Don’t be afraid to look for substitutes when intolerance or allergies make certain foods hard to digest. These tips will help.
Get creative
Food allergies or intolerance need not curb your culinary adventures. Enjoy a range of tastes with a little creativity.
Dairy substitutes
If you are going vegan or have a dairy allergy, use applesauce or bananas to replace eggs in many
recipes. Pumpkin or flaxseed can work too. This tip works for everything from brownies (just combine a can of pumpkin puree with brownie mix for a guilt free treat thanks to this high fiber and low-fat recipe) to breading. Flaxseed is a great stand in for bread crumbs when you’re carb or gluten free. Like applesauce, you can use flaxseed in baked goods too.
Dream the Impossible dream
Enjoy juicy burgers again. It’s possible with Impossible. Impossible is a plant-based product that fools even the biggest beef fans. Use it as a stand in for meat sauce, on nachos or any place else you want beef. Looking for a fish substitute? Hearts of palm or tofu are good choices. Duck can stand in admirably when you want to pass on the pork.
Hit your local farmer’s market or co-op
There are so many new ways to navigate the challenges of food intolerance or allergies. One easy way is to head to your local food co-op on a Saturday. Venders are often there promoting new foods. You can also talk with grocers about products you aren’t familiar with such as tempeh, wakame, and miso.
Avoiding corn? Try canola instead of corn oil and arrowroot or potato starch in place of corn starch. There are countless substitutes for wheat so, again, get creative. Tapioca flour, chickpea flour and rolled oats are easy to find and use.
Don’t skip the sauce
Use olive brine or coconut aminos when you want to skip soy sauce or teriyaki. Many non-dairy products such pea-based cream cheese or nut-based milks can help you create creamy sauces.
For a variety of reasons, people are choosing foods more carefully. Thankfully the market is responding to meet the diverse need. You can enjoy interesting foods without feeling deprived despite allergies or intolerance. Just be willing to be creative and culinary adventure can still be yours.
