Living with a food allergy or sensitivity takes extra planning, sacrifice, and commitment. But choosing single ingredient foods can help.
You may have spent countless hours reading health websites, blog articles, joining Facebook support groups, reading books recommended by your doctor, carefully meal planning, educating family members, the list goes on.
Food allergies and sensitivities will alter your life.
This has the potential to cause some emotional distress. You may have skipped social gatherings or went as far as canceling a vacation. The normalcy of grocery trips no longer exists and you are exhausted from hours of scrutinizing food labels.
What you can or cannot eat has become a permanent thought, creating burn out.
Sometimes following a diet for food allergies and food sensitivities can lead to physical problems as well. If the diet is not well planned, you might lose weight when shouldn’t and you may develop nutritional deficiencies.
Do you find yourself unexcited to eat your next meal? Are you eating the same foods over and over on most days out of fear? Would you describe your diet as mundane or limited? Don’t let your food allergy, sensitivity, or special diet make you feel deprived.
There are strategies you can adopt to make living with a food allergy or sensitivity more simple. One strategy is purchasing single ingredient groceries.
If your eating habits are stuck in a humdrum mode, it may be time for some fresh ideas. Or frozen, or powdered even!
Foods Come in Many Forms
Because of advances in food science research, there have been significant increases in the types of food products we see on grocery shelves and online today.
Individuals with gluten allergies used to struggle to find safe ways to still enjoy foods like pizza or pancakes. Now with modern food innovations, gluten-free flours like Green Banana flour are a new norm, making it possible to enjoy pizza and pancakes again.
We all know eating goes beyond just a basic need and it’s crucial for us to live an enjoyable life. When your eating habits become monotonous, eating stops being enjoyable.
It’s important to think about the single-ingredient foods that are on your safe list. If you know which single ingredient foods are safe for you to eat, the next step is to explore new forms of that safe food. Watch your grocery list multiply as you realize how much more you CAN eat!
Let’s say your single ingredient list includes canned chickpeas. Now your grocery list can be multiplied to include hummus, chickpea chips, and chickpea flour tortillas!
Here are various forms of foods that will sound familiar to you.
- Fresh– a food that is in its uncooked, unmanipulated form.
- Frozen – a fresh food that has been quickly frozen and is minimally processed.
- Canned– a food preserved in a sealed, air-tight can so they can have a longer shelf-life.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canning
- Dehydrated/Dried– a food that has 80% of its water removed (1).
- Foods that become chips may also be baked or deep-fried.
- Freeze Dried
- A food that has 98% of its water removed (1).
- Powder/Flour– a food that has been dried and then pulverized (2).
- Juiced– the removal of the juice from a particular food.
- Oil– the result of extraction, typically from a food’s seed.
- Pureed / Ground– a food that has been blended, crushed, or mashed into a softer form, like applesauce or peanut butter.
Single Ingredient Foods and Their Many Forms
Here is a list of 15 foods and some of the forms you can find them in.
These examples show how individual ingredients can be purchased in different forms of food. Some of these are probably very familiar but some may be new to you.
To expand your grocery list, start with the main ingredient, then consider the alternate forms of the food. These may be safe for you to try.
Working with a Registered Dietitian or Certified Leap Therapist can help you in more detail.
Most of the foods listed here contain only a single ingredient and we recommend this for several reasons. Some contain seasoning or other ingredients in combination. (Linked products contain only a single ingredient. Affiliate links may be included.)
Rice
- Hot Rice Cereal
- Puffed Rice Cereal
- Rice Cakes
- Rice Crackers
- Rice Noodles
- Pice Protein Powder
- Brown Rice
- White Rice
- Jasmine Rice
- Basmati Rice
- Instant Rice
- Pink Rice
- Black Rice
Oats
- Oat Milk
- Oat Cereal
- Oat Flour
- Oat Yogurt
- Oat Crackers
- Steel Cut Oats
- Quick Oats
- Old Fashioned Oats
- Oat Bran
Kamut
- Kamut flour
- Kamut flakes
- Puffed Kamut
- Kamut pasta
- Kamut in grain form
Cauliflower
- Fresh Cauliflower Florets
- Mashed Cauliflower
- Riced Cauliflower
- Cauliflower Crackers
- Cauliflower Chips
- Cauliflower Pizza Crust
- Cauliflower Powder (Cauliflower Flour)
Apples
- Apple Powder
- Apple Chips
- Applesauce
- Dried Apple Slices
- Apple Juice
- Canned Apples
- Fresh Apple
- Frozen Apple Puree
Mangos
- Dried Mango
- Mango Fruit Leather or Mango Jerky (a form of dried mango)
- Frozen Mango Cubes
- Mango Juice
- Mango Powder
- Fresh Mango
- Canned Mango
Almonds
- Almond Butter
- Almond Milk
- Almond Flour
- Almond Crackers
- Almond Oil
- Whole Almonds
- Sliced Almonds
- Almond Extract
Bananas
- Banana Chips
- Frozen Banana Puree
- Banana Flour / Green Banana Flour
- Fresh Banana
Carrot
- Carrot Chips
- Carrot Hummus
- Carrot Juice
- Carrot Powder
- Canned Carrots
- Fresh Carrots
- Dried Carrots
Corn
- Corn Meal
- Grits
- Polenta
- Hominy
- Corn Flour
- Creamed Corn
- Corn On The Cob
- Corn Bread
- Corn Tortillas
- Corn Chips
Sunflower Seeds
- Sunflower Seed Butter / Sun Butter
- Sunflower Seed Oil
- Sunflower Seeds
Sweet Potato
- Fresh Sweet Potato
- Sweet Potato Flour
- Sweet Potato Powder
- Canned Sweet Potato
- Sweet Potato Chips
- Pureed Sweet Potato (Sweet Potato Baby Food)
Jackfruit
- Dried Jackfruit
- Canned Jackfruit
- Jackfruit Flour
- Jackfruit Chips
Coconut
- Coconut Oil
- Coconut Butter
- Coconut Flakes
- Coconut Milk
- Coconut Flour
- Dried Coconut / Coconut Jerky
- Coconut Chips
- Canned Coconut
- Coconut Water
- Coconut Sugar
- Coconut Aminos (An alternative to Soy Sauce)
- Coconut Vinegar
Soybeans
- Edamame
- Tofu
- Soy Milk
- Tempeh
- Soy Yogurt
- Dried Soy Beans (Similar to Nuts)
- Soybean Oil
- Soy Butter
- Soy Curls
- Textured Soy Protein
- Soy Protein Powder
- Soy Sauce
- Soy Flour
Bottom Line
Single-ingredient groceries can multiply your grocery list when you can identify your safe foods in new forms.
This can make meal planning way easier. Think beyond the typical forms you often eat your foods in and check out the variety of forms your safe foods can come in.
Take your diet from dull to diverse!
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