Millions of people in the United States are affected by food allergies – and that number is only rising.  While experts are still trying to understand the cause for the continued rise of food allergies over the past few decades, most people are just trying to figure out how to best live with their allergy.

As a parent of a child with a food allergy, it can be particularly nerve-wracking to not only uncover suitable food allergy alternatives but to make sure that your child does not come into contact with food that could prove to be life threatening.  On top of all of this, there tends to be some confusion surrounding what is and what is not a true food allergy.  Here, we’ll shed some light on the food allergy issue and offer up some viable alternatives to some of the most common food allergies.

Food Allergy vs. Food Sensitivity

Many people fall under the impression that they have a true food allergy when they, in fact, only exhibit an intolerance to a particular food or set of foods.  To distinguish the two, let’s break things down a bit.

Food allergies are more serious than a food sensitivity.  With a food allergy, exposure to the allergen can result in hospitalization and even death.  This is the kind of situation in which the consumption of particular foods is going to cause a very dramatic allergic reaction.  

Food sensitivities are different in the fact that they don’t pose the same kind of health risk, as they usually involve mild to moderate digestive issues.  Take lactose intolerance, for example.  For those with the condition and for those who hear them talk about it, the perception may be that this is an allergy.  

However, an intolerance – like lactose intolerance – is classified as a type of food sensitivity.  If the consumption of dairy were to cause a severe negative internal reaction, such as one that affects organs or breathing, then this would be termed as a milk allergy.

While both food allergies and food sensitivities involve being careful around certain foods, criteria for managing each condition is a little different.  An individual with a food allergy is more likely to require injectable medicine that they can carry with them should they experience anaphylactic shock due to exposure to a food allergen.  

People who experience food sensitivities can typically resort to over the counter digestive remedies in the event that they consume a food they are sensitive to.  Avoiding dangerous or otherwise problematic food is going to be the best course of action for either condition, which brings us to the topic of substitute foods.

Food Substitutes for the Most Common Food Allergies

Even if you just have a sensitivity to any of the following foods, it’s smart to go ahead and take note because you can benefit just as much from their substitutions as those with a food allergy.

Let’s start by taking a look at dairy.  Dairy can be found in a wide range of food products, from milk, yogurt, and ice cream to cheese, sour cream, and even chocolate.  This kind of allergy can be really difficult for people to deal with because so many recipes call for the use of some kind of dairy product.  

For the replacement of butter, consider using a substitute that’s already commonly used: margarine.  This is a great choice for a butter substitute because most recipes will automatically take into account the use of margarine, and measurements usually don’t have to change when swapping butter and margarine.  Be careful, though, as some margarine brands use a few dairy proteins – but you can find plenty that don’t.  You might also try coconut oil or canola oil where possible.

For products like sour cream, cream cheese, and even yogurt, many dairy-free products are available as substitutes for them.  These products typically use a soy base as the substitute, so, provided that you don’t also have an allergy to soy, such products could work well for you or your children.  

Cheese is a harder food to substitute, but there are cheese replacement products made by companies like Daiya Foods that do offer different “cheese” flavors.  These substitutes can be used in a variety of dishes much the same way that actual cheese would be used.

Another common food allergy involves eggs. Unfortunately for those with this allergy, there aren’t food allergy substitutes for an actual fried or scrambled egg. (Scrambled tofu is satisfying, though, and there is a pea protein scramble product available.) Instead, egg substitutes are based more on the substitution used in baking.  

Many baked goods call for the use of eggs, so it’s great that there are substitutes out there that will allow those with an egg allergy to still eat food like cake and cookies.  Flaxseed powder and unflavored gelatin are ingredients that you might find in egg substitutes; just keep in mind that some things – like flaxseeds – might bring in flavors of their own.  

Like dairy, avoiding nuts can be really difficult because they’re used in so many things.  Even products that you would never associate with nuts may include a small amount of them or may have come into contact with them in a shared facility.  Of course, just because you or your child is allergic to a particular nut, like the peanut, it doesn’t mean that all nuts are out of the question.  For some people, a specific peanut allergy will still let them eat other nuts, such as almonds.  However, if all nuts are definitely off the table, then seeds might be a worthwhile substitute.  Check out sunflower seeds and flaxseeds as nut substitutes.

Gluten has been a big topic in recent years, and there is hot debate surrounding the various factors of the gluten allergy issue.  While more and more people profess to have a gluten allergy or sensitivity, some studies suggest that the number of people who suffer from a true allergy – such as those with celiac disease – represents a very small percentage of the population.  

