Allergies, Intolerances and Free From Foods: The Food Jihad

Assalamualaykum warahmatullahi wabarakatu. I was recently approached by a friend to devise a food timetable for her. Why anyone would want a food timetable in the first place is baffling but I suppose we've all been there before as we stand in front of the fridge/freezer with glazing eyes wondering what on earth to eat. The thought of sparing the brain of having to do that is enticing for those that it works for provided you don't have a spouse that wants something 'different' every day. So, I've agreed to help with the timetable because it sounded challenging as one of the requirement is that it needs to be wheat free (and loosely based on a Nigerian diet).

Before I go any further, I'd just like to clarify the meaning of jihad as it is often misused and associated with negative things in the media. Jihad literally means to struggle/to strive/ to endeavour. So jihad can mean to struggle in the way of God or against own desires. "Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) asked : 'Messenger of Allah, we see jihad as the best of deeds, so shouldn't we join it?' He replied, 'But the best jihad is a perfect Hajj(pilgrimage to Makkah).'" (Sahih Al-Bukhari). On another occasion, a man asked: "Should I join the jihad?" The Prophet (SAW)  asked, "Do you have parents?" The man said yes. The Prophet said: "then do jihad by serving them!"(Sahih Al-Bukhari). As you can see from the above examples that jihad does not just mean the holy war.

Disclaimer over, back to the topic. Allergy can be defined as an inappropriate immunological response to a normally harmless allergen. An allergen is something that will produce an allergic (hypersensitive) reaction in people who are sensitive. An allergic reaction are usually external  on the skin ranging anything from itchiness, hives to the more serious anaphylactic reaction which can be fatal.
Intolerance is usually as a result of your body being unable to deal with certain ingredients; usually due to lack of an enzyme or another but does not cause an immune reaction. This isn't to say that intolerances cannot be serious - particularly in children as they can cause developmental delays if not picked up earlier. An intolerance will often cause gas, abdominal pain and diarrhoea in some cases.

And then you have the neither here nor there; not an allergy but not also intolerance but equally crippling in the case of coeliac disease. This is an autoimmune condition where your body identifies substances in gluten as dangerous; mounting an immune reaction against it which also damages the lining of the small bowels.

The problem with atopic people (people predisposed to allergies) is that they are sensitive to several things ; i.e someone who is allergic to dust mite will also usually be allergic to other things like wheat, milk, etc making it impossible to cater for them at events. It sometimes also can run in families with siblings having different allergies.

Using dairy as an example, most desserts / snack will probably have a dairy product in  one form or another(Alhamdulillah for fruits!). Imagine adding wheat intolerance or allergy and you can already see the list of allowed food dwindling. Wheat itself is increasingly making it's way into the book of bad foods. Not just because of it's established effect in diseases such as coeliac disease, dermatitis herpetiformis and gluten ataxia; but also gluten is becoming associated with other conditions such as endometriosis, Crohn's disease and even osteoporosis to mention a few. As if that isn't enough bad name for gluten, it has been shown in some studies (can't say how well the studies have been carried out) that a gluten free diet improves autistic spectrum disorder.
The good news is a lot of children will outgrow their allergies. Actually most with lactose intolerance tend to outgrow it. The classic example is thinking your child is lactose intolerant but keeps having yoghurt and cheese in school with no effect although I shudder when I think, what if it was an allergy?

So how do you survive this jihad?
Well, it depends on which of these affect you. Technically speaking, Muslims already have to follow a special diet anyway; The halal food diet. Now if you are particular about what you eat, where it comes from and whether or not it's ethical as well as organic not to mention the boycott list, then you see how what's available to you can decrease very very quickly.  But, all hope is not lost as a lot of people seem to be trying to improve what they eat, the government is trying to tempt people to eat healthily with some government even offering gold for people who lose weight - which is probably cheaper than treating diabetes and it's complications in the long term. Even without the encouragement, we all need to strive to be healthy (I know it isn't easy) but your body is an amanah from Allah so you need to take good care of it. In the Qur'an Allah said “..And eat and drink but waste not by extravagance, certainly He (Allah) likes not those who waste by extravagance” [al-A'raaf 7:31]
Also it is said that the prophet and the sahabas will not eat unless they were hungry and will stop eating before they were full.
It was narrated that Ibn Umar said : A man burped in the presence of the Prophet (SAW) and he said: 'Withhold your burps from us! For the most hungry of you on the Day of Resurrection will be those who ate their fill in this world."'- Sunan Ibn Majah

Those words are heavy and are enough to serve as a reminder for us all. I'm thinking Fridge magnet or wall sticker for my kitchen.

So how to deal with this? Well, you can either Abstain, Alternate or Replace depending on the actual condition.

