I grew up lactose-intolerant. I took Lactaid pills and made my own food when I went to birthday parties as a kid. The most important thing for me was to fit in because everyone else could eat what they wanted. Lactaid pills didn’t work for me and the smallest bit of lactose ignited the physical rejection so I always felt like the odd one out. Allergies and intolerances are far more common than they were 10 years ago so parents are very aware.
Now, I have grown out of my lactose intolerance and have developed a wheat allergy or gluten intolerance so I’ve hunted for plenty of affordable substitutes in my lifetime for all kinds of allergens. Here are a couple of my favorites.
Dairy – Milk Substitute
Almondmilk is probably your cheapest option. If you like to drink milk by itself, I recommend getting a flavored almond milk because the regular doesn’t have much taste to it at all. The closest thing to regular milk that I’ve found from personal experience is the Reduced Sugar Vanilla Almond Breeze Almondmilk. Other brands are good too as long as you don’t get the fully sweetened milks. For more options from Almond Breeze, check out their website.
Wheat or Gluten – Bread Substitute
Schar’s gluten-free breads are going to be the best bang for your buck. The bread has great texture and is great for toast. I use this for my classic PB&J sandwiches; the bread is that soft. The multi-grain is a little more dense but it’s excellent for toast to pair with your favorite breakfast. This brand is also very accessible. You don’t have to hunt for it. It’s in most Walmarts and other big name grocery stores. Trader Joes also has lots of gluten-free items at their locations, make sure to check out their website. They have the best gluten-free breads but for a higher price.
There are also lots of great subsitutes for those with nut allergies. Depending on what nut(s) you are allergic to there are lots of alternatives: cashew butter, almond butter and sun butter (completely nut-free).