Deciding to go without dairy? Now what?

Switching from dairy? It's a breeze!

So you’re kicking dairy products to the curb?  First, Congratulations!  You’re on your way to better health!

But how will you survive without milk?  Or cheese?  Or butter and yogurt?!  What are you supposed to put in your cereal or pour into your coffee?  How can you make a noodle sauce without cheese?  And what about the helpful cultures in yogurt?
Do not despair!  There is nothing to worry about.  Get your non-dairy options ready because there are plenty of them out there!

Instead of cow’s or goat’s milk try the following beverages if you have no allergies to nuts:
–Almond milk
–Hazelnut milk
–Brazil nut milk
Note: You can make homemade nut milk by soaking 1 cup of nuts in 4 cups of water for 3-5 hours.  Blend on high in a Vita Mix then strain through some cheesecloth, discarding the pulp.  Sometimes I blend this with stevia (liquid or powder) for sweetness and maybe add 1-2 teaspoons of coconut butter.

Also try:
–Oat milk
–Hemp milk
–Rice milk
A great replacement for evaporated milk is a vegan beverage mix called Better Than Milk.  It’s made from soy, contains only 2.6 grams of fat and has NO cholesterol!

There is a great Mozzarella Soy Cheese by Follow Your Heart and can be found in most health food stores.  I found that this is the best one.  Rob showed me how to even melt it on a pizza!  After grating, spread evenly over the toppings and let cook about 2-3 minutes shy of the normal time.  Switch the oven to “BROIL” and raise the oven rack to a higher setting; let broil till the cheese is bubbly and golden brown.  Beware of soy cheeses though; do not eat them too often and always check for casein on the label—it comes from a cow!

For the yogurt, try a soy version.  I personally do not like yogurt (soy or dairy) but have used vanilla soy yogurt in a cupcake recipe, which turned out wonderfully!  Soy yogurts, So Delicious being my preferred brand, are cultured with Probiotics so the benefits for your colon are just the same, if not better.  Dairy is a congestive food and then there are beneficial bacteria added.  So you’ve got the dairy clogging you and the bacteria helping you…trying to at least.  Again, I recommend keeping soy consumption to only one serving per day.

Instead of butter, I use several things.  Grapeseed oil for toast or English muffins, sunflower oil to coat a loaf pan, sesame tahini and Soy-free Earth Balance for mashed potatoes, and olive oil for garlic bread.

If you must have your coffee and drink it too, then mix in some non-dairy creamer.  Try Soy-Go if you’re not allergic to soy.  Or pour in a little vanilla flavored hazelnut milk!

And if you love hot chocolate on a warm winters eve like I do sometimes, grab yourself some Ah! Laska Brand Organic Cocoa Non-Dairy Chocolate Mix!  Careful though, one serving has a lot of sugar.

When eliminating dairy, I strongly suggest that you look for recipes that eliminate the idea of dairy.  Otherwise you may create a strong dependency on soy alternatives and that is not the goal.  Having too much soy in the diet can cause just as much trouble as dairy.  Instead, I would encourage you to look to new recipes that emphasize whole, unprocessed foods.  Dairy alternatives are a good stepping stone, but not a very sturdy main land…