I Am What I Eat

There is so much  fruit in Rabat, we can hardly eat and taste it all with our regularly 3 - 5 portions of fruit a day. So we explore new recipes or experiment with good old ones and make fancy cakes all the time. The three girls come along with cooking ideas. Bring books with recipes. That's so nice. All the moments I shared with them in the kitchen, since they were very young, seem to result in something positive about food  for all of them. The value of the talks about food, Solange's allergies, gave us a lot to speak about. I always liked to bake and I transferred this pleasure to my girls. I think the fact, that we have a food allergy issue in our family, makes that the girls are aware and responsible about nutrition in general.We believe strongly in the philosophy 'I am what I eat'. Healthy food and positive feelings are closely related. The philosophy 'I am what I eat' is my drive in my food related projects. Ever since I discovered we had a child with severe allergies, I started observing my daughter very closely, took care of a balanced diet, studied and researched new sources and relied on my intuition and common sense. I am writing the memories of my self, Solange and her sisters about Solange's  life as an allergy girl. I believe that for me and my daughters this is a great thing to do . We should mark life by points of major impact. The years of struggling with Solange's allergies are behind us. Although she remains the same very allergic girl who walks around with her personal medication bag, life has become more peaceful and more reasonable. We came from far and yet I can honestly say this allergy girl, my child,  my colourful and cosmopolitan daughter Solange. She lives by the rules of the game that is called peanut allergy, we play the game by clear, intelligent and simple rules. When the diagnose was made by an allergist medicine in Marseille,France, we simplified our life a lot. Our diet became a rude copy of the Mediterranean diet. Vegetables, fruit, little meat, fish, bread, pasta and rice and omega 3 and 6 oils. Solange can have so many dishes, can eat a large variety of ingredients. We became the chef in our own kitchen. The diet is a mix of Mediterranean basics, home made desserts and treats from the patisserie. The memories I try to recollect and try to write down are connected with the choices we made after having been diagnosed with an allergy daughter. Choices in daily life needed to be applied, corrected, renewed, rediscussed, adapted during the years. We found out that one can easily avoid the risk of allergy reactions by making choices for the food and nutricion you can eat. This means that you can live a safe life! I'll not deny that all this was easy in the beginning. A lot one faced was flue and one felt insecure. I'll mention the stress in my book, I'll also mention the frustrations we were dealing with: an allergy girl coming back from a birthday party where she couldn't taste anything; the ignorance of people; the lack of comprehension; the lack of human interest. And the people who do care, who don't know anything about allergies and want to learn and try their best in making fun dinners where an allergy girl can eat. My drive is still intense, honest, not hysterical, intuitive and focused. I want to share the positive things about being allergic, the funny experiences of beeing allergic, the treatment you get when you happen to be the allergy girl in your class. My writing project is to learn about family, food and health. My diary is about the very strong and positive outcomes for Solange, for us, our extended family, friends and all others who may deal with similar issues. I want to do this because I think there are stories behind the allergies we are dealing with, which don't get the attention they deserve. Think of the positive input, a diet of an allergy girl can have for 'normal' kids. And to write this very optimistic and colourful story is an insight look in our life in the different places we lived facing a daughter with severe food allergies. Integration in other countries goes along with sharing food, experimenting new tastes and trying new dishes. The beautiful thing about this all, is the discovery of traditions, rituals and values through the flavours on your plate. And you know what, there in the middle of a new abroad adventure is (almost) always something an allergy girl can eat. To see the allergy as an advantage in stead of a disadvantage made us stronger. Mentioning the challenge instead of the fear makes it easier to live with. And to focus on serious thinking, intelligent choices and positive perspective is not easy but so great.