Chicken Yassa, a spicy and tasty Senegalese dish

I soon discovered that cooking is the key to getting out of it and not losing anything in life. I have always been passionate about cooking and good food. I have always shown interest in traditional Italian and foreign recipes. I also never held back when it came to experimenting. It was precisely the open-mindedness to the new that saved me. I soon realized that there was a lot of food out there still within my reach, and infinite recipes with which to enhance them.

Nonnapaperina.it was created precisely for this purpose, that is to share with you not only recipes for intolerants, but also a different approach to managing the disease. An approach that does not aim to limit the damage, but to find happiness in a cuisine that is only apparently different. In all of this, I was driven by the sense of sharing, which I have never lacked, but also by the awareness of being able to do good, contributing to the serenity of others.

Nonnapaperina.it in its small way is the demonstration of how food intolerances can be defeated precisely on the terrain in which they seem to have an easy life: nutrition. In reality, life’s difficulties are an opportunity to get involved. A funny paradox, but one that is confirmed in real life: difficulties push you to get involved, and getting involved means overcoming difficulties.

I address all those who have recently received a diagnosis of food intolerance, food allergy or celiac disease. Feel entitled to feel sorry for as long as necessary, take as much time as you need to process the news. Afterwards, however, get back up and react. Also because you can do it. The solution is within reach and also fun, that is, rethinking cooking, nutrition and your relationship with food.

I also advise you to abandon as soon as possible the negative thoughts that are certainly crowding your mind. I know because I’ve been there too. An example? The belief that the condition of food intolerant marks a gap with respect to others and other people is very consistent. On the other hand, you can’t eat some of the things others eat every day!

It is a negative and false thought. First of all, the concept of food intolerance has firmly entered the collective imagination, so no one is surprised by a person who suffers from this disorder. Today more than ever the stigma of the disease is superfluous and out of place. Secondly, the foods available to intolerant people and the recipes based on them are good for everyone, even for those who do not suffer from such problems. In short, “ghettoisation” has no point in existing, much less one in which the presumed sick person relegates himself.

Indeed, many joyfully welcome the chance to experiment with new dishes in the kitchen. A dessert made with an alternative flour can arouse more interest than a classic dessert. And it doesn’t matter if the strings of belonging are touched. It is certainly not a food that makes a dish the symbol of tradition!

The same goes for the fear of causing annoyance to others on social occasions, when we all go out to eat together. Food intolerances are not a taboo at all, therefore all or almost all catering businesses offer alternatives to those suffering from lactose or nickel intolerance, or to those suffering from celiac disease and allergies. For this reason I advise you to do as I did, even if the diagnosis shocked you and caught you off guard. Don’t worry, be happy. There is a solution and it is very concrete.

I opened this excursus on food intolerances and food allergies with a reference to my diagnoses. In reality my story from this point of view is a little longer and more complex. It is worth telling, as it can offer some ideas for overcoming certain passages that are perhaps a little more difficult. The most important turning point occurred a few months after the first diagnoses, when I had already come to terms with my new condition.

Well, I was no longer intolerant to nickel, but I was actually allergic. The news didn’t shock me too much as it was still about avoiding or managing nickel. However, I have discovered on my skin that the allergy leads to an even more pronounced sensitivity. Removing nickel to zero is impossible, so I initially underwent a hyposensitizing therapy, which aims to introduce initially minimal quantities of nickel into my body, and then gradually higher quantities, in order to get the body used to it.

The therapy failed, as my extreme sensitivity to the substance left no room for maneuver. I tried chelation therapy almost immediately, which instead consists of natural detoxification from some metals, primarily nickel. This remedy worked, as in a short time I stopped experiencing the symptoms and was able to stop taking the corticosteroids (which kept the symptoms at bay).

What does my story demonstrate? Simply, even when obstacles seem insurmountable, there is always a solution. In the field of nutrition, my case is quite particular, yet here I am, satisfied with my diet and my relationship with food.

What Nonnapaperina.it can do for you

I have already introduced the reason why I undertook the Nonnapaperina.it project, i.e. sharing my experience and the possibility for everyone to benefit from solutions at hand for a safe diet. food intolerance. We might as well, therefore, talk a little about the site and give some advice on how to “live” it to the fullest. For example, for everyday life, refer to the “recipes for intolerants” section. You will find plenty of them, all categorized by course (first courses, second courses, etc.), time of day (breakfast, lunch, dinner), function (bases, doughs, creams, sauces) and much more.

However, don’t neglect the section on holidays. If the key principle of the project is sharing, then the ball quickly passes to you, so freely share the recipes with your loved ones and friends. And what better occasion than a holiday, be it Christmas, Easter or Mother’s Day? Recipes often have something artistic about them. The dishes present an “elevated” concept of cuisine, which involves not only the sense of taste, but lays the foundations for an all-round experience. All for the use and consumption of food intolerants, or lovers of good food in general.

