This week on the IRL Blog with JRN, I thought I’d share a few of my favorite allergen-friendly options as we settle into February.
I have multiple food intolerances and sensitivities to a wide variety of foods, the two biggest culprits being dairy and gluten (but there are lots of other foods, too), and I have been so grateful to be able to find such great options on the market today. Even if you don’t have food allergies, intolerances, or sensitivities, these are still pretty great options worth checking out, so here are a few of my favorite foods.
For breakfast lately, I’ve been having a smoothie bowl containing a frozen açaí base, a frozen banana (tip: peel them before you put them in the freezer… trust me, you don’t want to learn that the hard way), frozen berries, fresh kale, and vanilla almond milk topped with pieces of a honey oat Kind breakfast bar. I also love eggs and gluten free, dairy free, and soy free toast topped with Earth Balance vegan butter. If I’m tight on time, I typically just grab a Kind breakfast bar.
As a morning snack, especially at school, I normally grab a banana (if I didn’t have one in a smoothie) or a Nature’s Bakery gluten free blueberry fig bar.
My school lunch typically has fresh berries, carrots, guacamole, tortilla chips, and a couple slices of turkey.
When I get home from school, I usually grab a quick snack straight from the fridge or pantry.
My favorite dinner is probably salmon with potatoes.
When I eat out, I can usually find something to modify on every menu. If you ever go out to dinner with me, you’ll probably see me eating a bun-less burger with sweet potato fries or building my own gluten-free pizza with vegan cheese.
For dessert, I’m a sucker for vegan ice cream (to the point where my little brother drew me a picture that says “I scream, you scream, we all scream for dairy-free ice cream”), vegan chocolate, Goodie Girl cookies, and Homefree Treats vanilla cookies.
Locally to the Jacksonville area, I have been able to discover some amazing products at Native Sun and Grassroots. I know Earthfare is another great option. On a larger scale, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Fresh Market, and even Publix have great allergen-friendly options. I’ve had decent luck grabbing a few things in bulk at Costco, too.
Some restaurants are more accommodating than others. In Jacksonville, I love Sweet Theory Baking Company. Mellow Mushroom is not my favorite place for vegan pizza, but they have some good options, too. Personally, if we’re talking pizza, I really like Blaze Pizza and Your Pie, which have locations in various cities. I also really like True Food. In almost every circumstance, I can find something to order off of every menu, even if that means I have to modify the dish a little bit.
If you ever have any questions about food allergies, sensitivities, or intolerances, I’d be happy to try to answer them, and you are always welcome to send me a message, but also know that I am not a professional, and I definitely don’t know it all.
I hope you’ve enjoyed learning about a few of my favorite allergen-friendly options. Happy February! I hope you love to live and eat good food. I will try to do a blog post on how I discovered my food intolerances soon, but until then, you can learn more about me here and connect with me over on Instagram.
Love and hugs,
Julia
Just Julia Reese 