Although not mentioned in my blog bio, my primary industry is Commercial Real Estate. It just so happens that I currently head up Real Estate and Facilities for Veritas Collaborative, which is specialty hospital for patients with eating disorders.
As I am struggling with this diet, my shopping lists, menu ordering, etc - It occurs to me that I have some great resources at my disposal that I am friends with at the office - Chefs, Dietary Specialists, Medical Doctors, Psychiatrists, Psychologists. Hmmm .... so I started off with our Director of Culinary Services.
Since we have many patients with food allergies that must be accommodated, I asked our Culinary Director if she had ever had to meal plan for a patient diagnosed with "Alpha Gal". First of all, she laughed because I am known to be an "Alpha" personality within the office. She had never heard the term "Alpha Gal", but when I described it, she immediately knew what I was talking about. Her hairdresser has this allergy.
She followed up later today with a suggested card that can be printed at home and taken to restaurants to inform the chef of the allergy and how best to prepare your meal. Please feel free to cut and paste this message into a printable format for your use at restaurants.
Printable message for restaurant use:
I am highly allergic to all red meats, dairy and byproducts. I can eat:
-NO beef, pork, lamb, venison or bison
-NO dairy products—butter, milk or cheese
-NO food with ingredients that include the byproducts of red meat, red meat fat or dairy products—this includes gravy, sauces, marinades and the like
-NO food cooked using pots, pans, grills or utensils that were used to cook red meat, red meat byproducts or dairy products
If I eat any of these foods, I may suffer a fatal allergic reaction. Thank you for preparing my food using these guidelines.
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