Allergy diet - preservative low

Aim

To provide a diet low in added preservatives.

Characteristics

Avoids the following additives:

Indications

Intolerance to artificial preservatives, established by a medically supervised placebo-controlled challenge.

Nutritional adequacy

Nutritionally adequate.

Precautions

It is not possible to provide a full list of all permitted commercial products; the following are general guidelines only. Ingredient lists of processed foods must be carefully and regularly scrutinised. Potatoes purchased peeled (or in commercial products such as dried mixes), and dried fruits typically have added preservatives used to prevent discolouration.

Paediatrics

Suitable for use in paediatrics when combined with an age-appropriate diet.

Specific menu planning guidelines

	Allowed	Not allowed
Hot main dishes	All plain cooked meat, poultry, fish, eggs and legumes	Casserole dishes made with commercial stocks or wine Processed meats (e.g. ham, silverside, bacon, sausages) Meat pies Dishes containing cheese, potato, breadcrumbs or dried fruit (e.g. macaroni cheese, quiche, crumbed fish)
Sauces, gravies	All others	Gravies made with commercial gravy mix, unless preservative free – check label
Starchy vegetables / pasta / rice	All plain fresh potato, pasta and rice	Any potato purchased pre-peeled (e.g. frozen french fries)
Vegetables	All others	Vegetables in white sauce or with cheese (e.g. cauliflower au gratin)
Soups	Most soups – check label	Tomato, vegetable, chicken noodle – check label
Sandwiches	None	All
Salads, dressings	Most salad ingredients Plain salad dressing (oil and vinegar) and mayonnaise – check labels (many vinegars have preservatives)	Processed meats, eg ham, silverside, chicken roll Commercial salad dressings Chutneys and relish
Breads, cereals	Breads labelled preservative-free. Confirm vinegar as an ingredient is sulphite free. Bread crumbs Rice cakes Most plain breakfast cereals without added fruit or nuts (e.g. rolled oats, Weet-Bix™, Corn Flakes®, Rice Bubbles®)	Most commercial breads have added preservatives Cereals with added fruit – check label
Spreads	Butter, honey, Vegemite™, marmalade, peanut butter Most jams – check label	Most margarines Jams with added colours
Hot breakfast choices	All others	Sausages, bacon, ham
Fruit	All fresh fruit and most canned fruits	Dried fruit, prunes and commercial fruit salads – check label
Yoghurt	Plain yoghurt	Flavoured and fruit yoghurt
Desserts	Milk-based desserts (e.g. custards, creamy rice), plain puddings, ice-cream, cheesecake – check label	Jelly, toppings, mousses, fruit cake
Milk and cheese	All plain milk Most cheeses	Flavoured milk, milkshakes Cottage cheese, ricotta cheese
Beverages	Tea, coffee Only tetra-pack juices or those without additives	Juice with non-permitted preservatives added Cordial and soft drinks
Biscuits	Only preservative-free biscuits (e.g. Milk Coffee™)	Most commercial biscuits
Miscellaneous	100% white vinegar created from molassess via microbial fermentation	Bonox®, Milo®, coconut All other vinegar

References

1. Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy. Sulfite allergy.
2. Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Allergy Unit. RPAH Elimination diet handbook. Sydney: RPAH; 2010.
3. Food Standards Australia New Zealand. Choosing the right stuff: the official shoppers’ guide to food additives and labels, kilojoules and fat content. Sydney: Murdoch Books; 2007.
4. Food Standards Australia New Zealand. Benzoates, sulphites and sorbates in the food supply: report of the 21st Australian total diet study. 2005.
5. Swain AR, Soutter VL, Loblay RH. Friendly food: the complete guide to avoiding allergies, additives and problem chemicals. Sydney: Murdoch Books; 2004
6. Swain, Anne; Soutter, Velencia; Loblay, Robert (2013). RPAH Elimination Diet Handbook with Food & Shopping Guide (PDF). ISBN 9780980616408.

Change log

August 2020

Section updated	Change
Specific menu planning guidelines - Breads/cereals	In Allowed, added after Breads labelled preservative free. Confirm vinegar, as an ingredient, is sulphite free
	In Allowed, added Bread crumbs
Specific menu planning guidelines - Miscellaneous	In Allowed, added 100% white vinegar created from molassess via microbial fermentation
	In Not Allowed, added All other vinegar
References	Added Swain, Anne; Soutter, Valencia; Loblay Robert (2013). "RPAH Elimination Diet Handbook with Food & Shopping Guide" (PDF). ISBN 9780980616408