With an elimination diet, the more foods you remove, the harder it can become. And honestly, it can feel overwhelming. Today’s blog post is focused on how to go egg free and nut free, after already removing gluten, dairy, and most processed foods.

Changing our food to heal is something that my family is comfortable with, and being gluten free and dairy free is within my comfort zone. However, it has taken time and some diligence. I have been gluten free for about 7 years, and dairy free on and off for 5 years. Once I discovered that I felt better without eating gluten, I learned to become more in tune with my body and how different foods make me feel.

Then when my now 4 year old began struggling with eczema, I knew from experience, and intuitively as a mom, that his diet needed to change in order to heal. Now that I’m breastfeeding again and my baby has had some gut issues, I have again adjusted my diet. I am currently not eating gluten, dairy, acidic foods, peanuts, and most eggs. Cutting eggs has not been the easiest for me, but it has given me a sense of compassion for those who have stopped eating them in order to heal from eczema and other inflammatory issues. I have been doing more research to learn about how to eat gluten-, dairy-, egg-, and nut-free, and I wanted to share some of those here.

Yesterday I shared an applesacue pancake recipe that is gluten free, dairy free, nut free, and egg free for a make-ahead breakfast idea. I have some other recipes I will share this week as well.

Where I spend most of my time: in the kitchen 😉 The more you cook this way, the easier it will become! 

Nut Free Flour Alternatives

Gluten Free Flour Blends

King Arthur Flour Measure for Measure

I’ve had good luck with King Arthur Flour Measure for Measure blend, but it does have rice as the main ingredient. If you are sensitive to grains, this is not a good option.

Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour

This one is free of gums. If a recipe calls for xantham gum, you’d need to add it if you want to achieve the stretchy texture to resemble something made with regular flour. It is free of rice, made with garbanzo bean flour, tapioca starch, and potato starch.

Flour Alternatives

Keep in mind that every flour is different, so when you’re working with substitutions, know that some experimenting may be necessary. I like to search Pinterest, google, and my favorite paleo blogs and compare a few recipes. When it comes to allergy-friendly baking, I am still learning as well.

Oat Flour

I love to use oat flour in muffins and pancakes. I typically make my own by blending gluten free rolled oats in my Vitamix or food processor until it is a fine flour consistency. To take a regular recipe with conventional flour and make it GF by using oat flour, you need to measure by weight rather than cup-for-cup. But today there are many recipes that use oat flour, so I would suggest searching for those.

Both these pumpkin spice pancakes, and these applesauce pancakes are made with oats. Often you need to let the batter sit for a few minutes when baking with oat flour. Oat flour can often be used as a substitute for almond flour.

Cassava Flour

Made from the whole root of the cassava, or yuca plant, cassava is a grain-free flour alternative. It can sometimes be used 1:1 in recipes, but it is lighter than regular wheat flour. Ideally, this needs to be weighed with a scale rather than measuring with a cup and a spoon. If you’re using a cup and spoon to measure, do not pack it down, and you might need to use a little less cassava flour than what the recipe calls for in regular flour.

Cassava absorbs more liquid than regular flour, so you might have to adjust slightly. And to clarify, though they come from the same plant, this is not the same product as tapioca starch. Cassava is starchy and higher in carbs than some other paleo flours, so it is important to be mindful and not go overboard when making cassava-based treats.

The brand I have is Otto’s Naturals. They have some great recipes on their site, and Pinterest is also full of helpful ideas!

Davis and I made some cassava flour tortillas for tacos and we all really enjoyed them. We used this recipe.

Arrowroot Powder

Arrowroot powder is often used in paleo dishes to add crispness, thicken a soup, “bread” chicken, or in baking. Be careful to purchase a product that contains only arrowroot powder or starch. It is very powdery, so be ready for a bit of a mess when measuring!

Tapioca Flour

Tapioca is a starch extracted from the cassava plant, but it does not use the entire root like cassava flour. It usually works best when combined with other gluten free flours in baking, but it can add a great lightness and flakiness to recipes. Tapioca also works well as a thickening agent.

Tigernut Flour

This might seem a bit exotic, but tigernut flour is becoming more mainstream in the grain-free world. If you’ve tried the Late July grain-free tortilla chips (my favorite), you’ve tried this flour. It is not actually a nut, but instead made from a root vegetable, so it is nut-free. Tigernut does have a nutty flavor, and seems to work best as an almond flour substitution. It also works well when combined with a starch like arrowroot or tapioca. As with almond flour, if the texture is too gritty, you can sift it to use only the more finely-ground pieces.

A Note on Coconut:

Most people with tree nut or peanut allergies can tolerate coconut. Coconut is actually classified as a fruit, and not in the nut family. Some people do have sensitivities to coconut, but it is not in the same family as tree nuts. The FDA does classify coconut as a tree nut, but it is in the fruit family. Coconut allergies are possible of course, but are more rare. If your child has a serious nut allergy and you’re worried they might also have a coconut allergy, you can discuss how to safely introduce it with your doctor or allergist.

Egg Alternatives:

Eggs play a very important role in baking, but I’m going to do my best to offer some replacement suggestions.

Applesauce:

In baked goods, try subbing 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce for 1 egg.

