not aibu but know this will get traffic and help

[hyperbeans]

Ok does. My dps younger sister is staying over at the moment and I am really feeling for her at the moment. She is vegetarian by her own choice but has gluten and lactose intolerances and a possible sesame allergy. I am severely allergic to nuts so quite used to the whole allergy thing and checking ingredients and what certain labels mean. However im lucky in one respect because with me I only have one thing to deal with whilst she has a whole host of stuff to deal with. She will eat egg in very small amounts but anything more than a little bit will cause her stomach to have severe cramps. She has bring all her own food and last night was in tears with stress as it was the first time she has stayed overnight somewhere not at her parents house since it all started going hits up. She is getting very bored with just eating snackajacks, ready salted crisps, noodles and lettuce. So I promised here when i leave work I will try and scout around for some safe treats for her as I know how crap it can feel to a lesser extent trusting people to accomadate your diet and keep you safe. She also is afraid that her antihistimines and antiacid tablets may not be helping as she suspects lactose is used as a binder. So my questions are to the wise people of mn is:

What is your list of safe foods that are veggy, diary, egg, gluten, nut and sesame free?

What medication is are to have?

If you are in tolerant to diary or gluten, do you react to trace amounts?

Most supermarkets stock Pure marg - I find it works well in all sorts of cooking.

I second the advice to pop into your local healthfood shop or H&B. I usually find the staff are very knowledgeable about the products and will help you find suitable things.

Our local one stocks things like all sorts of tofu, Fry's and Redwoods veggie foods - they do protein things like sausages, cheeses and deli slices.

On the treat side, I can get sweets (more kiddies stuff like buttons and Allerycare choc eggs) and dark chocolate - Booja-Booja, Plamil and Montezuma. I also get powdered egg substitutes, which work well.

Another vote for sainsbos, their free from range is brilliant, as it their meat-free range. Asda's are awful, their chicken pieces are vile. Morrisons and Tescos meat-free ranges are good too.

The people I live with are vegan and gluten free, they have amazing looking meals most nights consisting mainly of beans/rice/gluten free pasta and a big variety of veg with each meal along with some vegan sausages. They also throw seed mixes on meals, vegan 'parmesan' and nori flakes for added vitamins and taste. You can get loads of little things like that (powdered superfoods are handy too!)

She can bake treats for herself using coconut flour (can be found in independant health food stores or online) which is brilliant, or quinoa/millet/spelt/hemp/teff flours which are all easy to use once you get the hang of it. There is a good brand of gluten free flour mixes called Dove's Farm which waitrose sell and independant health food stores too.

Tofu is extremely versatile once you get used to cooking with that too. And dried soya is handy :) Currys are great too, you can make curries out of any veg and add quorn if she choses.

Quorn has got dairy in it, minimal amounts but it is there so be wary of it, soya, tofu and seitan may be better alternatives.

I used to be the same as your sister, I am a veggie who had big food issues (mainly regarding textures so had a lot of trouble with vegetables!) as well as a slight intolerance to dairy, so I can't have meals with a huge amount of egg/milk in and I have only just managed to start trying new things and improving my diet. I was very frustrated with my diet before this year! I still struggle with fruits but eat lots of freeze dried fruits which I bought from healthy supplies (online). They're somewhat expensive but very tasty and handy as a snack.

If she's after recipe books to try, me and my boyfriend bought the Quorn Cook Book in September and I have never used a recipe book as much as I have that one, it's superb and half of the recipes can be adapted for use without quorn too! I use it at least twice a week for recipes.

I've started reading a few recipe books on raw food too and it seems very inventive, maybe she could look into that for inspiration too. there is a good raw chocolate cook book that's trendy looking and has amazing recipes in!

But get her to start small. The reason I struggled for so long was because I had no clue where to start. Once she's started she'll start experiemnting and feeling comfortable and her diet will naturally evolve. Also, she has to really want to change her diet to put in the effort!

I agree with the poster who said she needs to see a dietician.

Also, I think that she should seriously think about the impact of vegetarianism on her health given her circs. I say that as someone who was veggie for around 18 years and found the idea of eating meat repulsive. I only started again because I developed a lactose intolerance and IBS. I was very limited in what I could eat, particularly protein-wise, and worried about its effect on my body. She is far more limited because of the gluten intolerance and other allergies. Since I have started eating moderate amounts of meat, my overall health seems to have improved and my lactose tolerance whilst still there is far less severe than it was and I am now introducing more and more dairy products into my diet.

