Our “Go-To” Allergy Friendly Food Companies
Here are some of the food brands we love and depend on to get us through each week. Keep in mind, multiple food allergies are tricky, so these brands may not work for your particular combination of food allergies. If you haven’t heard this enough already: always check the labels to make sure the food items are free of your particular food allergens! With that said, my family avoids wheat, soy, milk, egg, peanuts, and tree nuts, so there is a strong chance these items are okay for you, too. 🙂
*NOTE: based on my research and discussions with our family allergist, we have determined that soy lecithin and soybean oil are safe for us to consume. According to our doctor and reputable medical sites like FARE, these items are so highly processed that the body does not recognize or react to the protein. Our children have not had any reactions to these ingredients. Be aware that some of the brands below may use ingredients like soy lecithin and soybean oil if you are striving to avoid these completely.
The List:
Enjoy Life Foods – an awesome company that makes a wide range of products. Prices can be on higher side, but the quality, taste, and safe preparation of these foods is beyond compare. *They are ALWAYS free of the top eight food allergens.
Amy’s Products – their dairy and gluten-free frozen “mac & cheeze” products are permanently stocked in our freezer. We’ve tried a few processed mac and cheese items, and this is our preferred product.
King Arthur flour products – they have a couple flour blend options and baking mixes that we like (with or without xanthan gums), but they are pricey and harder to find, and tend to come in smaller packages: 1 lb boxes of flour versus a 2-3 lb bag, for example.
Pamelas flour products – we use the artisan flour blend with xanthan gum to make our allergy-free bread. They do make other products with allergens, but when I contacted the company, I received a swift and knowledgable response that they clean lines and test for food allergy safety. We’ve used the artisan blend for a couple years now because we can purchase it in a larger quantity straight from our local Meijer retailer for a great price (and it often goes on sale).
Aldi brands, many regular line products or their organic line called “Simple Truth” – we particularly like their knock-off versions of Enjoy Life’s chewy bars & soft cookies, their brown rice and quinoa pastas, honey, oats, oils (coconut and canola), broths, unsweetened applesauce, and canned goods with simple ingredients. Actually, there are too many items to list here.
So Delicious – coconut milk beverages, yogurts, and ice cream. Ooooh, the ice cream is soooooo good. 😉
Silk – yeah, they make products we can’t eat (soy and tree nut products), but they take their allergens seriously, and we like their coconut milk beverage. This brand is also super-easy to find; this company is at every big box store near us, so I know we can get coconut milk at a great price (and get coupons)!
Daiya – we would not survive without this company! Well, that’s an exaggeration. 😉 But they do make life easier for a food-allergy family. Daiya makes excellent vegan, allergy-free alternatives for milk products like cheese (slices, shreds, and blocks), cream cheese, yogurt, etc.
Earth Balance – We love the different butter-style spreads they offer, and we especially like the “butter” sticks you can buy for baking, etc. We’ve been able to find this company even at stores like Walmart and Meijer for a great price, and coupons are not hard to come by. 🙂
Sunbutter – this peanut butter substitute is great, and it is now also made in a soy-free facility! This company is well-distributed at major retailers, and we can get coupons regularly. They also have individual serving cups you can buy, which are great for packing in lunches or taking on the go.
Hampton Creek foods – this company is awesome. The Just Mayo and Just Ranch products are ALWAYS in our fridge. Just check them out. 😉
Check Back regularly! New products and companies are always popping up, and preferences change, too.
On what companies do you rely for allergy-free products? Let me know! I’m always on the lookout and willing to spread the word for great and affordable allergy-free food options. 🙂