Navigating Food Sensitivities: Tips, Resources, and Recipes
Every day at the clinic, I guide patients through food sensitivity testing and discuss the foods they may need to eliminate temporarily. Common culprits often include dairy, gluten, or eggs. At first glance, many patients feel optimistic about the changes, thinking, “This doesn’t seem so bad.” But once they start considering their favorite dishes, the questions pour in!
One of the most valuable tips I can offer is a list of resources for recipes and substitutions. Identifying food sensitivities often inspires patients to return to home cooking and avoid heavily processed foods. Below are some of my favorite resources to support this journey.
Cookbooks for Allergen-Free Recipes
My top recommendation is the “Whole Life Nutrition” cookbooks by Alissa Segersten and Tom Malterre. These cookbooks feature gluten-free, soy-free, dairy-free, and egg-free recipes (the first book is entirely egg-free, while the second includes more egg-based recipes). I personally rely on the first book several times a week to prepare meals for my family.
You can purchase these cookbooks at www.nourishingmeals.com
In addition, Alissa Segersten maintains an excellent blog on the same website, offering recipes and tips that align with the cookbooks. The blog includes a special section on the elimination diet, which serves as both a cleanse and a tool for identifying food sensitivities. You can subscribe to receive new recipes and posts—perfect for meal inspiration.
Online Recipe Resources
Another favorite resource is the Gluten-Free Goddess Recipes blog (http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.ca). This site offers an impressive variety of recipes, including sections for vegetarians, vegans, and those new to gluten-free living. It also features a helpful FAQ section.

Recently, I made the Peanut Butter Quinoa Flake Cookies from this blog for my daughter’s sleepover. While the cookies were a hit, I’d suggest reducing the sugar by 25–50% and adding allergen-free dark chocolate chunks (like those from Enjoy Life) for extra indulgence.
If you are looking for grain-free and sugar-free, Danielle Walker is your perfect resource. Her personal journey with health led her to create multiple cookbooks and blogs that are easy to cook and family-friendly. Check out https://daniellewalker.com/ for more information.
Stocking Your Pantry for Gluten-Free Baking
If you’re diving into gluten-free baking, it’s essential to maintain a diverse range of alternative flours and ingredients. Local organic and health-conscious grocers such as Choices, Whole Foods and Famous Foods are fantastic for the in-store experience. They offer a wide variety of alternative flours—such as sorghum, teff, millet, brown rice, tapioca, and buckwheat along with grain-free options like cassava, coconut and almond flour.
Buying in bulk for frequently used items, like flours and sweeteners, is not only economical but ensures you have what you need for recipes. My go-to recipe for vegan, gluten-free bread is the Honey Whole Grain Bread from the Whole Life Nutrition cookbook, check it out.
On a final note, if you are becoming gluten-free it is a good idea to maintain a wide-range of baking ingredients for all of these exciting new recipes. About once a month I make a special trip out to Galloways http://gallowaysfoods.com on Marine Drive just into Burnaby. This is a specialty store that carries all of the alternative flours such as sorghum, teff, millet, brown rice, tapioca, buckwheat etc. at a better price than our local natural health food stores. You can buy the flours and sweeteners that you use more of in larger quantities and find just about any ingredient used in whole food baking. The best vegan gluten-free bread that I bake at home is the Honey Whole Grain bread found in the Whole Life Nutrition cookbook and all of the ingredients are at Galloways.
I hope that you find these resources as helpful as I do. If there are any additional allergen-free sites or cookbooks that you would like to share, please leave a comment to tell us all about it!