Have you ever considered taking dairy out of your diet?
While nursing my son I noticed he’d get this phlegmy and gurgly reaction if I ate anything dairy. After help from my doula and further research, I learned how dairy causes our body to produce extra phlegm. I hated making digestion and breathing harder for him so I went non-dairy. Some things have been more challenging than others, but once I found better alternatives, it wasn’t nearly as bad. Some of them I prefer now too because I didn’t even need all that dairy in my diet. I miss cheese the most tho – mac and cheese, cheese on my deli sandwiches, and hamburgers.
I’ll tell you I wasn’t strict with no dairy the whole time – like if some items had it in baking ingredients I didn’t find it a big deal or see as much of an effect in my son but just eating outright dairy was a no especially while he was younger. But when Thanksgiving rolled around and I wanted Mac and cheese and my red velvet, I ate it! My son was 7 months at that point and a little stronger so I enjoyed smaller portions and kept it pushing. Okay?!
- ICE CREAM: I’m an ice cream connoisseur! I love ice cream and taste, texture are so important! I found the best non-dairy options come from Ben & Jerry’s! My favorites are the kappernick and Ava Duvernay flavors. For a plain/traditional vanilla for my peach cobbler or apple pie a la mode, my go-to is SO DELICIOUS’ Wondermilk vanilla!
- YOGURT: This one has been a bit hit or miss. I used to love Chobani’s Greek yogurt and would make a berry parfait with it! I have yet to find a good non-dairy Greek yogurt alternative. The textures took some getting used to – a little runnier. But my current go-to is SO DECLICIOUS’ coconut based yogurt. I find the taste to be a bit more neutral and easy to pair with berries and granola. I’ve also liked making my own by blending the soft “silken” tofu and soaked raw cashews until creamy!
- SOUR CREAM: Tofutti sour cream is my favorite, but please be advised it’s SUPER thick. It doesn’t bother me because I think it tastes good lol, but if you feel a bit more adventurous and want to skip all the extra ingredients, it’s pretty easy to make. I’ve tried the soaked raw cashew mixed with lemon juice and apple cider vinegar and some seasonings!
- BUTTER: By far my favorite butter replacement is Earth Balance buttery sticks! I’ve tried cheaper alternatives like Country Crock’s non dairy butter, but when I tell you I’ve ruined so many baked goods with that cheap stuff! It’s like the oil content is significantly different, but I’m able to use earth balance just like I would traditional butter sticks.
- NON-DAIRY MILK: Let’s talk non-dairy milk! So I actually just make it at home! It’s been about 6 months now and I love it. There’s so many extra things on the ingredient labels of the store bought so when I realized how easy and inexpensive (for the most part) it was to make with a blender or juicer, I just started making it at the house. Since there’s no preservatives, it doesn’t last more than 3-5 days so I make smaller batches. If I do buy at the store, my go-to is Chobani’s extra creamy oat milk or unsweetened almond milk for baking & cooking. Coconut milk for smoothies and canned coconut milk for cooking (rice & peas, curries)
- CREAM CHEESE & SPREADS: Let’s talk about about Boursin’s non-dairy garlic herb spread! Yes please! I like this one on cold and hot sandwiches or burgers or wraps! Cream cheese I’d probably choose Miyako’s plain cream cheese as best alternative, but I mostly use in recipes and not just plain on a bagel.
- SLICED CHEESE: My go-to is Chao Slices! Texture and taste is the closest I’ve found to dairy cheese slices. I prefer this on a cold sandwich or as the cheese used in my roux.
- MELTED CHEESE: Things that require melted cheese like pizza and macaroni cheese – my best word of advice is make your own roux. I find he shredded cheese shreds and liquid cheeses have this plastic like texture once melted. It’s creeps me out a bit, but when I make cheese sauce via a rough, I find the consistency and taste to be SOOOOO much better.
- SAUCES/DIPS: I just felt like these Trader Joe’s vegan sauces deserved an honorable mention. I love making a lot of my own sauces from scratch, but i don’t always have the time. So their vegan Taziki sauce does great on our gyros and Greek bowls and then I like the carmelized onion dip on burgers or even pizza!
Let me know what you think if you try any of these!
