Thank you for offering to feed the Rosenbergs, not an entirely easy task.
This guide has two parts. The
first describes the allergies and the seriousness.
The second part has an integrated table from which it is relatively easy
to organize a menu.
The one thing we have learned from our many meals out is that while no one cares whether we are eating the same dishes as they are, they are uncomfortable if they have food and we don't. If that means we have a salad twice (even two helpings of identical salad) that is better than having us completely skip a course.
Also, David's asthma can be triggered by:
The most serious allergy is to nuts. All nuts, including peanuts, peanut butter, almonds and almond paste. These reactions to nuts have been extremely serious and could be fatal.
Other moderate or
mild
allergies:
Beans: All beans, including green beans, soybeans, soy sauce, soy flour and tofu. Real vanilla bean fragments in ice cream have produced serious reactions. Chocolate is not a problem.
Peas: All peas, including Chinese pea pods.
Seeds: Most seeds cause a reaction. This includes sesame seeds and caraway seeds. The seeds of tomatoes are a problem, though tomato sauce and tomato paste are OK since the seeds are removed in making these products. Cucumber and eggplant seeds appear to be a problem as well. Orange or lemon seeds are a problem, particularly when cut or broken open, but commercial juices or home made strained juices are OK (so be careful even when squeezing lemon into food). Watermelon has too many seeds and is not worth the effort to try to remove every last seed.
Melon: These cause some reaction.
Other vegetables:
Broccoli,
cauliflower and asparagus are a problem.
Rhonda and Lynn have numerous food sensitivities that are
similar to the common form of allergies except that they involve the “IgG”
proteins of the body instead of the “IgE” proteins. They will be uncomfortable if they have foods to which they
are sensitive but they will not have the more serious reactions often seen in
the common form of allergies and exposure to the foods on this list will not
result in a medical emergency.
We all keep kosher, so we also won’t have milk and meat at the same meal. Nor will any of us eat shellfish, pork, swordfish or such exotic meats as rabbit. Note: Michael and Albert have no allergies but also keep kosher.
|
|
Not allowed |
OK |
|
|
|
David |
Lynn/Rhonda |
For everyone |
| Nuts | All nuts | Peanuts (just Lynn) | None |
| Grains | Wheat (including soy sauce which contains wheat), spelt, oats, barley, gluten, quinoa | Rice, potato, corn, tapioca, flax, buckwheat (groats) | |
| Dairy | Cow's milk, goat's milk, butter, cheese, and all products containing whey | None | |
| Eggs | All eggs | None | |
| Fruit | Berries, melon, grapes, watermelon, kiwi, figs, cherries, (citrus is an issue only if seeds have not been properly removed), raisins (due to seeds), currants | Melon, avocado, pineapple, papaya, mango (all Lynn only) | Citrus, apples, pears, dates, bananas, peaches, plums (dried versions of all of these are also fine) |
| Vegetables | Broccoli, cauliflower,
asparagus, beans, peas, Chinese peapods, and string beans.
Note: other vegetables must be seeded, such as tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers & summer squash |
Broccoli and winter squash (e.g., acorn, butternut, and pumpkin), beans, peas, Chinese peapods, string beans (Lynn only, Rhonda can have all vegetables) | Spinach, mushrooms,
carrots, celery, endive, green/red/other peppers, onions, leeks, garlic,
tomatoes, cucumber, summer squash, olives, hearts of palm, cabbage,
lettuce, scallions, radishes, kale, Jerusalem artichoke, regular
artichokes, avocado, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, potatoes, chard
(Anything with seeds must be seeded for David to eat) |
| Oils | Nut and sesame oils | Olive, canola, corn, safflower, cottonseed | |
| Meat | Pork (due to kosher rules) | Pork (due to kosher rules), beef (for Rhonda), lamb & turkey (for Lynn) | Chicken |
| Seafood | Shellfish & swordfish (due to kosher rules) | Shellfish & swordfish (due to kosher rules), salmon (for Lynn) | All white fishes except swordfish and catfish (due to kosher rules), trout, char, tuna, bluefish, cod, haddock, snapper, sole |
| Spices, baking ingredients & other | Mustard, real vanilla bean or extract, nutmeg, capers, large amounts of cumin or coriander | MSG (Lynn), soy sauce (contains wheat), coffee | All green herbs, cinnamon, cloves, vanillin, salt, sugar, honey, xanthium gum, guar gum, dried onions and garlic, fresh coriander leaves (cilantro), small amounts of dried cumin & coriander, tea |
| Chocolate | Milk chocolate (Rhonda), all chocolate (Lynn) | ||