When you are talking about dairy free or lactose free, it can get kind of confusing. What is considered dairy? What is lactose intolerant? What does this mean for cheese, desserts, mashed potatoes, yogurt and ice cream? When we talk about going Dairy free it means a lifestyle change. It might help to have someone that has been there before and make some good recommendations for you next grocery list or recipe. Before we talk about what to substitute, let’s just learn what it means to go dairy free.
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What in the Dairy?
Many people are going dairy free, for health benefits and preference alike. Why would someone go dairy free? The number one reason I have heard of people going dairy free is for ethical reasons, to maintain a Vegan lifestyle and abstain from consuming an animal products. The other reason people will refrain from dairy, is because of lactose intolerance, which can vary in intensity from person to person. Someone with an allergy or intolerance would be able to consume something that was lactose free, which DOES NOT mean dairy free.
Lactose is a component of animal milk, to be more clear; it is a naturally occurring disaccharide sugar found in milk. It should not come as a surprise; people with sensitivities to sugar(diabetes, PCOS, etc.) should try to stay away from lactose, or more simply cheese sugar. I made you an infographic to illustrate how the cheeses range from soft to hard, this is correlated to the amount of lactose they contain.
Quality of Life Hacks
Some of the things we have found great success in replacing our diet have been;
Ice Cream, Yogurt, Butter & Whipped Cream
So Delicious coconut milk as a replacement for the cold milk in our life. It pairs well with cookies, sandwiches, and cereal. Coconut and cashew milk are great for cold recipes. They set better, they are thicker and closer to the consistency of milk, so cereal eaters breathe easy. The coconut products have a smooth, firm texture when cold. Cashew is another rich option for cold milks, ice cream, and yogurt.
Muffins, Biscuits, Bread & Cake
Almond milk is excellent for warm recipes, and especially baking. The protein binds baked goods in a way that mimics eggs and dairy, which is ideal for cake. You will find great success when substituting almond yogurt or milk for things like muffins, biscuits, bread, and warm sauces.
Learning to live without cheese and dairy is hard. Please share all of your best dairy free hacks!