Food Swaps

I originally posted this blog in 2018, so I thought I would update and add a few things in 2022.

In this blog post I expand on the short interview clip I did on Facebook Live and on YouTube about great options for food swaps if you are gluten- or dairy-free or if you are interested in removing those items from your diet. So many people now have issues with these commonly consumed foods but luckily the market is answering with healthy alternatives that also taste great!

COCONUT YOGURT

GT’s, the maker of GT’s Kombucha have made a line of dairy-free, no sugar-added, living coconut yogurts. They are literally just coconut milk, coconut water, probiotics, and a little stevia or real fruit or spices in the flavored varieties. It is a tart, tangy yogurt which lets you know it’s alive 🙂 Flavors: raspberry, turmeric ginger, vanilla, and plain.

Cocojune is another organic coconut yogurt on the scene. Search your store for this!

The Coconut Cult is delicious and contains zero fillers, sweeteners, or thickeners. My favorite for making tzatziki and other yogurt based sauces and dressings.

COOKIES

Replace your traditional cookie dough that is full of wheat, dairy, and eggs for this equally delicious grain-free, dairy-free, and egg-free dough. If you ever thought your diet prevented you from having cookies because you have to avoid one or more of these foods, then you are in luck with Cappello’s.

Simple Mills makes such amazing gluten and grain free products that you’ll never want to go back to the originals. I’m serious and I hear daily how incredible their line of cookies, graham crackers, baking mixes, and crackers are.

PASTA

Cappello’s also offers an amazing grain-free pasta made with almond flour and eggs. I’m amazed at how much this resembles traditional fresh, wheat pasta noodles. Find it in the freezer section of Whole Foods and Thrive Market also has it with their cold ship order.

Gnocchi even has a replacement!! Cappello’s for the win again! Found in the freezer section.

You can have pasta without the wheat, gluten, and grains! Plus, when it’s made from just lentils you get a wallop of protein and fiber along with it that you wouldn’t get from a traditional wheat pasta. Tolerant foods makes great lentil and bean pastas without the gums.

Cybele’s Free to Eat Superfood pastas are so fun! This one is the green lentil, cauliflower and parsnip variety but they also have a purple beet pasta and a green pasta filled with green things. Here’s to getting your food variety for the day! 🙂

TORTILLAS

Siete brand is one of my favorites! There products are all Paleo friendly and taste amazing. I have pictured here their almond flour tortillas but they also have cassava flour, cashew, cassava + chia (my favorite), and chickpea flour tortillas. Going gluten and grain-free couldn’t be easier!

NUT MILK

If you are like me and have a sensitive digestive system, you may not be able to tolerate the gums and thickeners that many nut milk products have in them. Boy was I happy to find this baby! Malk has four simple ingredients…that’s it!! Almonds, filtered water, vanilla, and pink salt. It is literally like you made it yourself, thick, creamy, and delicious.

Coconut milk can also be riddled with random ingredients that I prefer to stay away from but not this one! Thai Kitchen coconut milk is literally just coconuts and water and it’s non-GMO!! I did a praise and a dance when I found this!!! Even the canned coconut milk has guar gum in it, which I would shy away from but now I can use this freely! I ordered this on Amazon and I had to wait because it was on backorder but I waited patiently and it was worth it!

I’m in love with Elmhurst milks. They are thick and creamy because they use an insane amount of nuts to actually make their nut milks so they don’t have to rely on thickeners to get the same texture. Thrive market carries these and it’s my favorite place to stock up.

CHEESE

Siete brand brings the goodness again with non-dairy CHEESE! Yay for cashews and their ability to transform into a queso dip that you would swear was made with real cheese!! Added bonus is there is no weird, hard to pronounce ingredients in here, just real-deal food!!! Don’t forget to try this with their grain-free tortilla chips!!

Not pictured here because they were out at the store when I went to pick some up is, TreeLine Nut Cheese. Again, cashews make this soft, spreadable cheese creamy and delicious. Also, keep your eyes open for their new non-dairy aged, hard cheeses. I love this cheese line because it only has about 5 ingredients (depends on the flavor you choose which would be more), cashews, filtered water, sea salt, lemon juices, and a probiotic. No gums or thickeners, just keeping it real!!

Miyoko’s has this non-dairy mozzarella that actually melts, most vegan cheeses do not do that! Plus, the ingredients are simple and real, and include cashews, btw. I’m telling everyone that cashews are the new cauliflower, ha! Now, Miyoko’s also has an amazing dariy-free butter as well, so keepy an eye out.

