Allergy Alternatives

by: AndreaDow
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Word Count: 869

Friday, September 28th

Lately it seems like I have been hearing more about parents with kids that have several food allergies. It can be difficult to re-structure your family meals, snacks and desserts, but it can be done! Thanks to the food industry, we have more and more options that provide great alternatives to dairy, nuts, fish and wheat. If you know anyone in your family or a friend who suffers from food allergies, keep the following list of food substitues on hand thanks to EatingWell Magazine. Make sure to read all food labels very carefully, sometimes ingredients like wheat will pop up in the least likely places. The following is a list of the "big eight" allergens and some great swaps.

Food Allergy	Foods to Avoid	Food Swaps
Milk	cow's milk, butter, buttermilk, cheese, cream cheese, ice cream, cottage cheese, yogurt, pudding, sour cream, half & half.	Try rice milk, almond milk or soymilk in recipes. Blend soy yogurt in smoothies. Try a cheeseless pesto. Go for cookies with nonhydrogenated margarine, soy/rice milk, and dairy-free chocolate chips.
Egg	Eggs	Mashed avocado, hummus or tapenade for mayo. Scramble tofu with salsa, beans and cheese.
Peanut	Peanut butter, mixed nuts, beer nuts.	Dip apples in honey instead of peanut butter. Make some popcorn when craving a cruncy, salt snack.
Tree nuts	Walnuts, almonds, cashews, pistachios, pecans, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, chestnuts, macadamia nuts, pine nuts and more.	Mix your own trail mix by combining your favorite cereals, raisins and banana chips. Try whole grain croutons in salads to mimic the crunchy taste nuts provide.
Fish	Fish including tuna, salmon, catfish, and more.	Use canned chicken instead of tuna. Try blending olives and sun-dried tomatoes into crean cheese as a substitute for smoked salmon on a bagel.
Shellfish	Shrimp, crab, lobster, crawfish, and more.	Try risotto cakes instead of crab cakes. Try using meats and veggie mixes in place of shellfish for paella recipes.
Soy	Soymilk, tofu, tempeh, edamame, soy-beans, soy-sauce, soy nuts, tamari, miso, TVP or textured vegetable protein.	Substitue chicken or seitan for stir-frys. Enjoy fortified rice milk on your cereal instead of soymilk.
Wheat	Wheat-based pastas, cereals, breads, bran, wheat germ, wheat berries, semolina, kamut, bulgar, seitan.	Try different pastas made from corn, brown rice and quinoa. Switch from flour to corn tortillas and try rice noodles for Asian-inspired dishes.

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