There are ways to survive healthily on no meat, fish, gluten or dairy but it is not easy and it sounds like she needs advice if she is living on crisps, lettuce and whatever else you came up with!

PS - a big lentilly vegetable soup might be a good starting point for her. It's perfect for a chilly November night and v tasty as you can chuck various herbs and spices in.

The GP should be able to do a blood test for coeliac, if the flags are positive further investigations can be done. It sound like she needs that urgently.

Seitan is wheat-based, so not suitable for a GF diet.

yeah seitan is pure gluten, don't give her that!

Lots of products sold at health food shops have quite comprehensive at-a-glance lists on the packaging, showing what diets they're suitable for. My local HF shop has an amazing-looking variety of GF noodles, including sweet potato & buckwheat! Buckwheat has nothing to do with actual wheat and is GF and v useful.

Tescos do a good free from range.

Another vote for the dietician.

tbh I'm a bit baffled by your OP OP (ahem)

I have been gluten intolerant for ever and I just don't go anywhere near stuff with gluten in it apart from cakes. It was overwhelming at first but I do it without thinking now. The only time it's a pain is when I'm out and hungry, as snacks are usually wheat-based, which leaves me with chips (not complaining)

carbs = rice, potatoes; she'll need to get to understand pulses if she wants a more varied diet. tamari sauce is soy sauce without the wheat (healthfood shops - mucho expensivo but I usually buy a big bottle), which I use a lot. I wouldn't bother with all the free-from stuff because it's so expensive and I don't see the point of buying subsitutes, which rarely live up to the real thing. I just avoid anything that involves gluten (thinking about it, most of my meals are lactose-free too). I do buy wheat-free pasta though - waitrose, co-op - but also often use rice noodles as a subsitute. I'm going out to supper tonight to a friend's who is also gluten intolerant and she's made a pie, so I'm looking forward to seeing what that's like. I'll give you the recipe if it is any good. There will be other people there and I would bet you they won't know the difference - nobody ever notices that gluten isn't involved in anything I cook.

It's a bit of work to begin with but she'll get the hang of it, though it does sound like she's got an issue with food tbh - an emotional issue that is. Personally, I think she's barmy to avoid meat when her diet is so limited but there we go..

From a quick, easy point of view and the fact that it's autumn and getting chillier by the day, I'd recommend picking up some free from vegetable stock cubes (Kallo or Anthony Worrall Thompson do gf off the top of my head) and making a huge pan of root veggie stew/soup. Its warming, filling and nutritious. Adding some lentils will make it higher in protein as well. Other home made soups such as leek and potato, or spicy butternut are great at this time of year as well.

Jacket potatoes are another good one - would agree with the Pure brand of spreads to go with it - sunflower probably being the nicest to go on jackets. You can than make a nice homemade ratatouille to top it with, which is another great nutritious meal.

Fruit smoothies made with soy milk, bananas and berries are delicious and nutritious and a good way to start the day.

Sweet potato and lentil curries - are quick and easy to make. Adding brown rice as a side dish bumps up the nutrition as well.

Vegetable risotto is another really easy one pot, quick meal and you can vary the veg you use so that its different each time.

Its worth checking out some of the free from stuff available in supermarkets for treats etc, but from a nutrition perspective its far better to make good wholesome meals from scratch as often as she can. A lot of the free from stuff are chock full of fillers and sweetners and offer very little in terms of actual nutrition.

Alpro soya yoghurts are really nice and sold in just about every supermarket and if she's missing her treats they also do a chocolate mousse like dessert which is nice - although doesn't really taste like a normal chocolate mousse. Alpro also do cartons of chocolate or strawberry soy milkshakes.

If she can have gluten free oats (my ds can tolerate them, but not all gf people can) then porridge with added fruit is a really good way to start the day and you can also use them to make fantastic fruity flapjacks using pure spread as the fat.

I have recently found decent gluten free tortillas at www.coolchile.co.uk. They are also egg and dairy free and are great with fried onions, peppers, chiles and tomatoes etc. Ds1 loves these as fajitas were the thing he missed the most when he had to go gf.

There are lot of options out there, it will just take a bit of time to get used to which foods she can and can't have and get a few favourite recipes under her belt.

Sorry for recommending seitan, I didn't know that it was gluten based ! I've never used it or found it admittedly...