How to Shop

When you are first diagnosed with a food intolerance it can be a very confusing time. What do you need to avoid? Where do you go to get the right types of foods you need? Can you still join in at dinner parties without seeming to make a fuss over what you can or can’t eat? Shopping for yourself or others with a food intolerance can be very frustrating, here we can give you a guide as the best way to cope. Once you get the hang of where to shop and how to cook you will find that coping with your intolerance will become much easier.

Supermarkets

Firstly we would recommend that you research all your local supermarkets for their specialist range of foods, in the last few years the variety of foods available has increased dramatically, Soya ice creams, spreads and yoghurts, gluten free pasta, breads and biscuits, dairy free cheeses, cooking sauces and condiments such as egg free mayonnaise are just some examples. Many supermarkets now carry a list of products that are ‘free from’. This is a regularly updated booklet that contains lists of brand name foods that are suitable for your particular diet. Listings usually include; milk free, egg free, wheat free, gluten free, soya free, nut and peanut free, preservative free, vegan, vegetarian, etc. and are available by contacting the customer services department of the store.

Nowadays it is much easier to find specialist foods as they usually have a dedicated area within the store, sometimes they will be with similar foods, so wheat free breads will be in the normal bread section, if you can’t find them easily look in the ‘organic’ section, they may well be there.

Due to recent legislation in allergy advice on food labelling it is now very easy to find out exactly what is in a food. You will however need to become an expert when looking at labels on foods when shopping, make sure you know all the alternative names for foods so that you are not caught out. Always check when a product say’s ‘new’ or ‘improved’ recipe as often this may mean that the product may contain a food that you are intolerant to that previously it was free from. Remember to take your free from list with you.

Health food Stores

A visit to your local health food shops will often give you a source of the more unusual food replacements that are more difficult to find such as egg replacers and Xanthan gum for use in wheat free bread making. Often they will also be able to order products for you that are not on the shelves. Many health food shops now have a book section of recipe books and seasonal items dedicated to specialist diets.

Mail order

There are now many sites on the internet where you can purchase foods mail order, from ordinary everyday foods such as wheat free breads to specialist birthday cakes, giving you so much more choice that you needn’t feel left out. There are also many excellent sites that you can find recipes on.