg allergy (no more than 5% of meal)
2. Wheat allergy (no more than 15% of meal - also called gluten sensitivity)
3. Soy allergy (no tofu or soy meat substitutes)
4. Milk allergy (no liquid milk)
5. Low sodium diet (no more than 2000 mg Na per day)

The Tools:

1. Product labels

   A sample label is on the right:

   The following items should be on the label:

   1. The serving size and number of servings in the package
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   2. Calories, and sometimes Calories from Fat
      −−−−−−−−−−
   3. Total Fat: grams per serving and Percent of Daily Value
      • Saturated Fat: grams per serving and Percent of Daily Value
      • Trans Fat: grams per serving and Percent of Daily Value
   4. Cholesterol: grams per serving and Percent of Daily Value
   5. Sodium: grams per serving and Percent of Daily Value
   6. Total Carbohydrate: grams per serving and Percent of Daily Value
      • Dietary fiber: grams per serving and Percent of Daily Value
      • Sugar: grams per serving and Percent of Daily Value
   7. Protein: grams per serving and Percent of Daily Value
      ===========
   8. A list of vitamins and minerals and their percentages.
   9. Optional lists
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   10. List of ingredients (placed in order from largest to smallest)
       • The content of one ingredient is in parentheses after it.
       • The items in parentheses are placed in order from largest to smallest.
       • Specific spices are listed as 'spices' unless they are known allergens.
   11. A list of major allergens contained in the product (if present - not in example).
   12. Manufacturer's contact info
2. Calculating the maximum percentage of any ingredient from the above labels:
   1. Find the list of ingredients.
   2. Find the first ingredient (e.g. Potato Starch at right) and count it as number 1.
   3. Follow the list and count each ingredient (Do not count things in parentheses).
   4. Remember the count of the wanted ingredient (e.g. Baking Soda is 3 at right).
   5. One way to say it is that the maximum concentration of the ingredient is 1 over the count (e.g. 1/3).
   6. Using a calculator, divide 1 by the count of the wanted ingredient (e.g. 3).
   7. Multiply the result (e.g. .333333) by 100.
   8. The final result (e.g. 33.3333) is the maximum possible percentage (e.g. 33.3%) of the ingredient in the product.
   9. The ingredient may have a much lower percentage, but it can't have a higher percentage.
   10. This can be used to determine whether or not it is safe to eat the product.
3. Substitute products
   • Read the label to make sure that all of the ingredients you must avoid are missing.
   • Many companies are now making gluten-free versions of their products
   • Potassium chloride (e.g. French's No-Salt) works in mixtures, but tastes awful alone
4. Products with reduced content
   • Morton Lite Salt is half potassium chloride and half sodium chloride and tastes OK for half the sodium
   • Low-sodium versions of many products are available
   • Campbell's makes soups with half the sodium
   • Low-sodium versions of many canned goods (especially vegetables) are available
5. Special products made for people with these diets:
   • Egg replacer for recipes (e.g. Ener-G Egg replacer, and Bob's Red Mill egg replacer)
   • Various gluten-free flours are available, but each has its own properties
   • Several different kinds of alternate milk are on the market, but each does different things in recipes
   • Potassium chloride (e.g. French's No-Salt) works in mixtures, but tastes awful alone
   • Low-sodium versions of many products are available

Applying the Diets:

