Book Review: Friendly Food
Subtitle: The Essential Guide to Avoiding Allergies, Additives and Problem Chemicals in Food
Authors: RPAH Allergy Unit, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney
Edition Reviewed: 4th Edition (2021) – Now gluten-free and dairy-free
📝 Overview
Friendly Food is a clinical cookbook and guidebook from the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (RPAH) Allergy Unit, renowned for its expertise in non-IgE food chemical sensitivities. This includes reactions to salicylates, amines, glutamates, and food additives — which are rarely addressed in mainstream allergy care.
The book blends scientific accuracy, dietary structure, and practical recipes into one of the most accessible starting points for people struggling with chronic, unexplained, or multisystem food-related symptoms.
🌈 Relevance to ALPIMS-Spectrum Conditions
The Friendly Food approach is especially useful for people living with ALPIMS conditions, where overlapping immune, pain, gut, sensory, and emotional dysregulation are common.
ALPIMS Domain Breakdown:
| Domain | Relevance |
|---|---|
| 🧠 Anxiety | Reduces food-related anxiety by clearly labelling chemical load; removes guesswork. |
| 🦴 Laxity | Suitable for EDS, IBS, and bladder pain syndromes due to low-irritant ingredients. |
| 🔥 Pain | Helps reduce food-triggered migraines, fibromyalgia, and visceral hypersensitivity. |
| 🦠 Immune | Ideal for people with MCAS, histamine intolerance, eczema, or food-triggered inflammation. |
| 🌧 Mood | Offers relief through structure and predictability, lowering emotional overwhelm. |
| 🔊 Sensory | Most recipes are bland, soft-textured, and low in smell — excellent for sensory-sensitive eaters (e.g., autistic or post-exposure fatigue states). |
✅ What Makes It So Useful
✔ Gluten-free & dairy-free
The newest edition is completely free of gluten and dairy, making it accessible to:
- Celiacs
- People with gut permeability, MCAS, or neuroinflammatory conditions
- ALPIMS households managing multiple sensitivities
✔ Elimination and reintroduction guidance
It provides:
- Food chemical charts by salicylates, amines, glutamates
- Stepwise advice for reintroducing foods
- Support for recognizing chemical load rather than isolated allergens
✔ Low-reactivity recipe base
Designed with:
- Soft textures
- Mild flavors
- Low-histamine, low-additive ingredients
Perfect for low-capacity (Red or Black Zone) eating.
🔧 How to Adapt for ALPIMS-Sensitive Households
| Need | Adaptation |
|---|---|
| MCAS / histamine intolerance | Avoid aged meats, stock cubes, leftovers; eat meals fresh or frozen quickly. |
| Fatigue / cognitive overload | Use simple batch-cooked recipes: swede mash, rice porridge, poached protein. |
| Vegan / plant-based diets | Swap meat for tolerated legumes, white beans, quinoa, or rice protein isolate. |
| Neurodivergent eaters | Offer deconstructed meals and repetitive safe food rotations with soft textures. |
🛑 Limitations
| Issue | Consideration |
|---|---|
| Limited variety of spices and flavors | Necessary for low-reactivity, but may feel restrictive without creative adaptation |
| Not low-FODMAP by default | May require swaps for people with IBS or SIBO |
| Not designed for trauma-informed pacing | Some meal prep may be too much for people in severe fatigue, pain, or shutdown |
🧭 ALPIMS Zone Use Guide
| Zone | Application |
|---|---|
| 🟢 Green | Explore new recipes, batch cook, try food reintroductions |
| 🟡 Yellow | Stick to trusted basics (e.g., zucchini soup, poached chicken) |
| 🔴 Red | Use very soft, neutral meals (e.g., rice porridge, peeled pear, swede mash) |
| ⚫ Black | Reheat pre-frozen “safe foods” or rely on caregiver preparation only |
🧠 Who Should Use Friendly Food?
- Anyone with unexplained chronic symptoms potentially linked to food chemicals
- Families managing salicylate, amine, or glutamate intolerance
- People with MCAS, POTS, fibromyalgia, autism, ADHD, IC/PBS, migraine, or EDS
- Those needing a structured, calm, and reliable base diet to build from
📝 Final Verdict
✅ Friendly Food is one of the most valuable tools for ALPIMS-spectrum individuals seeking nutritional stability, symptom relief, and clarity around chemical reactivity.
With its recent gluten-free and dairy-free update, it is now even more accessible — especially when used alongside zone-based adaptation, MCAS protocols, and trauma-informed pacing.
⚖️ Disclaimer
This review is intended for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute medical or nutritional advice, nor is it a substitute for personalized guidance from a qualified healthcare professional. Always consult your doctor, dietitian, or allergy specialist before beginning an elimination diet or reintroducing foods, especially if you have a history of anaphylaxis, severe food reactions, or complex chronic illness.
