Google+ Allergy-Free Vintage Cookery: What Can You Eat When You're Sick?

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Thursday, December 8, 2011

What Can You Eat When You're Sick?


Archie, Sonia and Sarah Soultanian, New Jersey 1944

As if being sick wasn't hard enough, when you have food allergies, some of the typical "sick day" foods you grew up eating and drinking may be off-limits.  When I was a kid, my mother would give us warm orange juice for a sore throat, Saltines for an upset stomach, and popsicles after vomiting.  Some families swear by warm milk in the evening for little ones having trouble dropping off to sleep, while others like to offer honey for coughs.  Our pediatrician recommends Jell-O as a great food item for sick kids.

In our house now, we have two boys allergic to oranges, three boys who can't eat gluten, and two who are sensitive to corn (making corn-syrup-based icy treats and Jell-O a problem).  I love to drink tea, especially when I'm sick, but now I can't have it because it's not only on my allergy list, but it appears again on the list of mold-containing foods I'm supposed to avoid -- a double no-no.  All five of us are off of dairy, and if we were serious about being vegan, we'd avoid honey (but we make an exception for that one).  Remember the BRAT diet?  Bananas, rice, applesauce, toast?  No, yes, no, no.  So that means we can only eat rice??

What do you eat and drink in your house when someone is sick?  Have you found any great allergy-free substitutes for those traditional food remedies?  Please tell us what you do ... between the five of us we have three asthma coughs, two sinus infections, two sore throats, one pulled back muscle, and a nasty eczema flare-up.  (Looks like we're in for a fun weekend!)

Shared with Simple Lives Thursday at GNOWFLGINS and Pennywise Platter at Nourishing Gourmet and Real Food Wednesday at Kelly the Kitchen Kop and Fat Tuesday at Real Food Forager and Anything Goes at Bacon Time.

7 comments:

  1. Wow, I'm sorry to hear about all of the illnesses going around in your household right now. When I'm sick, I usually drink some juices, liquids, and broths. I don't have allergies, and while yours seems to be a varied and complicated list, I'm hoping it doesn't keep you from finding some foods to nourish and heal your family.

    I'm wondering if you can make a simple veggie and rice soup(or use rice noodles) for a vegan and gluten-free option. If you need something cold, I'd suggest berry smoothies made with ice and maybe some non-dairy milk (would be dairy- and banana-free). Gelatin (not Jell-O) itself is a really great food, but I guess if you're going vegan, then that would be out. What about herbal "teas" that are made from various herbs, but not the actual tea leaf? Is that still a no-no considering the allergy and mold list? Would you be able to do rice crackers? What about the flavored waters (like Vitamin Water) instead of juices. What about the applesauce can't you have? If there aren't any apple allergies, there are some really crockpot applesauce recipes that are sugar-free (they may use honey, though). Or if the apples are a problem, then maybe you can try a pear version? And some hot chocolate (using dairy-free powder, not a mix, and dairy-free milk) would lift some spirits!

    These are just some things I came up with off the top of my head. I hope they help!

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  2. Thanks Allison - what great ideas! :)

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  3. We use what we call the "tonic": hot water, white vinegar, and honey (we also include lemon juice...but not sure if your boys can consume that...?). Vinegar is a sleep inducer; everything else helps you get it down while also soothing the throat. I hope everyone feels better soon!

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  4. Gelatin is EXCELLENT for healing the body. I make my on "jello" with fruit juice and unflavored gelatin. My son used to be extremely sensative to the colored stuff.
    Potatoes and coconut oil are your best bet. Homemade French Fries are a complete meal. They contain small amounts of high quality protein...like an egg. I have lived on them for MONTHS at a time, for health and budgets reasons over the past couple of years.

    As a recovering ex vegan, I'd say not getting enough good quality protein may be part of the problem. I would urge you to reconsider...for health reasons.

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  5. Jenny ~ I didn't know potatoes and coconut oil had protein! I think I'm on board with the ex-vegan thing... I don't feel well when I'm not eating meat. My husband claims he's never felt better, but I was only able to try a vegan diet for a few weeks, then I had to go back to eating fish and chicken. I was exhausted! I read somewhere that when you have thyroid disease you require more protein than other people, so I'm thinking that might be it.

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  6. Dont know if you check this anymore, but how about 6 tsp sugar and 1 tsp salt mixed with a quart of water and some fresh squeezed lemon juice in it kind of like lemonade, Minus the lemons, it is the same stuff that is in the iv bags the hospital gives you for dehydration. I add the lemons or limes juice juice to it so it taste better to drink.

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  7. Dont know if you check this anymore, but how about 6 tsp sugar and 1 tsp salt mixed with a quart of water and some fresh squeezed lemon juice in it kind of like lemonade, Minus the lemons, it is the same stuff that is in the iv bags the hospital gives you for dehydration. I add the lemons or limes juice juice to it so it taste better to drink.

    ReplyDelete