Alternatives for Dairy

Dairy-Free you say!  How do you get your calcium? You NEED dairy to be healthy.  

Lets rewind to 1997.  My husband (to be at the time) was away at school and was discovering that his stomach was repeatedly sore and he was extremely stuffy after any time he ingested cheese, ice cream, or milk.  He was doing some reading and decided to give up all dairy for a week.  Guess What!!!  He could breathe.  He did not have any digestive issues at all.  After doing some more reading he learned that he was allergic to the milk protein – casein.  

My reaction?  Initially, it was not great. This was going to be work, so I thought.  I soon discovered many ways to achieve the ‘milk’ ingredient for recipes or alternative for simple pleasures like cereal or coffee.  Now, I must admit. When it was just the two of us, we were not strict on eating dairy free.  We did have the odd ice cream cone, kraft dinner,  or deep fried curds from Culvers.  

Fast forward a few years and our first born arrived.  While in the hospital, they were feeding me a lot of dairy in my nutritional meals.  Since I was nursing our daughter, we discovered a rash developing on her skin. A nurse quickly asked if we had any allergies and we mentioned the dairy element.  She took the dairy out of my diet and voila…. The rash disappeared.  About a month later, I was at a baby shower for a friend and chocolate cheese cake was being served. Knowing that this may not be the greatest for our daughter, I opted for a couple of spoonfuls just to satisfy my dessert craving. 

Oh MY Goodness!  At 2am, this sweet adorable child was a nighmare.  I had to come clean with my husband on what I ate.  Those few delectable, delicious, spoonfuls of joy were the epitome of the underworld.  NO MORE DAIRY!

I quickly became the research Queen – learning about how to bake dairy-free, cheese alternatives, milk alternatives, baby formula products….. This was now my purpose. My job.  My family was not going to suffer just because cow-milk was not an option. 

My Go-To Dairy Free options

List View of Dairy-Free Options

• Almond Milk – Silk
• Rice Milk – Silk
• Cheese – Earth Island or Daiya
• Yogurt – Yoso
• Coffee creamer – Silk Almond in Vanilla or Hazelnut flavours
• Margerine – Becel Olive Oil
• Ice Cream – Ben and Jerry’s Netflix and Chill or Haagen-Dazs Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudge
• Dips – Cashew Dill dip by President’s Choice
• Salad dressings ( home made ceasar dressing adapted from my good friend Carol (shout-out to Carol) – see below for recipe)
• Baking (condensed milk option – see below for recipe)

Has it been easy?  Certainly not.  My kids coming home from play-dates and not knowing if they have eaten dairy-free or not was a struggle.   Birthday parties – oh what to do? (I sometimes sent a home-made dairy free cupcake with them just so they would have a treat to eat with their friends).  There was always an option.  I just had to find it.  You will too.  If you are reading this blog, you must be interested in being dairy free or struggling to achieve that goal.  I will encourage you to think that YES YOU CAN.  It’s not as hard as you think. Especially now, with so many alternatives for milk out there.  Almost every grocery store has some sort of dairy free option on their shelves or refrigerators.  You just have to look.  

Some Advice:

If this is your first time going dairy free.  Be strict.  Even a little bit can be addictive and taste oh so yummy.  You need to eliminate dairy for at least a month to see any effects on your body/systems (if going dairy-free was for health reasons).  Doing your best to avoid cheating will do you wonders in the end.  You’ll be pleased with how you feel.

Top Reasons for being Dairy-Free

• Digestion (Read more)
• Clear skin (Read more)
• Reduce inflammatory diseases like arthritis (Read more)
• Decrease weight (Read more)
• Cancer prevention (Read more)
• Reducing anti-biotic ingestions and hormonal ingestion (Read more)

Whatever your reason, goal, or initiative; Eliminating dairy from your diet is as simple as you make it.  If you need someone to encourage you, please email me at christine@laughterandluggage.com  or click the “Contact Me” button below. A dairy-free buddy, friend, acquaintance, family member or loved one are all great sources of encouragement.  I leave you with one of my favourite dairy-free recipes for your cooking pleasure.

Ceasar Salad Dressing – Great for Summer BBQ’s

Condensed Milk Substitute