Since my diet has changed so much over the past year, I have found myself cutting out a lot of dishes I used to eat regularly and enjoy. Something as simple as a sandwich is something I never would think of having now but there are alternatives out there which mean whatever intolerances or allergies you have, you shouldn’t have to miss out on food you previously enjoyed. The great thing about all these alternatives for me is, I can still enjoy the same delicious tastes I used to eat just without suffering from bloating and stomach cramps after.
1 in 5 people suffer with wheat intolerance and Allergy UK estimates that up to 45% of people in the UK suffer from food intolerance. Intolerance is different from an allergy, only around 2% of the population are affected by a food allergy. A genuine food allergy can produces symptoms in seconds from the tiniest trace of the food and can even be life threatening. Food intolerance causes longer lasting symptoms which usually involve the digestive system and have side effects such as bloating, wind, headaches, diarrhoea and feeling sluggish and sleepy after meals. If you suffer regularly from any of these symptoms you may be suffering from food intolerance. No medication is needed to treat this; the best thing to do is recognise what it is causing the reaction by keeping a food diary. Once you think you have identified the problem try and cut it out and see if the symptoms disappear. You’ll often find after even a month of avoiding the problem food, you should be able to slowly introduce the food back in to your diet and have no problems.
A big myth with people seems to be that dairy, gluten and wheat free alternatives don’t taste as good. I admit, with some of the alternatives I’ve had I would just rather not have it at all but after trying so many now I’ve found some which I genuinely prefer. Today in this recipe I’m using a vegan cheese I found in my local health food shop last week called Sheese which I absolutely love.
You could make this sandwich up cold but I used the tempeh straight out the frying pan and lightly grilled the cheese. The thick cut tempeh tasted was great as a sandwich filling, far better than when I have previously used vege sliced meat such as Quorn chicken slices which don’t make much of a filling. I used a Tesco Free From, multigrain wheat free bread. I personally prefer a the pitta they do when making sandwiches and I often find their wheat free bread can be slightly dry.
Do you suffer from any intolerance and how do you live around these when making choices with food? Also let me know of any alternative foods you have tried, good and bad!
Recipe
Ingredients:
- Two slices of Tesco Free From bread
- Thick sliced tempeh
- Slices of Sheese (vegan cheese)
- Some salad to add to the sandwich, I choose sliced beetroot and cucumber
Method:
- Grease a pan with low cal spray, place the tempeh in the pan and season with a sprinkle of black pepper. Fry either side for 4 minutes until golden brown.
- Lightly cover the bread in a dairy free spread and on one half place the sliced beetroot, cucumber and salad garnish.
- Push the tempeh to the side of the pan and place the slices of cheese in. Leave for ten seconds either side till slightly melted then quickly place on to bread along with the tempeh. Sandwich all together and enjoy!
The thick cut tempeh with its nutty taste and slightly melted cheese in the sandwich really tops any sliced vege meat to fill a sandwich!
You could also place the tempeh under a grill to cook and place the cheese on to one slice of bread and leave it to melt as you would with cheese on toast.
