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Attempting to remove certain food groups as a result of being diagnosed with food intolerance or allergy can be tricky. We are all used to consuming certain foods that it becomes difficult to avoid them. The following therefore is a list of food substitutes compiled by Dr Gill Hart, Scientific Director at YorkTest Laboratories who specialise in food intolerance and allergy testing.  So here goes:

Bread

Let’s face it bread is very difficult to avoid as it is everywhere. Those that have reactions to yeast, wheat and gluten have to be able to hunt down alternatives easily and there are some great alternatives around. Wheat and gluten free bread now comes in the form of multigrain, baguettes, pitas and even ciabatta! Rye bread may not always be appealing as it can be quite dry, but try toasting it and serving with baked beans, humus or pate; yummy.  Rice, corn and gluten-free oat cakes are also great substitutes. For recipes that use breadcrumbs such fish cakes or puddings it’s easy, just substitute with gluten-free bread!

Spreads

Dairy free alternatives to butter and margarine (most sunflower based spreads still contain cow’s milk) are now readily available. Pure offer the best range with dairy free sunflower, soya and now olive spreads.

Staples

Staple foods are a common problem for many people and can contribute to various illnesses such as IBS symptoms. Pasta is one of the most popular staples, and most supermarkets stock wheat and gluten free pasta now; Tesco have a brown rice penne pasta and other pasta types contain buckwheat, corn and rice for extra flavour, but let’s have a think about other alternatives. Quinoa (which is actually a seed) is a great form of carbohydrate and protein, also try buckwheat (a herb), and of course rice, lentils or the often forgotten humble potato!

Cereals

Cereals that are gluten and wheat free? Well there is so much choice now. Starting with gluten and wheat free muesli, but remember again to watch for hidden ingredients. Depending on your particular combination of problem foods there may be added, nuts, seeds or dried fruits that you need to avoid. Remember that, for those with symptoms of food intolerance, the average number of IgG antibody food reactions is 6; it’s the particular combination of foods that is unique to you that is important. There is concern about the gluten content of oat based porridges, so try quinoa and millet porridge instead, very filling so you won’t need a huge portion. Try topping your porridge with added pumpkin or sunflower seeds, flaxseed or linseed for extra flavour. The protein in these seeds will keep you going through the morning, and along with the low glycaemic load of the porridge oats or quinoa, you certainly won’t want any snacks until lunchtime!

Milk

Cereals have been covered but what about milk? The supermarket shelves are now awash with milk substitutes, but they are sometimes difficult to hunt out! You can usually find milk alternatives in the “Longlife or UHT Milk”, “Free-From” or “Fresh Milk” sections but how they are categorised does vary from supermarket to supermarket! Try alternatives such as oat milk (I like the one that is fortified with calcium and vitamin D), coconut milk (great for sauces) and of course soya milk. Rice milk and hemp milk have less substance to then and so don’t make such good Yorkshire puddings or sauces, but are great for porridge and on cereals. Have a look and see, but do check out hidden ingredients, for example may of the milk alternatives contain sunflower oil, which isn’t helpful if you have reactions to sunflower seeds as well as cow’s milk! Remember too that goat and sheep milk contains similar milk proteins to cow’s milk and so may not be suitable for you.

Flour

What about wheat and gluten free alternatives to flour? Well I have found some great recipes that use ground almonds instead or trying substituting wheat flour with gram flour (chickpea flour), rice flour or coconut flour.

Yeast-free?

If your test results show that you have reactions to yeast in your blood then eliminating yeast from your diet can be quite a challenge. Yeast-free bread is available, or try making your own Irish soda bread. Easier to try are alternatives such as oat, rice and corn cakes. Watch out for fruits which contain yeasts on their skins, particularly berries and skinned fruits; try alternatives such as mango, pineapple and bananas. Avoid fungi like mushrooms, and substitute blue and mature cheeses. Note that gravy granules and stock cubes contain yeast but there are yeast free alternatives (try Anthony Worrall Thompson yeast free organic vegetable stock cubes from Tesco).

So that wraps up the list. If you have been diagnosed with food intolerance then it is recommended that you seek the help of a practicing nutritionist who can help. This is why YorkTest have developed the food intolerance programme to help those that need it as you can end up doing more harm than good. For more information visit YorkTest.com or call 0800 074 6185

The British do not suffer from food allergies as much as those in the U.S. (and most other places), according to a recent study published in the Allergy journal.

Researchers at Imperial College London conducted a study of over 4,500 adults in thirteen countries.  They tested participants’ blood for the antibodies produced by the immune system’s response to certain foods.

These ‘allergies’, properly designated as food sensitivity reactions, can be activated by almost any food, but the most common found in this particular study were apples, peaches, hazelnuts, wheat and shrimp.  Refuting the common assumption, cow’s milk, eggs and fish turned out to be some of the least likely to cause an allergic response.

The study also indicated that sensitivity to specific foods was identified in different countries.  Less than one percent of people in all thirteen countries showed a sensitive reaction to eggs, fish and milk, but seven percent reacted to hazelnuts.  In some countries, including the U.S., Norway, Italy and Germany, the highest percentage of participants (about 22 percent) was shown to have antibodies against at least one specific food.

In Britain and France, antibodies were present in only about 14 percent of all participants.

Food sensitivity does not necessarily set off an allergic reaction such as swelling, wheezing or skin irritation.  In addition, clinical allergies are often confused with food intolerance, which does not involve the immune system.  Many people who believe they are allergic to certain foods may just have a low tolerance – a small amount of the particular food would probably not cause any negative reaction, whereas with a true allergy, even a tiny portion can lead to severe symptoms.