Dietary & Allergies

1. Ich bin Vegetarier.

   I am vegetarian.

   Usage

   Basic declaration of being vegetarian; women say "Vegetarierin"

   Grammar Note

   Feminine form is "Vegetarierin"; German nouns of identity inflect for gender

2. Ich bin Veganer und esse keine tierischen Produkte.

   I am vegan and don't eat any animal products.

   Usage

   Use when avoiding all animal-derived foods; women say "Veganerin"

   Grammar Note

   "keine" is the negative article meaning "no/none at all"

3. Ich habe eine Nussallergie.

   I have a nut allergy.

   Usage

   Tree-nut allergy declaration; peanut (Erdnuss) is separate

   Grammar Note

   Compound noun Nuss + Allergie; feminine, hence "eine"

4. Haben Sie eine glutenfreie Speisekarte?

   Do you have a gluten-free menu?

   Usage

   Standard question for celiac or gluten intolerance

   Grammar Note

   "Sie" is formal "you"; standard in restaurant context

5. Ich esse halal. Ich esse kein Schweinefleisch.

   I keep halal. I don't eat pork.

   Usage

   Declares Muslim dietary observance

   Grammar Note

   "kein" negates nouns; verbs are negated with "nicht"

6. Ich vertrage keine Laktose.

   I am lactose intolerant.

   Usage

   Declares inability to digest lactose in dairy

   Grammar Note

   "Ich bin laktoseintolerant" is the formal medical phrasing

7. Ich bin allergisch gegen Meeresfrüchte.

   I'm allergic to seafood.

   Usage

   Declares allergy to seafood, shellfish, mollusks

   Grammar Note

   "allergisch gegen + accusative"; Fisch (fish) is a separate category

8. Welche Zutaten sind in diesem Gericht?

   What ingredients are in this dish?

   Usage

   Standard question to check ingredients

   Grammar Note

   "Was ist in...?" is an equally common variant

9. Können Sie es ohne Zwiebeln zubereiten?

   Can you prepare it without onions?

   Usage

   Request to omit an ingredient; substitute as needed

   Grammar Note

   Separable verb "zubereiten"; full form at sentence end

10. Ich habe eine Eierallergie.

    I have an egg allergy.

    Usage

    Important since eggs are hidden in baked goods, pasta, sauces

    Grammar Note

    "Eier" is plural of "Ei"; compounds often use plural form

11. Haben Sie eine Allergenliste?

    Do you have an allergen list?

    Usage

    EU restaurants are legally required to provide allergen info

    Grammar Note

    EU Regulation 1169/2011 mandates declaration of 14 allergens

12. Diese Allergie ist lebensbedrohlich. Bitte seien Sie vorsichtig.

    This allergy is life-threatening. Please be careful.

    Usage

    Communicates anaphylaxis risk

    Grammar Note

    "seien Sie" is the formal imperative of "sein" (to be)

13. Enthält das Erdnussöl?

    Does this contain peanut oil?

    Usage

    Important check at Asian restaurants

    Grammar Note

    Peanuts are legumes, biologically separate from tree nuts

14. Verwenden Sie getrennte Geräte für allergenfreie Speisen?

    Do you use separate equipment for allergen-free food?

    Usage

    Checks cross-contamination control; critical for severe allergies

    Grammar Note

    "Kreuzkontamination" is the precise technical term

15. Vielen Dank, dass Sie auf meine Ernährungsbedürfnisse Rücksicht nehmen.

    Thank you for accommodating my dietary needs.

    Usage

    Polite gratitude after special accommodation

    Grammar Note

    "dass" introduces subordinate clause; verb goes to end. "Rücksicht nehmen auf" is idiomatic

16. Aus religiösen Gründen esse ich kein Rindfleisch.

    For religious reasons I don't eat beef.

    Usage

    Explains religious avoidance of beef, e.g. Hindus

    Grammar Note

    Front-loaded prepositional phrase still requires V2 word order

17. das Schweinefleisch

    Pork

    Usage

    Point to this to check whether a dish contains pork, including for religious restrictions

18. das Rindfleisch

    Beef

    Usage

    Point to this to check whether a dish contains beef

19. das Hähnchen

    Chicken

    Usage

    Point to this to check whether a dish contains chicken

    Grammar Note

    Neuter noun; menus use "Hähnchen", while "das Hühnerfleisch" appears as the ingredient name

20. der Fisch

    Fish

    Usage

    Point to this to check whether a dish contains fish

21. das Ei

    Egg

    Usage

    Point to this to check for egg in a dish

    Grammar Note

    Neuter noun; the plural is "die Eier"

22. die Milchprodukte

    Dairy products

    Usage

    Point to this to check for dairy; labels write it as "Milch"

    Grammar Note

    Used in the plural; the singular is "das Milchprodukt"

23. die Erdnüsse

    Peanuts

    Usage

    Check this one separately: peanuts are a common cause of anaphylaxis

    Grammar Note

    Plural; the singular is "die Erdnuss". Botanically a legume, and listed separately on German allergen labels

24. die Nüsse

    Tree nuts

    Usage

    Covers walnuts, almonds and other tree nuts; peanuts are checked separately as "die Erdnüsse"

    Grammar Note

    Plural; the singular is "die Nuss". Allergen labels may write "Schalenfrüchte"

25. die Krebstiere

    Crustaceans

    Usage

    Point to this to check for shrimp or crab; this is the term used on EU allergen labels

    Grammar Note

    Plural; molluscs are listed separately as "die Weichtiere"

26. der Weizen

    Wheat

    Usage

    Point to this to check for wheat or gluten

27. die Sojabohne

    Soy

    Usage

    Point to this to check for soy; labels write it as "Soja"

28. der Sesam

    Sesame

    Usage

    Point to this to check for sesame

29. der Alkohol

    Alcohol

    Usage

    Point to this to check for alcohol in a dish or sauce, including for religious reasons

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