So how hard is it to go dairy free?

[pointydog]

I am contemplating bringing in a milk free diet in a week or so's time.

I realise I'll need to look for alternatives for milk, butter and cheese. Are they easy to find? Are they tasty?

Am I about to have the worst couple of months of my life?

so I need to avoid 'whey powder' on labels too?

you know, stirling, part of me doesn't want the trial to help. I know dd2 doesn't want it to help. She loves food.

My dd loves food too but then she is 4 and doesn't know any different. It must be so difficult to introduce this kind of diet later in a childs life.

Maybe you wont need to avoid small amounts in things like biscuits as long as she isn't drinking large amounts of milk or eating cheese all the time.

Vegan friends use hummous rather than spreads.
If spreading sweet things, they just have them by themselves.

Soy milk, apparently tastes ok once you have become inured to it. I find this hard to believe but I am assured it's true.

I can eat Alpro soy 'yogurts' though, they are fine.

I don't think it is possible to eat 'well' on a dairy-free diet, you just have to change your expectations. (Depends what you're used to, though.) You are probably going to be healthier, though, and can feel smug about your environmental impact

(Every cloud and all that...)

Pointy - there's a lot of confusion on this thread (and elsewhere) about lactose versus cows milk protein. If it were you with a milk problem it would most likely be lactose causing it, but as it is your dd and it has been a problem a while it is far more likely to be the milk protein. This means that you need to avoid all milk products, including parmesan I'm afraid, and lactose free milk will be of no benefit at all.

Just looked into this a bit more.

Dd2 has to avoid dairy due to the cow's milk protein, not due to lactose intolerance.

So apparently, all cheese, yoghurt and butter sgould be banned.

cantsleep! that is exactly what I have just found out - thanks

Same as my dd - I can't even give her goats milk/cheese as that has the same effect.

dd2 would not eat houmus or avocado in any form.

It'll have to be vitalite

Biscuits that are ok include hob nobs (not the choc variety), fruit shortcakes, bourbons, some own brand digestives and some rich tea type things, but always label check to be sure.

Look out for treats from the Mrs Crimble range. Tesco's have some and Waitrose generally have lots. They do the most divine coconut macaroons, some partially coated in chocolate, as well as lots of cake bars.

Also look out for 'Respect' carrot cake in Tesco, not in the free from section. It's made with sunflower oil instead of butter and is organic and blardy lovely.

thanks cantsleep

Eh? of course it's possible to eat 'well' on a dairy free diet!!!! It is a bit more difficult when you go out to eat but once you get used to it cooking dairy free is no different to cooking with dairy.

Cheese in its raw form is the only thing that's not easy to substitute for, but the hard cheese substitute is fine to make a cheese sauce with or on lasagne or pizza.

I use Oatly cream in cooking exactly as I would cream and the soya whipped creams are pretty good too.

trixy, I just took that to mean that you have to deny yourself lots of tasty things like cheese (which we love)

I've been dairy free for about 25 years now due to allergies and eczema and although it's a pain eating out it's generally fine.

Alpro yogurt, pure marg (sunlower not soya) and tesco soya milk sweetened with apple juice are my recommendations (don't get unsweetened).

You do have to speed read ingredients but it's much easier now with the allergy advice on everything.

marking to read later...

so it obv helps your eczema, kenny?

I went DF for a few months TTC DS. IIRC, Pure sunflower was the best of the margarine's taste-wise, and most soya products (apart from marinaded tofu in tins was pretty vile. Oat or rice milk OK, and oat cream quite useful. Almond milk is especially nice if you can find it. Didn't find an alternative to cheese, so had the odd bit of sheep's milk pecorino or feta as a treat.

It's insane the amount of products they cram milk into - I think the milk in sausage is prob because it's in the rusk they use for padding.

There's lots of vegan recipes on tinternet if you need inspiration for cooking.

Oh, and if you're a porridge person, then make it with dilute apple juice and bung in some flaked almonds - you won't miss milk.

Do you know I don't think I've ever abbreviated quite so much as in that first sentence

ok, reading thru.............if you are having to avoid cows milk protien, the cheese advice is wrong. you cannot have any forms of cheese made with animal products, even goats cheese, as the proteins are so very similar!

it does obviously depend on the symptoms of the allergy tho........for me, I go into anaphylactic shock with any and all forms of dairy, as we found when DH tried to accidently poison me the other week with a nob of butter while making me an omelette. He then needed to stab me with my epipen and dial 999!!

G&B is ok BTW (well, the plain one, and maya gold, the ginger one and the cherry one). their website explains more, and I also emailed them ages back when I went into a small panic over it.

proof also lies in that I have eaten some recently and am alive to tell the tale

CWSW...respect have bought out another dairy-free cake.........banana loaf cake.......yummy

dreadpirate, tis all well and good being able to use apple juice in some things.....unless of course you are bizarre like me and also allergic (severely

Psycho - I'm sorry for your loss you freak

Dont forget coconut milk - You can make rice pudding with it and make a mild creamy curry. I have been told that soya milk makes a nice rice pudding but haven't tried it yet.

I have also made chowder type soups adding soya milk instead of cows milk and no-one in the family noticed.

the erbalist said goat's cheese was ok. Although dd2 doesn't like goat's cheese so I'll probably just cut out cheese altogether.

psychomum - I have been doing black coffee and dry cereal or even just fruit for breakfast for a couple of weeks and feel a lot better but bored and I agree with pointydog that the very thought of going without dairy makes me feel annoyed but actually I feel a lot less ill so I am going to plug away to see if it has a lastng effect and if I can get to a better place with a tolerable diet.

Oh and I adore Turkish delight - the real sort though with nuts in from Turkey which makes me feel happy because I can pig out on that without guilt. I hope ?

beantin - your long and lovely list gives me hope

Abetedad - if you grow roses I might be nice and post you a recipe for proper turkish delight