Food Substitutions for Allergies & Sensitivities

More and more people are cutting certain foods out of their diets. Some are doing it because they’ve discovered that they have allergies or sensitivities. Some are doing it because they have a health issue that means they need to get rid of certain foods, even if they don’t have an allergy or sensitivity. And some are doing it because they’re trying to eat healthier. I’m the person who cut foods out because of a health issue only to discover that I have an allergy/sensitivity to them. In my case, it’s gluten, dairy, corn, soy, and egg, and I cut them out in phases over the course of several years. Because of how many foods I can’t eat, I’ve figured out how to replace ingredients in recipes, and I figure that it’s time to share what I know to help other people who need to know food substitutions whether it’s for an allergy/sensitivity or to become healthier.

Replace Dairy: Use soy, almond, or coconut milk. Almond is my favorite, as it can be used pretty much exactly that dairy milk. If you also have a nut allergy, try rice milk instead, although I’ve heard that it doesn’t work great if you’re trying to use it as a thickener.

Replace Soy: Earth Balance has been my savior. Not only do they make dairy alternatives, but they also have soy-free options, as well. The biggest thing is to read labels and make sure that the ingredients in whatever you’re making don’t have soy.

Replace Gluten: The biggest key is to understand where to find gluten. Since it’s mostly found in wheat, recognize that you’ll need to replace flour. King Arthur has an amazing amount of alternatives. Their flour is amazing especially since you don’t have to add xantham gum to your recipes like you used to; xantham gum tastes horrific. Completely awful. Not only due they have multi-purpose flour, but they also have bread and pizza mix, cookie mixes, brownies, cakes, and more. And the best part is that (other than the corn bread) they don’t have other allergens in them! Check them out here.

Other brands are Bob’s Red Mill and Cherrybrook Kitchen, whose mission is “to provide delicious all natural baking mixes for the millions of people that are affected by food allergies” (x). They have mixes for pretty much everything you could need. Another thing you should know is that oats are naturally gluten-free, but Quaker Oats are not gluten-free. They do offer gluten-free products, but don’t assume that all of their products are safe to eat.

[bctt tweet=”Substitutions for 5 common food allergens ” username=”kmitchellauthor”]

Replace Egg: There are 2 options when a recipe calls for an egg – make a flax egg or use an egg replacer. By this I mean a powder egg replacer like Ener-G, which is what we use. It’s free of gluten, casein, wheat, dairy, yeast, soy, and nut. I personally use a flax egg when I bake.

Replace Corn: When you’re baking, generally you’ll run into corn with corn syrup. According to The Balance, corn syrup replacements include syrup, honey, light molasses, or maple-flavored syrup (I suggest clicking that link to read more about it and how to choose what to use). For corn meal, consider grits, and Kids with Food Allergies has a great article on replacements for all the things with corn in them, which is unfortunately a lot.

What are your favorite food substitutions?