GF DF EF, Gluten, Dairy
and Egg Alternatives
by Linda Hollis 2024
Gluten, Dairy and
Egg Free?
What are the alternatives?
Background photo - courtesy of Gorrin Bel (gorrinbel) on Unsplash
Disclaimer: Please see your doctor/health practitioner/naturopath for dietary advise and gut issues etc. This website is dedicated to offering information, not advice.
So many products to read the ingredients on the back of!
Navigating a Gluten, Dairy and Egg Free Diet (GF DF EF)
It can be quite daunting when faced with having to cut out gluten, dairy and egg from your diet when diagnosed with an intolerance to these foods. Some people may only have to keep away from them for a short period, introducing them again slowly or occasionally, but regardless - it takes some planning and preparation to avoid what feels like having 'nothing that you are allowed to eat' in the house or when you go out for a meal. I hope with this information you might gain a little more confidence to experiment and be aware of pitfalls as well as knowing what to look for when shopping for ingredients or ready made products.
With any restricted diet, reading the ingredients on the back of everything you buy is frustrating and sometimes depressing. The text is often in fine print and sometimes you need to look up what an ingredient is online, as it's not always obvious. Add to that the disappointment when you realise something you thought would be okay is not - for example many gluten free breads in the local supermarket will have egg white as an ingredient to help with the texture. That is unfortunate if you are intolerant to egg white as well as the gluten.
Many snacks like flavoured chips/crisps, and cracker biscuits have gluten and/or cheese powder or lactose, and bread and cake mixes will usually have gluten and egg powder, and sometimes dairy powder/lactose. These are a few traps to look out for, but there are some good alternative products out there without the 3 foods we are talking about in this website, and also some alternatives you can use as ingredients in cooking/baking.
So stay with me if you would like to know more......
What's to eat?
Apart from your standard meat/fish, potatoes or rice and veg' or salad, there are many alternatives to replace the gluten, dairy and eggs in your diet - here are just a few examples.
COS Lettuce Boats
(with desired filling)
GF Corn or Rice Wraps
(home made or bought, with desired filling)
Scrambled Vegan Egg Replacement Mix
(There are 2 types, one for e.g., scrambled eggs or pancakes, the other for consistency and lift in baking)
Click here for info ('Egg alternatives' page)
NOTE: Fish, meat (except some processed meats), and GF vegan proteins are obviously okay to eat on a GF DF EF diet, along with fresh vegetables, rice, corn, fruit, legumes etc. However, it's the bases/holders, fillers and sauces that are the main problem, as well as various pre-mixes off the shelf. Rice or corn based breads wraps are good alternatives to pastries and breads. You can find alternative pasta/spaghetti made from rice and quinoa (nice), or buckwheat (a bit grainy). Sauces and gravies need to be made or bought with alternative flours: cornflour, rice flour, tapioca etc. Try Rice or corn crackers instead of wheat based cracker biscuits. Gluten free cake and biscuit mixes you can make with vegan butter and egg alternatives. (It's hard to get store bought cakes/biscuits that are all 3 GF, DF, EF though).
Breakfast
Examples
GF/DF free cereal with alternative milk (soy, oat, coconut) or juice. Gluten free bread or seed bread toasted with desired spread or topping e.g. jams, GF vegemite, avocado etc. GF taco wraps or Cos Lettuce 'boats' with e.g. bacon, vegan cheese, avocado, bean shoots etc. Vegan egg replacer as scrambled egg, with bacon. Try Avocado (instead of egg) with bacon on your GF toast. Cut fruit with coconut yoghurt.
Lunch
Examples
Rice crackers/GF bread/GF taco wraps/seed bread or Cos lettuce leaf 'boats' with desired topping/filling e.g. cold meat, salad, veg, fruit, herbs, bio/vegan cheese
(coconut or almond based)
. Some people can tolerate dairy from sheep or buffalo if they can't tolerate cow or goat dairy. Homemade soup that you control what goes into it.
Snack
Examples
DF chocolate
(homemade or bought). Fruit (cooked or fresh).
GF sweet pastry with filling. DF ice-cream or cream or coconut yoghurt. GF DF EF cakes/scones from scratch or packet mix. GF DF lollies/sweets. Jam on GF bread. Nuts. Vegetable, corn or plain potato chips (flavoured usually have dairy powder). Rice crackers with BIO or Vegan cheese and other toppings.
Main Meal
Examples
Home made soup or stew, fish, meat or vegan meat alternatives/
mixed beans/ fried avocado slices, plus salad or vegetables, with: Rice, GF pasta or rice noodles, GF DF EF sauces and gravies, rice poppadom's, or in corn Taco shells, GF wraps, GF pastry, or on GF bread toasted or as a sandwich, or on a GF pizza base with dairy free cheese.
DIAGNOSIS
Have you had your blood tested for food intolerances? You may still be able to have for example: egg yolk but not the egg white, or have dairy from animals other than from cows (unless you are vegan or vegetarian by choice).
Ask your doctor or naturopath about a Food Print Test (the 200 foods gives you more information but is expensive).
There are also cheap hair testing kits I've seen available online that test for sensitivity to up to 900 foods and imbalances - but they have mixed reviews and don't test for actual allergies, only sensitivities which can be temporary if you've say, had too much of one food type.
Click on the image
to link to the BeFunctional Labs Food Print Testing
page for information.
Disclaimer:
I have no affiliation with this laboratory, but it is who I had my testing with via my naturopath.
(Where I am near Adelaide, South Australia, only a couple of blood testing laboratories will take blood for this type of test, which is then sent on to the BeFunctional Labs. I got the 'runaround' trying to find one, as it changes).
If you are restricting certain foods - not because of personal preference but because you believe you may have an intolerance to them - a food print test can tell you which foods your antibodies react to, and how dangerous the food is to you. Knowing details like whether you are allergic to the food, or only a little intolerant, but over time have problems if you have too much of something - this can give you clearer options.
In my case it was the Casein in cow and goat milk which was one of the high antibody reactions. Casein is around 80% of the protein in dairy. However, my tests showed I am able to have sheep or buffalo cheese, but not cow or goat cheese or milk (even though they also have a form of casein. Also, because normal cow's butter is mostly fat - there is only 1% to 2% casein, so I can still have that too (if I don't overdo it).
My antibodies had a high reaction to the egg white, but not the yolk - so I could have an omelette or scrambled eggs using 2 to 4 yolks instead of the whole egg and I can add egg yolks into homemade mayonnaise etc. Orgran brand have an egg replace mix called "Vegan Easy Egg" which is good for scrambled egg, but I'm sure there would be other brands out there.
Gluten was my other staple food that my blood reacted badly to. For cakes and other baked products I now use either a vegan egg replacer mix like Orgran brand "Vegan Egg Replacer" (different to their "Vegan Easy Egg" product), or other egg alternatives like whisked chickpea water from the can, or linseed/flax seed or chia seeds soaked for a couple of hours. You can even use a mashed banana in place of 2 eggs in cakes (they turn out nice and moist, but don't rise well - so you just pour the height you want before cooking).
So, confirmation of sensitivity is the key, the rest is experimenting and trying different product alternatives. I was forced to have a healthier diet, instead of say just tea and toast for breakfast, and crackers with cheese etc as my usual lunch!
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Dairy Free Chocolate Recipes
