Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Common Meals for Allergics - Are they a prospective target market?

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

On Jul 20, 2009, at 10:19 AM, Thomas Lofft wrote:

> If so, how do we identify food allergics as a market and target them  
> for cohousing prospects?

Very funny. I think we have far more food preferences than actual  
allergies. Of 59 adults, I can think of only 3 with food allergies --  
but not all 59 participate in meals. A good number are vegetarian  
(20-25%?) and most people don't object to vegetarian meals. 2 vegan  
adults and two children.

None are so particular that they care what else is cooked in the  
kitchen. While the allergic are really allergic to their problem  
foods, the rest are vegetarian/vegan for ethical and sustainability  
reasons, not religious or health reasons. The vegans eat a lot of  
white bread.

My own issue with meals is the high starch content -- carbs reign. For  
diabetes type 2 the number of carbs in each meal is about a week's  
worth. And I have a hard time not eating what others are eating. At  
home, I'm not tempted.

Sharon
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Sharon Villines
Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC
http://www.takomavillage.org