Areas of expertise

I am continuously trying uncover any of the naturally allergen free food choices Turkish and other cuisines may have to offer. In this blog I will be discussing the foods and dishes I have come across that contain few or none of the most common food allergens or irritants. However, I am also much more familiar with the those from which I suffer. Therefore, I would like to introduce you to my areas of expertise.

I am most sensitive to:

Gluten (wheat, barley, rye and oats)

casein (all dairy products including goat milk and cheese)

corn

soy

most seeds and nuts

I have slight reactions to:

chocolate

garbanzo beans

I also want to stress that if you are concerned about any allergens or irritants that I do not discuss here, please feel free to contact me. I would be happy to provide you with any information I have or can get a hold of. And while I specialize in Turkish cuisine, I am happy to discuss other cuisines as well.

An Introduction

This blog is a tribute to all those who, like me, felt hampered by the discovery of their food allergies. For me it was my love for travel that made this diagnosis so unsettling. Although, on one hand I was excited about the prospect of resolving certain health issues, on the other I felt trapped. Not only was I going to have to give up my favorite foods, but I knew it was going to be practically impossible to travel the way I wanted with such dietary restrictions. It appeared that I was going to have to sacrifice what felt like either my mental health or my physical well-being.

The good news is that that wasn't the case.  About six months later I decided to get moving and flew to Germany, and from there to Turkey.  I have been living in Istanbul since.  During that time I have traveled within Turkey as well as the U.S. (where I'm from), various countries in North, East and West Africa and Europe.  Although I cannot say that my travels always end up 100% allergy free,  I can say that I am in much better condition both mentally and physically than before the diagnosis.  

      

My first priority with this blog is to share my experiences with food, with traveling and with food while traveling in the event that they might help you or other allergic travelers upon their way. 

My second and more covert goal is to convince you to visit Turkey--just to warn you.  But for the record, you can rest assured that my endorsements in no way benefit any third parties.  I'm just very fond of the place.