Substitutes - How to bake your way around food allergies
For many, food allergies can be 'unfair' or bad luck. To me and many others they are an opportunity to explore food and nutrition and in many ways a catalyst for change; not just for individuals but for food companies and governments. Food allergies force demand for better quality and simpler foods and in many cases far better nutrition for food allergy sufferers than our non allergic brothers and sisters are achieving. And if we are really honest with ourselves we do feel much healthy and have better general well being if we adhere to our allergy free diets. "But I want cake" I hear you cry and cake you shall have. Just swap a few of the nasties for the nice substitutes listed below and live a little. Enjoy.
Milk
There are many substitutes for milk that are widely available. If you are watching your sugar intake you may want to avoid rice milk and be sure to read the label before purchasing other types and brands of milk substitutes. Many nut and cereal milks contain cane sugar or dextrose or maltose or some other kind of sugar. And whilst many brands of alternative milk are organic they do contain many additives that I believe are unnecessary. So instead of cow's milk you could try any of the following:- Almond milk, oat milk, coconut milk, hemp milk and rice milk. My personal favourite is unsweetened almond milk. I use unsweetened almond milk in all my cooking and all the recipes listed on this site.
When cooking with milk 1 cup of cow's milk = 1 cup of any substitute milk.
Flour
Many health food stores stock a wide variety of flours for allergy suffers and the health conscious. In some cases it can depend on what you are cooking, but please do your research as some flours should be avoided if you have nut allergies (for example Lupin flour). Of course you can mix and match with various types of flour depending on what you are cooking. Different varieties include, coconut, soy, rice, potato, tapioca, chickpea, pea, corn, lupin, buckwheat, sorghum and the list goes on. Sometimes it can be better to use a combination of flours to achieve a good end result. Luckily some companies have taken the hard work out of allergy free baking by providing a range of baking flours and mixes. Most of them also provide some baking tips on the packet. Some flours cannot not be kneaded as much as wheat flour and others, coconut flour for example, absorb much more fluid than most other flours. So where possible follow the recipe and read the labels on the packet as a precaution.Did you know that some cornflour brands are made with wheaten cornflour? The only way to stay on top of allergies is to stay informed and know exactly what is in everything so read the labels.
When cooking with flour it is best to spoon the flour from the packet or container into the measuring cup. Flour, no matter which kind, can compact easily and if you use your measuring cup straight into the packet or container you will likely get more than you actually need and chances are you will then need more liquid. So where possible sieve the flour before adding it to your cooking. This will give you a better end result.
Butter
Butter is a dairy product and many people with food allergies or sensitivities are often affected by both wheat and dairy. Now whilst there are many types of artificial butters on the market, these are usually hydrogenated oils, and if you do any research on the subject you will find that these substances are not very good for one's health in the long term. Thankfully there are some good alternatives that are great for your health and your taste buds. Look out for these yummy substitutes next time you are in the health food shop or even the dairy case at the supermarket. Coconut butter, raw cacao butter, olive oil, safflower oil and various other cold pressed edible oils. I personally use raw cacao butter combined with raw coconut butter in most of my sweet recipes.
When cooking with oils/butters usually 1 tablespoon of butter = 1 tablespoon of butter/oil.
Yoghurt, butter milk or cream
Whilst soy and rice milk yoghurt is available in most dairy cases, many people are allergic to soy and many brands are full of sugar. If you have a recipe that calls for butter milk or yoghurt just use your milk of choice and add a teaspoon of lemon juice. This will cause the milk to curdle and give your cooking a similar result as if buttermilk or yoghurt were added.
If a recipe calls for cream you could try coconut milk or coconut cream or an unsweetened soy or rice milk yoghurt if your dish is savoury. You also might like to consider goats milk yoghurt and sheeps milk yoghurt. Both these yoghurts contain the all important cultures for your digestive system and can give your recipes that flavour boost or creaminess that you are looking for. Do read the labels though as some contain thickeners
Sugar
When adding sugar to a recipe it is important to think about the glycaemic index or GI. I do not use or endorse any kind of artificial sweeteners or any substances that are concentrated sweeteners. I also will not use agave syrup; it has a lower GI than cane sugar but it I still consider it relatively high GI and for me personally it still affects my blood sugar levels. Honey, whilst still a little high on the GI it is a naturally occurring product that contains vitamins, and minerals and is beneficial to one's health. Honey is great is small doses.
Fruit is also an excellent sweetener. Over ripe bananas are a fantastic sweetener in cakes, biscuits and pies. Apples and pears pureed are also good sweeteners. Any berry at the height of its season is always sweet and juicy. Fresh dates are beautifully sweet whilst dried dates or figs soaked in water and added to cakes and biscuits will provide sweet relief.
My sweetener of choice is coconut sugar; it is naturally low GI and contains a host of minerals and 12 important amino acids. It is approximately as sweet as cane sugar and similar to cooking with brown sugar in its flavour and texture.
If you are really pressed for time and need a nice healthy dessert or sweet snack then this is for you. I have recently discovered a machine that turns over-ripe bananas and other fruits such as mangoes and strawberries into ice-cream; it's called Yonanas and its great for a year round sweet treat. You just need to freeze your over ripe fruit in advance.
