This is week 2 on my allergy free diet. Since I’ve been on the 3 month allergy free diet, I have had the time to ponder how my patients feel when they embark on their journey of a 3 month restricted allergy free diet. Planning allergy free meals with a busy schedule is a challenge, but with some careful thought, it is actually a fun adventure. Since we are in the process of developing our new office facility my time is limited. However, I have found that planning and preparing the allergy free diet is as easy as 1-2-3 when you follow these simple steps.
1.) Before each week begins, take a little time to think about what foods you would like to eat in the coming week. You can do this when your driving in your car, waiting in line at a store, or actually even better when you are eating one of your allergy free meals. Jot down some of your ideas on pad of paper and before you know it you’ll have some good choices to pick from.
2.) Write down a list of all the ingredients you will need to prepare the meals you have planned out for the upcoming week.
3.) Block out some time, preferably on the weekend in which you can prepare some of the meals for the week. You’ll need about 4 hours of time to accomplish this task but believe me it will be well worth it. You can spend all four hours at one time or you can break it up in 1 or 2 hour intervals. During this time you can cut up vegetables and fruits, cook beans, grains and soups, and also prepare casseroles that you can keep in the refrigerator or freezer.
Tomorrow I’ll share with you the process of developing a week long allergy free menu.
-Dr. J