The advice, however, is to space out. The site is based on the hypertext principle, that is, each recipe recalls others, and many more. Let yourself be carried away and you will really feel like you are embarking on a journey into anti-food intolerance cuisine, in its most “friendly” and fun version! Happy tasting everyone!
Food intolerances and allergies can be defeated at the table
Food intolerances and allergies risk becoming a social problem if it is not managed carefully. First of all due to the dimensions of the phenomenon. It is estimated, in fact, that around 10% of the population suffers from some disorder linked to the absorption of food substances and, at the same time, capable of generating more or less important symptoms. In the dock are lactose intolerance and celiac disease, which are by far the most widespread pathologies, but allergy and sensitivity to nickel must also be taken into consideration.

Incidentally, the distinction between intolerance and allergy is fundamental for medical purposes. The symptoms are in fact different in type or intensity (or both). What makes the weather good is bad weatherin particular allergies, which involves the immune system and therefore determines symptoms often systemic. Food intolerances, on the other hand, mainly produce gastrointestinal symptoms. A separate discussion for celiac disease, which technically is not an allergy, but still involves the immune system.

The distinction between intolerance and allergy, however, takes a secondary positionas far as therapeutic approaches are concerned, or rather “management”. Net of some exceptions, which concern cases of “poor tolerability”, intolerances and allergiesshould be treated in the same way, that is, avoiding the substances that create the problems. In almost all cases, in fact, there is no definitive therapy and therefore recovery is a hypothesis to be excluded.

Whoever receives a diagnosis of intolerance or allergy is aware of this. The emotional impact of the diagnosis is very strong precisely because of the impossibility of achieving complete recovery. Let’s be clear, the initial disorientation is physiological and justified. However, it must last a short time, that is, the time necessary to take note of the good news regarding intolerant and allergic people: living with these disorders is possible! It is therefore possible to live with eating disorders without giving up your favorite dishes and without saying goodbye to your eating style.

Not substitutes but conscious food choices

Food intolerances and allergies are fought not only with the weapons of medicine, but also through a change of mentality, which in turn involves the way of understanding cooking. The trick is simple, just don’t look at hypoallergenic and anti-intolerance foods as substitutes for “normal foods”. Foods for intolerants are in fact foods with their own specificity and capable of offering a lot on an organoleptic and visual level.

Those suffering from food intolerances and allergies should not replicate the consumption of milk, bread or other foods, but should enhance the foods they can safely draw on. Adopting this approach means first of all freeing yourself from the role of the “sick person”, actually focusing on other foods.

Helping us in this sense is nature with its many varieties. The foods that are suitable for celiacs, or those intolerant to lactose, are numerous and often good and beautiful to look at; furthermore they are very versatile as they can start many truly delicious recipes. They are not only for those who suffer from these pathologies, but also for everyone else. The implications from a social point of view are evident.

With my cooking website I carry forward exactly this philosophy. It is not just a space to learn about recipes, but also a real manifesto for those who want to tackle food intolerances with less tedious weapons than exclusively healthcare ones. From this perspective, rice flour is not a substitute for traditional flour, but a separate element with which to create delicious recipes, which can be combined with a great variety of ingredients. And the same, obviously, can be said of amaranth, fonio, quinoa etc. flours. A similar discussion can also be made for lactose intolerance. Apart from the possibility of delactosing the milk, the vegetable variants enjoy their own gastronomic dignity and open up an interesting creative approach in the kitchen.

Among other things, this forced change creates the conditions for a journey through alternative cuisines and more exotic foods. Here the perspective is reversed: intolerances and allergies are not only a manageable condition, but also an opportunity for enrichment.

Food intolerances and sociality, a false problem

Another reason why the diagnosis of intolerance or allergy is very scary, throwing those who suffer from it into despair, concerns the implications for social life. Those who have recently received a diagnosis are convinced in most cases that their pathology will negatively impact social opportunities, both from a psychological – emotional and practical point of view. The fear is that of feeling different and somehow distant from the norms of normality, this can also lead to discomfort among relatives and friends.

These are actually unfounded fears. First of all, a pathological condition does not correspond to a condition of “abnormality” (net of the semantic inconsistency of the term). Secondly, a minimum of organization and awareness is enough to also manage social opportunities. Indeed, when these take place outside the home, i.e. in premises used for catering, the issue is even simpler. In fact, managers are in most cases prepared to welcome customers with intolerances and allergies. In any case just inform yourself first and choose accordingly.

But the problem doesn’t even arise if you eat at other people’s homes, or if you invite people to your home. Firstly because diagnoses of this type do not cause a sensation as they are now very widespread. Secondly because the dishes for those suffering from food intolerances are actually good for everyone, even for those who do not suffer from any ailment. Despite all this, if you pay attention to the issue of food contamination, cooking for food intolerants (or allergies) is simpler than you might imagine.

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