Common Food Substitutions For Those With Food Allergies
September 8th, 2010

You do not always have to sacrifice when it comes to tasty food just because you have food allergies. Often times, there are substitutes available that taste just as good or can be used in recipes to create the end product you want without the possible allergic reactions. Sometimes, it all depends on how you use the food as to whether there is an appropriate allergen-free substitute.

The trick for many food substitutions is being able to use the replacement product in the same way as you would the real deal. Unfortunately, this does not always work. Here are some common food substitutions you might want to try to alleviate your food allergies:

1. Cow's milk – There are a lot of dairy products that we use such as coffee creamer, milk for cereal and drinking and even milk for cooking. Several substitutions exist that can replace cow's milk such as soy milk, goat's milk, rice milk, almond milk and more. Some substitutions may not be great for drinking but they have enough protein for cooking purposes whereas some milk substitutions taste great for drinking but are not suitable for cooking. Of course, if you have multiple food allergies, some of these milk substitutes may do more harm than good.

2. Eggs – There are no real substitutes for eggs if you wanted to eat fried or scrambled eggs. However, as a substitute during the cooking or baking process, there are leavening mixtures which suitably replace the role of eggs. Keep in mind, for recipes which are made mostly from eggs like sauces and special puddings, these egg substitutes will not work.

3. Flour – Traditional recipes call for flour made from a wheat product. However, if you have an allergy to wheat, there are a variety of flour alternatives that would work. Of course, because of their different properties, one type of flour may work for cakes but not work for bread. In other words, these flour wheat-free substitutes are not a one size fits all kind of deal. Corn, millet, rice, potato, quinoa and amaranth are just a few of several different types of food products that could be made into flour.

4. Beer – This alcoholic beverage is not something people usually think about in terms of food allergies but many brands use gluten, corn or wheat ingredients in their brews which can trigger reactions. However, manufacturers are sitting up and taking notice of food allergies and are now brewing beer without these ingredients. Heading to the imported beer aisle though may be your best bet because some German beers do not use those ingredients at all, sticking with more traditional barley, yeast and hops.

5. Pasta noodles – Not all pastas are made with egg products. In fact, most spaghetti noodles and others sold in stores are made strictly from water and semolina. However, fresh pastas specially packaged in stores or served in restaurants may contain egg products. Check your grocery store or local whole food market for pasta alternatives if you are wary of food allergic reactions. You will discover pastas that are both gluten and wheat free. There are pasta options made from bean paste, rice, corn and a variety of other grains. Your allergies will dictate the type of pasta you purchase.

Plenty of food substitutions exist for a variety of items. However, always remember that because they have different properties than the "real" thing, they may not work in the same way so recipe tweaking may be necessary.

---