Discover Free-From Foods

Discover Free-From Foods

Suffer from a gluten allergy or dairy intolerance? We examine the world of free-from foods…

Free-from diets have rapidly gained popularity in recent years as more and more people have realised that certain foods simply don’t agree with them and as we have become more aware of intolerances and allergies.

Whether you suffer from an allergy to a specific food group or have a mild intolerance, the good news is that there are more free-from products available on the market now than ever before – all with clearer labelling.

Free From Gluten and Wheat
These days eating a diet free from gluten and wheat is easy, with brands creating all the typical baked and cereal goods without these two ingredients. Stores now stock gluten and wheat free breads (in both white and brown varieties), cakes, cereals, oats, porridge and muesli.

You can bake at home too; an array of wheat and gluten free flours are now widely available, including: amaranth, arrowroot, banana, brown/white rice, buckwheat, chia, chickpea, coconut, corn, hemp, lupin, maize, millet, quinoa, tapioca, soya and teff.

Free From Dairy
Those with a dairy allergy or intolerance are no longer stuck with bitter soya – there are so many milk alternatives available now, all offering unique flavours and textures. And it’s no longer just those with allergies who are using them too, more and more people are choosing dairy-free milks over cow’s milk.

Readily available milk alternatives include almond, coconut, hemp, rice, oat and cashew.

Almond is popular due to its creamy texture and due to it’s naturally sweet, nutty flavour, it’s delicious straight from the glass, poured over cereal and used in coffee.

Rice milk is particularly useful for those susceptible to allergies; it is often free from gluten, soy and nuts. It can be quite thin and watery, so it’s not a good choice for baking or cooking, tea/coffee or cereal, but it is delicious to drink straight from the glass.

Coconut milk has a texture that is closest to whole milk and contains more fat than other milk alternatives, with around 5g of saturated fat per serving. Like other nut milks, it’s a good choice for baking due to its nutty flavour. Coconut milk is delicious as a drink and due to being sweet-tasting, it’s perfect for desserts, cakes and smoothies.

Hemp milk has a creamy consistency that tends to be a bit thicker than other milk alternatives and has a slight nutty flavour, making it a good choice for coffee. It does have a strong taste that is better suited to savoury dishes

Shop bought oat milk isn’t suitable for those who are gluten intolerant, but you can make it yourself at home using gluten-free oats. It can be enjoyed straight from the glass, over cereal or in smoothies and it works well in both sweet and savoury dishes.

It’s not just dairy-free milk that’s available now either, you’ll find desserts, creams, ice creams, butters, sauces and cheeses too.

Free From Eggs
Eggs are often the staple of baked goods and desserts, typically making it difficult for those with an egg allergy – but there’s now a huge array of products specifically created for those who can’t eat eggs.

You can now find egg-free cakes, pasta, ice cream, sauces, salad cream, mayonnaise and more.

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