There are certain posts that I know just aren’t going to be popular with some people. I understand. Dairy products are something we can feel quite passionate about. As a patient myself, I distinctly remember the day when I was convinced that I was gluten intolerant. My response was: “Fine, but I’m not giving up dairy products!” Fast forward about 15 years and as a Clinical Nutritionist not only do I personally avoid dairy completely, but I’m quite adamant about recommending that my patients do so as well.
A clinical nutrition patient recently brought up a good point and that is that I should write a post that encompasses dairy–free suggestions from milk to butter alternatives to desserts.
So for those who have been diagnosed dairy intolerant or for those who want to embark on a 30 day trial to see how they feel, here is a list of some of our favorite dairy alternatives.
MILK
Rice milk
Almond milk
Coconut milk
There are other ‘nut milks’ as well. A caution about soy milk, many people do react negatively to soy, so it’s not on our suggested list. Hemp milk is also popular but it’s a potential cross-reactive food with gluten, so ask your clinical nutritionist before trying it of making it a ‘regular’ part of your diet.
CHEESE
Daiya cheese – made from tapioca and arrowroot. There is a mozzarella, Monterey jack and jalapeno variety.
Daiya needs to be melted, it can not be eaten otherwise. My family loves it but not everyone does. Melt it on a gluten-free pizza or put over gluten-free pasta. You can also make quesadillas with it. Rice tortillas are a delicious alternative if you’re avoiding corn.
Unfortunately the other cheese substitutes typically contain casein (a milk protein) and therefore are not allowed.
BUTTER/ OIL
Earth’s Balance is a company that makes ‘butter’ spreads from a variety of oils. I would recommend that you avoid the variety that contains soy, but there are a few options to choose from. This is a product to use sparingly when you’ve ‘got to have’ a butter-like substitute.
Here’s the reason why to not use abundantly: Seed oils such as soy, corn, canola, safflower and sunflower should be avoided when possible- they are fragile and break down easily if they’re not highly processed. Unfortunately when they are processed they often contain trans fats and have been stripped of their good nutrients. These oils are so delicate that they suffer from oxidative damage readily, something you want to avoid ingesting in your food.
If you tolerate nuts well, nut butters are a nice alternative. Peanut, almond, cashew are all delicious. The ingredients should simply list the nuts and salt, unless you prefer unsalted. There should be no sugar nor other additives present.
Coconut oil – a light oil that can be cooked with a high heat.
Olive oil – very healthful but don’t heat above a medium flame to avoid destroying the benefits of the oil.
YOGURT
Coconut yogurt
Almond yogurt
Both are very tasty but tend to have sugar when they are flavored. Perhaps try the plain flavor and add your own fruit. If you miss the creamy taste of yogurt, these may be a nice treat for you.
DESSERT
When baking, coconut milk, rice milk or almond milk are typically a valid replacement for cow’s milk in most recipes. Even pudding or custard recipes can be made with an alternative milk with delicious results. You may need to add more ‘thickener’ but I find it comes out just fine.
Coconut or almond milk ice creams are also available. We don’t want you to consume a lot of sugar but if you have the ice cream ‘blues’ Coconut Bliss should improve your mood considerably!
Dairy products made from any mammal are just not healthful. We find that our patients in the clinical nutrition department feel much improved on a completely dairy-free diet. So let’s continue to put our heads together with more options and recipes.
If hope you find this to be helpful. Please write to me with more questions or suggestions for other products that you have found.
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To your good health,
Dr Vikki Petersen, DC, CCN
Founder of HealthNOW Medical Center
Co-author of “The Gluten Effect”
Author of the eBook: “Gluten Intolerance: What you don’t know may be killing you!”
Permission is granted to re-post this article in its entirety with credit to Dr Vikki Petersen & HealthNOW Medical Center and a clickable link back to this page. Dr Vikki Petersen, DC, CCN is founder of HealthNOW Medical Center and the author of “The Gluten Effect” and eBook: “Gluten Intolerance – What you don’t know may be killing you”. She has been featured in national magazines, international medical journals and is a frequent headlined speaker.
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4 Comments, Comment or Ping
Kelly
Oh, how disappointing. I was really hoping for a discussion of meeting your calcium and protein needs on a non-dairy diet. I live overseas, so the majority of the products you mentioned are not available here-nor are there many locally-produced, non-soy alternatives. Most of what you are recommending are prepackaged, industrially produced foods. What about whole foods? What about fresh, minimally processed foods? I am sorry, but I am frustrated by solutions like this that seem to suggest substituting those things that made up a majority of my (not-very-healthy, Lacto-ovo vegetarian) diet before my diagnosis with gluten, dairy, and soy intolerance, rather than solutions that address the possibility of living without analogs/substitutes. How do I get enough calcium? How do I get enough protein if I would like to limit my meat consumption? How can I plan my cooking and meals to accommodate the loss of these convenience foods?
kristy
What do you recommend for children? All the pediatricians stress the importance of dairy and whole-milk for kids 1-4 yrs for the fat content and calcium. Almond milk and coconut milk are not high in fat. What are your thoughts?
Dr Vikki Petersen
Hello Kristy,
Cow’s milk is not a good source of absorbable calcium. It can be better gotten from dark green leafy vegetables and other good sources that I discuss here. If your children are ‘picky’ at all, consider putting broccoli, spinach and kale into tomato sauce or blend in smoothies for breakfast. I have a recipe for my green smoothie on my site that I promise you with enough banana will hide any trace of spinach!
As far as fat goes, coconut milk is actually an excellent source of good fat as are eggs, avocado, fish, fresh nuts, etc.
I hope this was helpful. Let me know if you have any further questions.
Best,
Dr Vikki
Dr Vikki Petersen
Hello Kelly,
Don’t be disappointed, I can still help! The particular post that you read was a specific request from a patient who wanted those exact products listed in one place. The blog on my site has many posts. Let me steer you to one and see if that helps to answer your questions. Here you go: click here.
It is a misnomer that calcium is best derived from dairy products and the blog above will tell you the foods that are naturally high in absorbable calcium. When it comes to protein, another area where much misinformation has been propagated, it turns out that we need less protein than we’ve been told and, plant sources of protein are quite high.
‘The China Study’ is a good source of information, as is the documentary ‘Forks Over Knives’. ‘The China Study’ in particular has a great table comparing the protein content in similar quantities of animal vs plant foods. You will be quite surprised at exactly how much protein plant sources possess.
I hope this helps Kelly. Let me know if you have any further questions.
Best,
Dr Vikki
Reply to “No Dairy? No Problem! Here’s What to Eat.”