Miyoko’s shredded cheddar cheese is perfect for tacos and sprinkling on chili!

CRACKERS

Simple Mills makes some great grain-free products! Not only do they make a line of crackers like these Garlic and Herb flavor but they also make muffin and bread mixes and premade cookies. Their products are made with nut and seed flours and cassava flour. Forget about them tasting like cardboard, they DON’T, I would prefer theses over regular crackers any day!

SOY SAUCE

If you follow a Paleo diet you’ll know soy and other legumes aren’t consumed on the diet. Many people struggle digestively with beans and soy, plus, soy is actually a common food allergen/sensitivity for a lot of people. Not only that, most regular soy sauce is made with wheat and soy unless you specifically seek out a gluten-free version. So if you are keeping soy out of your diet here is a perfect alternative, Coconut Aminos by Coconut Secret which tastes pretty much identical to soy sauce.

NUT-FREE BAKING MIXES

When someone goes grain free but also has to avoid tree nuts it can be very challenging to find breads, cookies, pizza, and pancakes that can help you feel like you have a “normal” diet. Nurture me Nature has this mix along with a few others that are made with sunflower seed flour with options to make items dairy- and egg-free as well. A true dream for someone with multiple food intolerances.

FLOUR

Nothing beats cassava flour for grain-free baking. You can use it one-for-one with wheat flour without the nasty side-effects. It has a fine texture and neutral taste and works beautifully in pancakes, cakes, cookies, waffles, breading, and thickening sauces. I’m never without this product in my cabinet.

I dare you to make waffles with this cashew flour and then tell me you’ll ever use anything else. Cashew flour is sweet and creamy, perfect for breakfast baking.

Tigernut flour is unique and nutty. Perfect to blend with coconut or almond flour for extra favor and a whole lot of fiber!!! Wow, this really packs a fiber punch and is superb at feeding those good bacteria in your gut. Trust me, that’s a good thing!

Forget about having to mix a bunch of different flour and starches together to get a perfect flour for baking. This one has all of that already in it. Just scoop and add to your recipe. Paleo Flour for the win! This is an exclusive to Thrive Market but there are other blends on the market but I absolutely love this one.

DRESSINGS

My Favorite dressings are by Primal Kitchen. Not only do they make great salad dressings but fabulous quick marinades. What I love is they leave out the sugar, preservatives, and artificial ingredients, while using Avocado oil instead of a more refined cheaper oil.

BREAD

Base Culture is probably my favorite gluten free and grain free bread. It’s low carb and most of their varieties contains none of the fillers you find in so many other gluten free breads. My other favorites (not pictured) are Soozy’s and AWG Bakery both are a little more carb rich so now you have options. Soozy’s I find at Whole Foods. AWG Bakery is made and shipped from her bakery. Search her site at www.awgbakery.com

SNACKS

Snacks can be tricky for people sometimes. Ideally I suggest snacking on a few nuts and veggies or a little piece of fruit, maybe add some hummus or guacamole. Sometimes, you don’t even need to snack but sometimes you WANT a snack and to keep it nutritious aim for things low in sugar, like these Dang coconut chips that are just a coconut strips and a little sea salt. Crunchy and satisfying!

And, sometimes you just need something sweet and crunchy and these Siete Churro chips are fantastic. Portion these out so you don’t eat the whole bag.

If you like savory, salty snacks, Siete tortilla chips are excellent as well. All of Siete items are gluten, dairy, corn, and grain free.

You can’t beat a snack of crackers and hummus!! I love Flackers because they are essentially just flaxseeds and some seasoning. Super high fiber, a good dose of omega 3 and crazy filling. Serve with my all-time favorite hummu, Majestic Sprouted Hummus and you can’t go wrong, it virtually wipes away an afternoon hunger pang.

Another product I love is Epic Bar jerky snacks, Chomps and Thrive Market beef sticks. Grass-fed meats, wild-caught fish, wild game meats, gluten-free, paleo…all the good buzz words!

If you need a place to locate many of these items, I suggest Thrive Market. It’s my favorite online store to shop for all my staples at amazing prices. To get 40% off your first order use the link below:

http://thrv.me/idJJNB

That’s a wrap, kids!! These are some of my ultimate favorite products right now. Happy snacking!
Paula Sturm, RDN, FMN,CFSP