Saturday, June 25, 2011

Welcome to Collins Cooking!


My name is Leah, and I am the mother of a little girl named Collins who has some very special dietary and skin needs. She has been diagnosed with a fat intolerance (which is rare), egg allergy, soy allergy, peanut allergy, cashew allergy, several food dye allergies, eczema and many environmental allergies. Collins could not tolerate ANY formula (not even Neocate). Because I nurse her, I am now on HER diet…which is pretty complicated at first glance. Here are the foods I avoid: all traces of dairy, soy, pork, beef, egg, peanuts, cashews, large amounts of citric acid, most food dyes, green beans, okra, strawberries, heavy carbohydrates and other foods with complex fats.
Like most southern women, I have always enjoyed eating mac-n-cheese, breads, mashed potatoes and gravy, and about anything else that could successfully clog your arteries. However, now that I am responsible for eating FOR Collins, I have to be extremely careful with what I eat. When I was first told what I would not be able to consume, I was SO incredibly overwhelmed. I would spend hours and hours researching and searching for recipes and education, and I would find little to nothing. After almost 8 months of research and creative thinking, I decided it was time to put my knowledge to work for others.
Collins Cooking contains recipes, tips and education for those with food allergies, intolerances and other special dietary needs. I was never able to find a one-stop site for everything I needed to accommodate my new lifestyle, and my hope is that I will be able to provide you with recipes, encouragement, tips and education to make living with your special needs a bit easier.

Collins Cooking may help if you are:

• Dealing with food allergies or intolerances to: dairy, soy, beef, pork, egg, peanuts, cashew, food dyes, or complex fats
• Trying to eat a “cleaner” diet
• Wanting to eat healthier, lower fat diet
• Nursing a baby with allergies, milk protein intolerance and/or a soy protein intolerance