Fruit Puree:

Similar to the applesauce idea, you can try using mashed or pureed pumpkin, banana, or avocado in place of eggs in quick breads, muffins, or brownies. Will these produce the exact same results as baking with eggs? No, but the density and moisture will be there! As with applesauce, use 1/4 cup in place of one egg.

Ground Chia or Flaxseeds:

If you’ve ever tried chia pudding, you know how the chia seeds become gelatinous when added to milk. A similar reaction happens when you add ground flaxseed or ground chia seed to water. To replace an egg with either of these in baking, mix 1 Tbsp of either, ground, with 3 Tbsp of water. Let sit for a few minutes before adding to a batter.

Aquafaba/Chickpea Water:

Who knew that the water from a can of unsalted chickpeas could work as an egg replacer?! Three tablespoons of this liquid is equivalent to one whole egg in baking. You can also whip this to get a meringue-like texture, and it can be used in place of egg whites for cookie icing.

Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Egg Replacer:

This is made with just a few simple ingredients: potato starch, psyllium husk powder, baking soda, and tapioca flour. It can be used in place of eggs in baking. I do think their regular (non gluten-free) egg replacer performs a bit better, but it has wheat as an ingredient.

Carbonated Water

In muffins or quickbreads, you can try subbing 1/4 cup of carbonated/seltzer water for 1 egg. The bubbles act as a substitute for the leavening quality of eggs.

Alternatives for Common Foods:

Milk:

• Oatly Low Fat Oat Milk
• Elmhurst Unsweetened Milked Oats
• Coconut Milk (from a can is ideal; fewer ingredients)
• Hemp Milk
• Flax Milk

Cheese:

• Violife Parmesan, Mozzarella Shreds, Smoked Provolone Slices, Feta, Cream Cheese
• Field Roast Chao Slices (they do contain soy and sesame oil)

Tortillas:

• Corn: Crunchy or Soft
• Siete: Chickpea Flour; Cassava and Chia; Cassava and Coconut

Bread:

*These might not be made in a dedicated nut free egg free facility – would need to check individual labels of products

• O’Dough’s products are mostly gluten free, vegan, and nut free, however they do contain soya flour, which is a source of soy
• B Free Foods products are mostly allergy friendly! Check the US site for store locator
• Simple Kneads
• Schar has some products, too

Butter:

• Miyokos Vegan Oat Milk Butter

Yogurt:

• Kite Hills Blissful
• Nancy’s Oat Milk Yogurt
• Homemade Coconut Yogurt (often strained coconut milk from a can + capsule of probiotic + time)

Sour Cream:

• Simple Truth Organic Plant Based Sour Cream (I think this one is the best-tasting DF sour cream I’ve had)

Ranch Dressing:

• Primal Palate Garden Ranch Seasoning Packet with Vegan Mayo + Unsweetened Coconut Yogurt

Treat Brands:

• Eat Gangster
• Made Good
• Enjoy Life

Meal Ideas:

Breakfast:

• Avocado Toast
• Yogurt with Fruit and Nut-Free Granola
• Chia Seed Pudding made with Oat, Hemp, or Flax Milk
• Smoothie
• Rice Cake with Sun Butter, Banana, Cinnamon, Sea Salt
• Oatmeal with Seeds, Fruit
• Apple Cinnamon Pancakes
• Baked Oatmeal

Lunch:

• Avocado Toast
• Turkey Sandwich with Mustard and AIP Mayo (homemade) or Primal Kitchen Vegan Mayo
• Snack and Sandwich Plates
• Veggies and Hummus
• B Free Pita with Falafel
• Chips: Late July or Organic Tortilla with Guacamole or Individual Avocado Mash and Black Beans
• Fruit
• Aidell’s Chicken Apple Sausage
• Cooked Lentil Pasta, Plain
• Lentil or Chickpea Pasta Salad
• Chicken Salad (made with avocado or vegan mayo)
• Pizza Bagel on O’Dough’s Bagel Thin with Rao’s and Violife Mozzarella
• Cut up chicken or leftover burger, etc from dinner
• Black Bean Quesadilla on Corn or Siete Cassava or Chickpea Tortillas with Violife Cheddar
• Rice Crackers with Violife Provolone and Applegate Pepperoni

Dinner:

• Chili or Black Bean Soup with Plant-Based Sour Cream and Avocado
• Tacos with Grass-Fed Ground Beef or Chicken; Avocado; Violife Cheese; Siete Cassava or Chickpea Tortillas
• Plantain Chips or Late July Grain Free Chip Nachos
• Cedar Plank Salmon
• Mediterranean Grilled Shrimp and Veggie Bowls (use Violife feta and Kite Hill Blissful Yogurt)
  • could also make falafel to go with this
• Oven Baked Chicken and Rice with side of Green Beans or Broccoli
• Grilled Marinated Chicken and Vegetables
• Lentil Pasta with Marinara and Grass-Fed Ground Beef
• Beef Stew/Bourginon with Rice
• Fish Tacos or Bowls with Pineapple Mango Salsa
• Stir Fry, use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce
• Roasted Veggies and Roasted Chicken Thighs
• Pulled Pork Tacos
• Burger Salad with Oven Fries
• Chopped Salad with Chicken, Avocado, Veggies, Bacon, etc
• Ramen with Vegetables in Bone Broth