Many people report having a gluten sensitivity, but there is evidence to suggest that poor digestive health may be more to blame.  Having an imbalanced digestive system that doesn’t contain the healthy bacteria and other microbes needed for proper digestion can result in the body rejecting gluten as a harmful foreign substance.  

Whatever the case, the explosion in focus on gluten allergies and sensitivities means that there are plenty of gluten-free products available at virtually any grocery store.  Rather than use wheat, or products that contain it, consider using rice flour or potato starch.

Soy isn’t something that many people automatically look for when preparing meals, but it’s an ingredient or substitute in so many of our food products these days.  Soy allergies can, therefore, be tricky to deal with, but, provided that you don’t have other allergies, like a dairy allergy, doing a lot of cooking yourself can be a little easier.  

Milk and cheese typically don’t contain soy but pay attention to the packaging, in any case.  Keep an eye on margarine and different meats, as these may contain soy as either basic ingredients, substitutes, or fillers.

Last, we come to chocolate.  Chocolate allergies may seem like the cruelest of allergies to many people, as how many of us can really imagine going through life not being able to eat chocolate?  Careful analysis of a chocolate allergy should be undertaken, as it may turn out that an allergy to chocolate is, instead, an allergy contained in a chocolate product.  

Chocolate candy or even chocolate used for cooking may contain a variety of ingredients, like soy, dairy, nuts, etc., that might actually be the source of your allergy.  If you have a true chocolate allergy – which is rare – then there isn’t really anything you can use as a substitute, though some people try substituting carob.  Allergy-free chocolate options typically involve the removal of the kinds of additional ingredients already mentioned.

Allergy Foods to Avoid and Keeping Your Kids Safe

We’ve talked a lot about the sort of foods that you can use in place of allergy-induced foods, but it’s important to also talk about the various products to avoid that contain different common food allergens.  After all, there are many food products out there that you may not have even realized were potential risks.

For example, not eating eggs or cookies, cake, or other desserts that contain them, is a no-brainer, but some bread products might also be a risk.  Egg washes are often used in baking to help give food a nice golden color on top, to help bind ingredients together, and so on.  

Before buying bread from a bakery or your grocery store, it’s important to do a little digging to find out if eggs were used in any way in making the product.  Eggs will also be used in foods like waffles and biscuits, and may even be found in certain pasta.

We’ve discussed the various foods associated with dairy, like milk, butter, and cheese, but be mindful that dairy proteins will often be used in a variety of other products as even the smallest of ingredients.  

Probiotics offered for digestive health may contain dairy; so, too, products that include artificial and natural flavoring in their ingredients list.  Some products will replace certain fats with dairy proteins as well.  If you’re considering using protein drinks to help get in shape, then be warned that most are whey-based, which is a dairy base. Look for pea protein or soy-based powders.

Nuts are used in so many products that it’s hard to look through any list of ingredients and not find a mention of some kind of nut.  Peanut and tree nut allergies are separate allergies, so, if you have one but not the other, then avoiding problematic foods may not be as hard.  

For peanut allergies, keep in mind that baking mixes, cookies, cereal, chocolate, nougat, and marzipan are likely to contain peanuts.  For tree nut allergies, many of the same products may contain tree nuts as well as cheese spreads, crackers, granola bars, pie crust, and vegan or vegetarian products.  Some seeds like pumpkin seeds may not be good for you, either, so make sure you consult your doctor first if you’re not sure.

Gluten can be found in basically any product that includes grains like wheat and rye, but, these days, many products that contain gluten are labeled as such.  Bread and cereals are the main foods to take note of, as well as malt products.  Soy may also be found in bread products, as well as baby formula, dairy-free food, and processed meat.

Knowing about problematic foods when heading to the grocery store or going out to eat is often only one part of the battle, particularly if you have a child with a food allergy.  Keeping them safe from a potentially fatal food is obviously going to be a top priority, and this will be made easier by making sure you let others know about their allergy.  

Talking to teachers/staff at their school and/or daycare is important, as well as teaching other family members about their food allergies and how to avoid a reaction.  For very young children, you might consider buying something like an allergy bracelet that will better help alert people around your child of the potential risk present in relation to any food they might offer them.  This might be an especially useful aid in the case of a toddler or young child in daycare.

It may also be necessary to make sure that they carry an auto-injector with them wherever they go, in the event that they are exposed to food that happens to contain something they are allergic to.  If they have one, then be sure to go over how to use it with their teachers, their babysitter, or their friends’ parents.  

All of these restrictions and precautions may seem rather daunting, but keep in mind that being informed and knowledgeable about an allergy issue helps to take wild cards out of the equation.  Checking food before you buy it, finding and cooking with suitable replacements, and keeping children safe will become second nature in no time.