1. Abstain : this isn't even an option for most because it's as simple as, eating peanuts make my face swell up and can potentially make me stop breathing: I'm not suicidal; therefore, I'll stay away from peanuts. I'll become an expert in reading the ingredients list and gain the eyes that most muslims possess as they scan food labels looking for that 'V' sign that has brought joy to many triumphantly crying out Alhamdulillah. I will learn not to get upset with those manufacturers that write "Nut free" but also add the annoying tiny disclaimer that says all effort has been made to not contain nuts; however, this crisp has been processed in a factory where nuts and seeds are processed leaving you to decide how badly you want the crisp. That clause needs to be banned!

2. Alternate: Look for something else to substitute. As dairy as well as different consistency of it is up there in the ladder of allergies and intolerances, it's no wonder several companies have come up with alternatives for the people who find themselves in this category so they don't lose out completely. There is now a whole range from soya milk to the nut based ones such as almond and hazelnut milk and even rice milk not to mention the original milk's cousin in the form of goat's milk as they contain different proteins so will be suitable for those with milk protein allergies. Many manufacturers are now recognising that there is a lucrative market in the free from department giving people more choices than they'll have had about 5 years ago. As of 2012, the global sales of gluten free products was rstimated to be around 6 billion dollars and I'm sure will be more by now.

3. Replace: Enzymes can be used for those whose intolerances are as a result of insufficiency of certain enzymes, it may just be a case of getting the enzyme. Like those who have pancreatic insufficiency have to do by taking Creon. For this to work, there has to be a certain amount of expertise to nail the calculation and hats off to those 7 year olds out there that do this excellently, children are just amazing like that until they get to the age where they rebel and they think they're smarter than everyone else.The prescribed enzymes are very good whilst the over the counter ones vary depending on how well you use it and whether or not there are good instructions. But it needs a lot of discipline and dedication for one to realise the advantages.


So whilst planning the food timetable, I came to realise that Africa has so much potentials and with the right intentions can become very great. Several wheat alternatives I discovered are found all across the continent that are good sources of energy and even healthier than wheat. OK, so the popular wheat alternative daddy of super foods (SF) aka Quinoa (pronounced as keen-wah) branded as "the miracle grain of the Andes" is not really found in Africa but ever since Quinoa has gotten the SF stamp, it's become so sought after by health conscious people in developed nations; driving the price of the food insanely high that even the people from Peru and Bolivia that normally have it as a staple food can no longer afford it. We really need to think of how what we do impact on others.
So it is probably a good thing that things like Fonio - a cross between rice and couscous except it's gluten free (from Senegal) or Sorghum (known as dawa in Hausa language) or even gero (pearl millet) isn't that popular yet because all you need is a celebrity to mention it as a diet plan and many scramble for it without thinking of the consequences - Allahu musta'an. So this wheat free timetable wouldn't have been difficult if we were in Africa but as we aren't; I'll have to make do with what is easily accessible. Other wheat free alternatives include buckwheat (I know the name is misleading), corn meal , oat,  rye and barley although the later two are not gluten free and usually processed in the same place as wheat. As in the case of oat, the jury is still out on whether it is suitable for people who require a gluten free diet and it is also usually contaminated during production.

So here is an example of the food timetable I made for my friend (she's obssessed with her special cereal so thought I'd leave that for her). Please note that this is for an adult and it is not advisable to exclude particular food from a child's diet without seeking medical advice. Also, if you ever want to exclude a certain food group from your diet, it may be worth visiting a dietitian or a nutritionist if you have access to them first.

Handy tips
1. If you have the space then buy in bulk particularly when food is on sale so you always have key ingredients at home
2. When making something with a substitute free from ingredient, never assume you'll need the same quantity as if you are using the original ingredient.
3. Always read the label as well as the tiny disclaimer
4. Join support groups as they often have recipes, tips as well as will usually be able to tell you what works and what doesn't. Coeliac UK is an amazing website for people with coeliac disease
5. When travelling, let your airline know everything you're allergic to as well as any special diet, you'll be surprised what they can accommodate. They'd rather spend the money to get you a 'free from' food than to have to deal with an anaphylactic attack on air (along with the poor medic who will have to attend to you).

Finally, I found this wedding invitation food choice on line that made me chuckle and thought I'd share ...

Courtesy : ivillage.com

Shout out to all the food jihadists out there be it following a free from diet , trying to lose weight or ahem trying to gain weight, you are not alone and it'll be worth it in the long run. Just imagine, in Jannah you'll never have to deal with any of these food issues. So aim high and think Jannah - insha Allah!!!

This post is dedicated to Abdullah A with his numerous allergies and Fatima S who we're still unsure what she's allergic to along with their parents that work tirelessly around the clock with the aim of making their little ones comfortable.

Fati