INTRODUCTIONCountless thousands of persons know that they are allergic to specific foodsor "families" of foods. And every day hundreds more learn of their in-tolerance to various foods. The situation is widespread and serious. Themost common allergens are wheat, milk, corn, and eggs. Unfortunately,in .today's society, these are also the most difficult ones with which tocope. A completely unknowledgeable person might say, for example, "Ifyou're allergic to milk, just don't drink any!" But only a little criticalinvestigation will show that avoiding milk is easier said than done. Notonly do many canned products we eat contain milk or fractions of milk,as do almost all baked goods, but even fresh meat products purchased atthe butcher's counter can contain added dry milk solids. The same is true of corn. Not eat corn? Easy, if it were only on thecob. But the fact is that many, many products we eat--without ever readingthe labels--contain corn syrup, cornstarch, or corn in other forms. It isnot too great an overstatement to say that individuals allergic to all four--wla~, milk, eggs, and corn--could figuratively starve to death in themiddle of their favorite supermarket. And yet, some are allergic to all four. It is the nature of allergies tomultiply themselves--particularly when individuals have been unawareof their problems for a long time, or have not given careful attention totheir eating habits after learning of their allergies. Avoidance of one foodtends to increase the usage of another. And the overuse can create a newsemifivity. The inconvenience of not being able to eat what one likes--or, in manyinstances, not being able to eat at all--is inevitably disruptive. In someeases it can create havoc with one's life-style. Worst of all, it makes gettingprol~ nutrition much more difficult. This can have serious consequences.It is essential to maintain the best possible health at all times, and adequate,eajoyabl~ nutrition is a key factor. This was what motivated me to publish my first allergy cookbook in1974 and to create this second, new one now. While my credentials includea B.$. degree in nutrition and dietetics from the University of Wisconsinand t~/o years of experience in practical dietetics, my best recommendation