The List: 15 Food Allergy Savers

Tolerating a picky eater is one thing. Having an intolerance to certain foods is another. Check out these 15 great solutions to food allergies.

Your bread maker has been given the silent treatment since a gluten allergy was discovered. Embrace your new counter space and save a little room for a loaf of this line of bread (and other goods) made of flax, potato, tapioca, soya and rice flours—they're anything but half-baked.

In our house, ‘the other guy'—aka their sibling—typically gets the blame. The same goes for seeds (sunflower, pumpkin). In this case, it's the honest truth. Since nuts are usually processed on the same line, seeds are often unsafe for kids with peanut and tree nut allergies. These kernels are prepped on dedicated equipment meaning seeds are bagged peanut, tree nut, dairy, soy and egg free.

A bun in the oven is a concept you may be familiar with. A gluten-free kind that your kids will actually eat? Uncharted territory. Thankfully, Kinnikinnick (try spelling that error free) has given birth to a range of soft, chewy hotdog and hamburger buns that we bet the kids will devour.

Your taste in clothes constantly clashes with your kids'. When it comes to your ideas about healthy snacking, the great divide gets wider still. So it'll come as a surprise to them that you're actually bringing home snacks that sport certain characters (Cars, Mickey Mouse) but are all natural (not baked, dehydrated or sweetened) and allergy free.

Whoever coined the term muffin top didn't realize that it can be but a wistful dream for those with gluten allergies. Luckily, bakeries like this Montreal-based sensation, started by a celiac sufferer with two gluten-intolerant daughters, have upped their allergy-free offerings. Trust a mom to make gluten-free muffin mixes (morning glory with flax, chocolate chip banana) worth waking up for.

We've fallen for our share of product promises (frizz-free shampoo, anyone?), so it doesn't take a genius to admit to skepticism over a gluten-free bread line claiming texture and taste similar to ordinary baked loaves. We're ready to eat our words.

If making mac and cheese for the kids is a mother's guilty pleasure, finding a gluten-free version should allow for a bit of salvation. Made with organic rice and animal enzyme and rennet-free cheddar cheese, there's nothing to beg forgiveness for. (At least from a food perspective.)

In what may be a first for a sweet tasting snack, the list of things that aren't in this gum (think artificial additives, preservatives, colours, the top eight allergens) is longer than the all-natural ingredients that are. Chew on that for awhile.

Much has been written about this spread as an excellent alternative to peanut butter and other nut-based spreads. For family members or friends with a nut allergy, this sunflower seed-based solution will likely become a staple. Free of dairy, lactose, egg, nuts and wheat/gluten.

We're well aware that reducing sugar in their diet is definitely a good thing. But for anyone with allergies, particularly nut and tree nut allergies, who aren't able to choose certain chocolate treats that most of us take for granted, these sweets could cure any sort of edible envy.

Much like the words ‘vacation' and ‘adults-only' are rarely linked together in our lives, ‘fluffy' and ‘free of egg' are similar strangers to one another in the baking business. Along comes this sweet solution for food allergies, with food mixes that are free of peanuts, dairy, eggs and tree nuts, and suddenly it's all good—literally.

Routinely reading the fine print on the back of food boxes is a fact of life for anyone with allergies. So we celebrate when we find something that offers a solution—like a new breakfast menu idea. This granola is a rare option offering a nut-free, gluten-free formula and is processed in a plant that operates in an allergy aware atmosphere. Luckily, the kids liked the taste, too. Score one for mom.

Sweet. Finding candies, like jelly beans, that have not travelled along the same processing path as many top food allergies (nuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs) can be incredibly hard to find. Even better, these goodies are corn syrup free. Keep some of these on hand when your kids, or their guests, can't eat the alternatives.

As we digest the daily warnings about the dire side effects attributed to microwave popcorn (Alzheimer's! Cancer!), we're willing to explore new options. This Ottawa-based popcorn is popped fresh daily, and is gluten free and nut free for safe snacking—in every way.

Home Free: an (often disputed) zone in a game of tag; a dubious offer from a mortgage company; a dedicated allergy-free bakery that makes a well-reviewed line of cookies. You'll know the definition of satisfied once you try these delicious mini vanilla cookies which are free of nuts, gluten, eggs, dairy and wheat, as well as 70% organic.