ALLERGY ADVICE
I have had a dairy allergy since I was four- so here’s everything I have learnt in the last 9 or 10 years:
Alternatives:
There’s always alternatives. Instead of cow’s milk you can have rice milk, oat milk, almond milk, and coconut milk. There are probably more, but these are the most popular and are the ones I have tried and liked. Oat and almond milk is what’s always in my house though. My preference is oat milk, and the brand that I use is Oatly and I know it’s very popular. You can also get Oatly cream, chocolate milk and ice cream. The strawberry one is officially the best ice cream in the world. It tastes SO good- I recommend you go and buy it right now! Vegan Magnums are also really good and something that I have really enjoyed recently.
Instead of dairy butter, I have two dairy free alternatives. Pure sunflower spread is what I’ve had since I was four. More recently, I have preferred to use that for baking and I now use Flora Original for things like toast. Be careful though, they’re not all dairy free- only the original one. The brand KOKO is really good for things like cream cheese, yogurt and basic cheese. It’s all coconut based, and really good!
Make sure to always check out the free from section in your supermarkets- they can have some really interesting and delicious foods. Did you know there is vegan whipped cream?
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What’s the difference between an intolerance and an allergy?
An allergy is a lot more severe, and usually has fairly immediate symptoms and having an allergy involves the immune system whereas an intolerance is usually less severe, the symptoms can be delayed and does not involve the immune system.
Tips:
Always double check the ingredients- ingredients change. Products are supposed to show that their recipe/ingredients have changed but it’s always good to be on the safe side when you have an allergy. I got really ill after having vitamins that added milk to them without displaying it on the packaging. That was not fun so I really recommend checking ingredients of food products even if they’re from the free from section- especially if they’re new. Obviously you don’t need to check things that wouldn’t have dairy in there like fruits.
Always tell them you have an allergy in a restaurant- even if you’re ordering from a vegan or dairy free menu, you should always tell whoever’s organizing you’re food. Sometimes it’s best to talk directly to the chef if you feel like the waiter/waitress doesn’t really understand.
Always ask! In most restaurant, chefs will be happy to adapt a dish slightly if you want it dairy free.
Try new things- being dairy free is so much easier if you experiment and try new foods. You have way more options that way. I’m a lot more willing to try new foods now compared to when I was four.
My favourite resturants (I live in the UK)
These restaurants are all very good – and especially good with allergies. They are in no particular order.
Wildwood- grill, pizza, steak
Brasserie Blanc- French food, American food,
Dishoom- Indian Restaurant
The Langham- This is a hotel but the afternoon tea there is AMAZING and they cater for allergies very well
Wagamama- Asian/Japanese
Pizza Express - Italian
The Black Horse - Pub food
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