Food Allergy Awareness Week

This is food allergy awareness week, although I have only seen it advertised in one place, so I'm not sure what the scope and purpose of it is. Since being diagnosed with food allergies three months ago, I have fluctuated between trying to avoid major offenders, and then getting so discouraged (and hungry!) that I just throw the diet out the window.

I finally made some time today to go through a library cookbook that amazingly avoids all six foods I am allergic to, and figure out what I can eat that will satisfy my taste buds, my hunger, and my intenstinal lining at the same time. I made a list of ingredients that I need to buy, and I have absolutely no idea which store to find them in, or in what part of the store they would be located:

oat flour
rice flour
chickpea flour
tapioca starch flour
quinoa flour
barley flour
rye flour
xanthan gum
agave nectar
coconut milk
maple sugar
unbuffered Vitamin C crystals
walnut oil

My first thought would be Whole Foods or Central Market, but unfortunately, those are both a 30-45-minute drive one way, which I would prefer not to make if at all possible. Of course, if I can manage to only go every several weeks, it would not be that bad. Has anyone seen any of these at someplace like Kroger's? You would think that grocery stores would be eager to attract people who have no choice but to buy these expensive substitutes for wheat and sugar and milk, but every time I have tried to look for anything out of the ordinary, I have the hardest time finding anything, and just give up. Any help is appreciated!

"Some food to make you feel better"

This is one of Rebecca's newer phrases, and I'm not sure whether to try to discourage it or not. It started a couple of weeks ago, when we were out running errands, she had had a long morning, and I knew she was hungry and tired. She started crying when we got home (because she didn't want to go home yet), and I told her she would feel better after she ate some food. Well, now, whenever she wants food, she says, "Want some food to make you feel better." (She refers to herself as you, because that's how we refer to her.)

I don't want to encourage the habit of eating for comfort, although I think I myself feel especially comforted by certain foods (a good salad, good Tex-Mex, cheesecake, Starbuck's frappacinos--especially pumpkin spice, and all of my mom's specialties, particularly when I'm not the one making them); but I don't necessarily turn immediately to food if I need comforting, and I've never (thankfully) had much of a problem with weight fluctuation. Coming from a different angle, I also want Rebecca to grow up knowing that sometimes Mommy HAS to eat to feel better, but that's because Mommy is sick (we'll substitue the word diabetic for sick and add more details as she gets older).

I've never really worried about Rebecca's eating habits...she eats a large amount, and likes a wide variety of foods, and is a healthy size; but I don't know how much to try to help her at this age to distinguish between being hungry and needing comfort. I don't think she would necessarily understand the distinction at this point, but I don't want her to repeat the phrase so often that she can't get it out of her head when she gets older, either. Am I making too big of a deal about this? I'd love to hear your thoughts!