1. Egg allergy choices
   • Egg replacer for recipes (e.g. Ener-G Egg replacer, and Bob's Red Mill egg replacer)
   • Egg is often an ingredient to make things stick together. Syrups and tapioca are substitutes
   • Finding products that already contain little or no egg (read labels)
2. Wheat allergy (gluten sensitivity) choices
   • Various gluten-free flours are available, but each has its own properties
   • Corn and oat flours can be used, provided the differences are compensated
   • Gluten-free flours that contain rice flour can harden when the resulting food is stored
3. Soy allergy choices
   • The taste of soy can be faked with Worcestershire sauce
   • The texture of soy can be faked with chickpea paste.
4. Milk allergy choices
   • For those with lactose intolerance, lactose-free milk is available.
   • Those not allergic to soy can use soy milk
   • Rice milk is another option
   • Milk is not a required dietary ingredient as long as the calcium is provided
   • Milk is often an ingredient to make things stick together. Syrups and tapioca are substitutes
5. Low sodium diet choices
   • The rule is no more than 2000 mg Na per day
   • Be sure to count other chemicals (such as sodium iodide and sodium bicarbonate) as sodium
   • Potassium chloride (e.g. French's No-Salt) works in mixtures, but tastes awful alone
   • Morton Lite Salt is half potassium chloride and half sodium chloride and tastes OK for half the sodium
   • Some high-sodium contents can be lowered by pouring off the juice or broth
   • Some high-sodium contents can be lowered by rinsing items off or soaking them in water (which is then discarded)
   • Be sure you have the iodine supplement (potassium iodide) in some form

Tricks to remember:

1. When rice flour is an ingredient of a baking mix or a recipe, add 1/8 stick extra butter to the mixture to prevent hardening.
2. When egg replacer is used, add 1/16 stick of butter to the mixture to prevent rubbery texture.
3. Watch substituting brands - Some have much higher concentrations of some ingredients than others have (read the labels)
4. Some brands of ingredients just don't work in certain recipes
5. Some high-sodium contents can be lowered by pouring off the juice or broth
6. Some high-sodium contents can be lowered by rinsing items off or soaking them in water (which is then discarded)
7. Remove the breading from one side or both sides of breaded meats to lower the sodium content
8. Removing the bun of a premade sandwich removes about 300 mg of sodium

My Recipes:

1. Gluten-Free Low-Sodium Chex Snacks:
   • Ingredients:
     1. 3 Cup Rice Chex*
     2. 3 Cup Corn Chex*
     3. 8 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
     4. 1 tbsp Lea and Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
     5. 1 tsp French's No-Salt
     6. 1/2 tsp garlic powder
     7. 1/2 tsp onion powder
     8. 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
     9. 1/4 tsp ground paprika
     10. 1/4 tsp chili powder

         * Can substitute other cereals that don't conflict with your allergies for a total of 6 cups

   • Procedure:
     1. Combine and mix all cereal in large microwave-safe bowl
     2. Melt the butter in a 2-cup microwave-safe measuring cup in a microwave oven
     3. Add the Worcestershire sauce to the butter and stir
     4. While continuing to stir, add the other ingredients in the order listed
     5. While continuing to stir, pour the liquid over the cereal, distributing it evenly
     6. Stir the cereal, bringing the contents of the bowl bottom to the top
     7. Microwave the bowl for 1 minute at high (1000 Watt microwave)
     8. Stir the cereal again, bringing the contents of the bowl bottom to the top
     9. Microwave the bowl for 1 minute at high
     10. Stir the cereal again, bringing the contents of the bowl bottom to the top
     11. Microwave the bowl for 1/2 minute at high (1000 Watt microwave)
     12. Stir the cereal again, bringing the contents of the bowl bottom to the top
     13. Dump the bowl into the container the Chex Snacks will be kept in
     14. Keep Chex Snacks covered to prevent drying out
2. Gluten-Free Low-Sodium No-Egg Dump Cake:
   • Ingredients:
     1. One box Pillsbury Gluten Free Classic Yellow cake mix
     2. One 20 ounce can of the fruit pie filling of your choice
     3. One 8 ounce can of crushed pineapple
     4. 1.25 Cup (2 1/2 stick) unsalted butter
   • Procedure:
     1. Pour pie filling into a 9" X 13" and spread
     2. Pour and spread pineapple over the pie filling evenly
     3. Spread the cake mix evenly over the pineapple
     4. Melt the butter in a 2-cup microwave-safe measuring cup in a microwave oven
     5. Pour the melted butter evenly over the cake mix.
     6. Bake at 350 F for 35-40 minutes.