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Original poster

So how hard is it to go dairy free?

223 replies

pointydog · 14/04/2009 15:10

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?

OP posts:
SuperBunny · 19/04/2009 20:10

I have it on good authority (from a non-lentil weaver) that quinoa cooked in coconut milk is delicious.

My soya milk tastes fine in coffee it just looks vile. If I drink it with my eyes closed, I can tolerate it!

SuperBunny · 19/04/2009 20:11

Can you do veg Korma? What veg would one use? Being egg, dair and meat free sometimes seems a bit, um, joyless.

Original poster
pointydog · 19/04/2009 20:16

well, you could bung anything in a veg korma really but if I had left the chicken out of our one we would have been left with

chickpeas
mini sweetcorn
sugarsnap things

Def keep the chick peas, they were tasty. The corn was nice and crunchy. Green beans would be nice. Cauliflower.

OP posts:
Original poster
pointydog · 19/04/2009 20:16

why don't you eat egg and dairy, supes

OP posts:
SuperBunny · 19/04/2009 20:26

Sounds good, Pointy. Will look into it. Veg is no problem but finding curry spices is hard round here.

Eggs - I barely use and my last batch were fishy and revolting and it is only DS who eats them anyway so I figure we can do without quite easily.

Dairy - I felt better when I was DF before and I am hoping it will miraculously get rid of my dermatitis and DS eczema. But I always fall off the wagon after a few week and neeeeed cheese. This thread has inspired me to try again. Again.

Original poster
pointydog · 19/04/2009 20:32

where do you live?

Can you get jars of curry paste? The lovely Jamie suggested patak's korma paste - it was good and saved me quite a bit of time. You just add extra ginger and coriander.

OP posts:
BillSilverFoxBuchanan · 19/04/2009 20:33

Sorry pointy!!

It certainly wasn't meant that way

Original poster
pointydog · 19/04/2009 20:34

oh don't apologise! I knew you didn't mean it, I just found it funny to pretend to take offence, if that makes sense

OP posts:
SuperBunny · 19/04/2009 20:34

Pataks

I'm in the US.

FrannyandZooey · 19/04/2009 20:35

i do veg korma just with carrots, cauli, swede and chickpeas
probably a travesty of indian cooking but it does taste nice
pointy your supermarkets must be better than mine!

Original poster
pointydog · 19/04/2009 20:35

so no pataks in teh Land of teh Free, then

OP posts:
SuperBunny · 19/04/2009 20:47

Fraid not. Tis terribly disappointing. There is actually quite a large Indian community here but everything is so segregated, I'd have to drive to the other side of the city to get ingredients and it takes forever. Maybe I'll take DS there for a little outing when we have a free day.

ABetaDad · 19/04/2009 20:48

Went out to lunch today. There was no pudding I could have on the menu that was GF and milk free.

Fell off the wagon and ate a fruit crumble with ice cream.

Enjoying vanilla flavoured rice milk in my coffee though.

Good thing is I have lost weight already, I have more energy, my stomach is noticeably flatter and my moobs have got smaller (they were only dinky little ones anyway) from not eating bread/biscuits and drinking milk. I also do not feel hungry all the time which is strange.

SuperBunny · 19/04/2009 20:54

How long have you been doing it, abeta?

ilovemydogandMrObama · 19/04/2009 21:04

we went out to lunch, sorry, 'brunch' and went to great lengths to explain DS has a cow milk intolerance. So, the fish cakes were OK....

And then when they brought the food to the table, I asked what was served with the potatoes, and they admitted that they had butter on them

But nice friendly health food shop said they would order whatever I needed for DS Nice people!

Oh, and because I asked, they are getting in Oatly cream!!! It's fab. (high calories though Beta)

ABetaDad · 19/04/2009 21:13

Superbunny - just 7 days and I can feel and see the difference already. I used to eat a lot of bread, eat biscuits, milky coffee and so on - just craved them really.

I want to give myself a month and see what difference it makes to my health.

SuperBunny · 19/04/2009 21:15

Those are exactly the things I crave. Hmmm. Did you say you are gluten free? I don't think I could handle that as well as everything else. There'd be nothing else to eat.

FrannyandZooey · 19/04/2009 21:24

i have a friend who is wheat, dairy, sugar, soya and citrus free
it's a barrel of laughs when i (veggie) go round for a meal

ABetaDad · 19/04/2009 21:24

Yes GF as well.

GF is not too bad a diet really - well not as bad as I thought .

SuperBunny · 19/04/2009 21:28

Crikey Franny! Do you just share a bowl of quinoa? I can't imagine you can eat anything else.

If DF doesn't help, I think GF might be the next thing to try. But i am hoping it doesn't come to that.

CantSleepWontSleep · 19/04/2009 21:30

If I ever have to be wheat, dairy, sugar, soya and citrus free then someone please shoot me to put me out of my misery.

FrannyandZooey · 19/04/2009 22:26

ah she seems to get through life without wanting to slit her wrists
i think meat and eggs feature quite highly
plus she is excellent at faking sweetness in desserts

Original poster
pointydog · 19/04/2009 23:12

if I had no dairy, no bread, no biscuits and no cake I'd lose weight lickety-split too. Just being a non-milker is making me far less enthusiastic about my meals.

OP posts:
ronshar · 20/04/2009 09:57

I have been eating plain toast for lunch as I just cant get the enthusiasm to find/make other stuff. I stand at the fridge looking at the lovely hard mature cheese and it is calling my name.
So far a whole ocean worth of tuna has been consumed.
I even had to miss out on pudding yesterday at my mums because there was nothing I could eat.

SuperBunny · 20/04/2009 18:12

Day 2 was going well until I absent mindedly ate some of DS's goldfish crackers than thought I should check the ingredients and, of course, they contain milk powder. But, I only had 2 or 3 and it was an accident so I'm not going to fret.

Also, heating soya milk before adding coffee to it does stop it curdling so thanks for that suggestion.

Supposing being DF does cure skin problems - how long will it take to see a difference?