Christine had recently learned that she had some food intolerances. She wasn’t surprised – after all, she had been feeling poorly for quite some time now.

But now, it was certain that she needed to start avoiding dairy, soy, and gluten.

She knew it was important but was worried that it might be difficult to avoid so many foods that had previously been staples in her diet.

Food intolerances are becoming more common and can cause a multitude of uncomfortable symptoms along with an inflammatory response in your body.

As the gut lining becomes more sensitive or even permeable, it may be time to swap out some foods to see how your body responds.

Luckily, if you have food intolerances like Christine, there are a variety of easy food swaps that you can make so you can start feeling better and eating nutritious foods, too!

7 SIMPLE SWAPS FOR COMMON FOOD INTOLERANCES

1. DAIRY

Replace cow’s milk with unsweetened almond, coconut, cashew, or hemp milk, and replace cream with canned coconut milk or a rich, unsweetened coconut and almond milk blend.

Choose a plant-based protein powder such as hemp or pea protein or collagen peptides instead of whey protein powder.

Opt for avocado as a spread or dip instead of cheese. Sprinkle nutritional yeast flakes on meals to bring out a cheesy flavor. Some clean organic almond-based cream cheese products are available, but always double check the label to be sure they’re truly dairy-free!

When replacing butter, choose coconut butter, sugar-free almond butter, or even avocado for a buttery taste!

2. GLUTEN

When replacing bread, try lettuce or collard wraps to create excellent sandwiches! You can also choose to make homemade bread using almond or coconut flour. This can be a great low carbohydrate option!

Coconut wrap products, collard wraps, iceberg lettuce, and butter lettuce are great options when replacing tortillas.

Spaghetti squash and spiralized zucchini “noodles” are a great way to add more veggies to your diet while adding flavor and replacing pasta. You can also spiralize sweet potatoes, carrots, and many other veggies or even purchase them already spiralized to save time!

3. EGGS

For breakfast, choose an alternate protein source for breakfast meals such as ground turkey.

When baking, an easy swap for eggs in baked goods is a flax or chia “egg”. This is simply 1 tablespoon of ground flax or chia seeds mixed with 3 tablespoons of water. Wait 15 minutes for the mixture to gel, and use in your favorite recipes!

4. COFFEE

Coffee is often one of the hardest things for people to give up! The best way to wean yourself off coffee is to do it gradually.

Each day, drink less than the day before, and finally, make the switch to a lower or non-caffeinated version of your favorite hot or iced beverage.

Great options that are gentle on the stomach are herbal “coffee” blends (double check ingredients for gluten and avoid roasted barley) such as matcha green tea, chai tea blends, homemade turmeric-rich golden milk, or homemade hot cacao sweetened with stevia or xylitol.

5. PEANUTS

Using an unsweetened almond or cashew butter is a delicious and tasty alternative to peanut butter.

To avoid nuts completely, try unsweetened sunflower seed butter. This makes a tasty “peanut” sauce, too!

6. SOY

Make sure to check all nutrition labels as soy is in most packaged foods. Or, better yet, avoid processed foods completely!
To avoid soy sauce, try using coconut aminos. It has a slightly sweeter flavor and is typically less salty than soy sauce, so be sure to adjust recipes accordingly.

Many grocery stores even offer coconut amino-based teriyaki and stir-fry sauces, or you can make your own with a delicious mix of coconut aminos, rice or apple cider vinegar, fresh garlic, fresh ginger, and some red chili pepper flakes for spice!

7. YEAST

Avoiding yeast in baked goods is entirely possible and much easier if you make your own! Search online for “paleo bread” or grain-free recipes using almond or coconut flour for some tasty, lower-carbohydrate options that won’t spike your blood sugar.

TO WRAP IT UP

Remember that everyone is different. Here at ITN, we focus on personalization and know that one thing does not work for everyone!

To find out what foods work best for your body, we recommend seeking out a Certified Transformational Nutrition Coach (CTNC) who is trained and specializes in personalized protocols!

Do you have food intolerances? Which one food swap will you make this week? Share in the comments!

Looking for more? Check out these 4 Simple Steps To Help Break Your Sugar Addiction!