Eggs
To save us hard work there are several products on the market that are known as egg replacers or egg replacement. These are great but there are also some basic ingredients that will help you achieve the chemical reaction that occurs between flour and egg if you are caught short. Try some of the following:-
1 tablespoon of white vinegar = 1 egg
3 tablespoons of unsweetened apple puree = 1 egg
4 tablespoons of any of the yoghurts mentioned above = 1 egg
Milk
There are many substitutes for milk that are widely available. If you are watching your sugar intake you may want to avoid rice milk and be sure to read the label before purchasing other types and brands of milk substitutes. Many nut and cereal milks contain cane sugar or dextrose or maltose or some other kind of sugar. And whilst many brands of alternative milk are organic they do contain many additives that I believe are unnecessary. So instead of cow's milk you could try any of the following:- Almond milk, oat milk, coconut milk, hemp milk and rice milk. My personal favourite is unsweetened almond milk. I use unsweetened almond milk in all my cooking and all the recipes listed on this site.
When cooking with milk 1 cup of cow's milk = 1 cup of any substitute milk.
Flour
Many health food stores stock a wide variety of flours for allergy suffers and the health conscious. In some cases it can depend on what you are cooking, but please do your research as some flours should be avoided if you have nut allergies (for example Lupin flour). Of course you can mix and match with various types of flour depending on what you are cooking. Different varieties include, coconut, soy, rice, potato, tapioca, chickpea, pea, corn, lupin, buckwheat, sorghum and the list goes on. Sometimes it can be better to use a combination of flours to achieve a good end result. Luckily some companies have taken the hard work out of allergy free baking by providing a range of baking flours and mixes. Most of them also provide some baking tips on the packet. Some flours cannot not be kneaded as much as wheat flour and others, coconut flour for example, absorb much more fluid than most other flours. So where possible follow the recipe and read the labels on the packet as a precaution.Did you know that some cornflour brands are made with wheaten cornflour? The only way to stay on top of allergies is to stay informed and know exactly what is in everything so read the labels.
When cooking with flour it is best to spoon the flour from the packet or container into the measuring cup. Flour, no matter which kind, can compact easily and if you use your measuring cup straight into the packet or container you will likely get more than you actually need and chances are you will then need more liquid. So where possible sieve the flour before adding it to your cooking. This will give you a better end result.
Butter
Butter is a dairy product and many people with food allergies or sensitivities are often affected by both wheat and dairy. Now whilst there are many types of artificial butters on the market, these are usually hydrogenated oils, and if you do any research on the subject you will find that these substances are not very good for one's health in the long term. Thankfully there are some good alternatives that are great for your health and your taste buds. Look out for these yummy substitutes next time you are in the health food shop or even the dairy case at the supermarket. Coconut butter, raw cacao butter, olive oil, safflower oil and various other cold pressed edible oils. I personally use raw cacao butter combined with raw coconut butter in most of my sweet recipes.
When cooking with oils/butters usually 1 tablespoon of butter = 1 tablespoon of butter/oil.
Yoghurt, butter milk or cream
Whilst soy and rice milk yoghurt is available in most dairy cases, many people are allergic to soy and many brands are full of sugar. If you have a recipe that calls for butter milk or yoghurt just use your milk of choice and add a teaspoon of lemon juice. This will cause the milk to curdle and give your cooking a similar result as if buttermilk or yoghurt were added.
If a recipe calls for cream you could try coconut milk or coconut cream or an unsweetened soy or rice milk yoghurt if your dish is savoury. You also might like to consider goats milk yoghurt and sheeps milk yoghurt. Both these yoghurts contain the all important cultures for your digestive system and can give your recipes that flavour boost or creaminess that you are looking for. Do read the labels though as some contain thickeners
Sugar
When adding sugar to a recipe it is important to think about the glycaemic index or GI. I do not use or endorse any kind of artificial sweeteners or any substances that are concentrated sweeteners. I also will not use agave syrup; it has a lower GI than cane sugar but it I still consider it relatively high GI and for me personally it still affects my blood sugar levels. Honey, whilst still a little high on the GI it is a naturally occurring product that contains vitamins, and minerals and is beneficial to one's health. Honey is great is small doses.
Fruit is also an excellent sweetener. Over ripe bananas are a fantastic sweetener in cakes, biscuits and pies. Apples and pears pureed are also good sweeteners. Any berry at the height of its season is always sweet and juicy. Fresh dates are beautifully sweet whilst dried dates or figs soaked in water and added to cakes and biscuits will provide sweet relief.
My sweetener of choice is coconut sugar; it is naturally low GI and contains a host of minerals and 12 important amino acids. It is approximately as sweet as cane sugar and similar to cooking with brown sugar in its flavour and texture.
If you are really pressed for time and need a nice healthy dessert or sweet snack then this is for you. I have recently discovered a machine that turns over-ripe bananas and other fruits such as mangoes and strawberries into ice-cream; it's called Yonanas and its great for a year round sweet treat. You just need to freeze your over ripe fruit in advance.
Eggs
To save us hard work there are several products on the market that are known as egg replacers or egg replacement. These are great but there are also some basic ingredients that will help you achieve the chemical reaction that occurs between flour and egg if you are caught short. Try some of the following:-
1 tablespoon of white vinegar = 1 egg
3 tablespoons of unsweetened apple puree = 1 egg
4 tablespoons of any of the yoghurts mentioned above = 1 egg