Key points from today’s guests:

Elisa Poe, living with Alpha-gal Syndrome

• Elisa has Alpha-gal Syndrome, which was caused by a tick bite and results in severe reaction to certain types of foods like beef, pork, and lamb.
• It was frustrating for her to seek care because many of the doctors she saw could not accurately diagnose the problem.
• She found the care she needed with Dr. Marissa Love at The University of Kansas Health System, who put her on a path to living effectively with this condition.
• As a former chef, she had to quit her job because the smell of cooked meat triggered the symptoms.
• It was difficult to leave a profession she loves, but she had to adjust to a new diet for herself.
• Her family has helped her find new recipes to try that are allergen-free.

Dr. Marissa Love, allergist and immunologist, The University of Kansas Health System

• Food allergy symptoms could include hives, nausea, vomiting, and anaphylaxis.
• The value of care-based culinary nutrition includes nutrition counseling and altering diets for patients with unique dietary needs.
• It is important to meet people where they are at – understanding what resources they have, what access to food they have, what cooking skills they have, and combining that all together to better understand their individual situation.
• A nasal epinephrine will be available as an alternative to the Epi-Pen for anaphylaxis reactions to food allergies.
• If you have symptoms related to your food, see a food allergist. Using your network of physicians, nutritionists, chefs, dieticians, and patient community can be a big help.
• More information is available at www.LaunchKU.org/CulinaryMedicine.

Rachel Ciordas, cooking instructor

• Celiac disease can be difficult to diagnose and she learned that her child had celiac disease. It meant creating new diet habits.
• Take something that you already love and make smaller changes versus being overwhelmed about trying to cook something completely new.
• Cravings can be difficult, but keep cravings in modification – or try something new like instead of traditional burgers, make chicken burgers.
• Ultra-processed foods are foods that use a process with ingredients that consumers normally cannot purchase.
• We offer culinary medicine classes for healthcare workers.

Monday, Aug. 19 at 8 a.m. is the next Morning Medical Update. Learn more about the new technique doctors use to plug an aneurysm before it bursts -- without brain surgery.

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