Going Dairy Free (and a cry for help)

[lijuun]

I've had trouble with my digestion for years, and going dairy free has been casually (and not-so-casually) mentioned many times, but I LOVE CHEESE.  Love it to an unreasonable degree.  This time, though, when my naturopath suggested it, I caved.  OKAY, ALREADY.  I'll try it.  He said I need to give it up for three weeks and then come in and see him

Comments

[arevanye]

See, this is how I feel about Atkins, because if I had to give up my pasta and bread, there would be no point to living anymore.

I wish I had suggestions, but all I can think of is the Mrs. Dash seasonings because they don't have salt. But you can eat salt so that's probably not a help.

Really? No dairy OR soy? I'll have to do some recipe reading.

[isis_newton]

See, this is how I feel about Atkins, because if I had to give up my pasta and bread, there would be no point to living anymore.

For real.

I squeeze some fresh lemon juice on bread if for some reason I don't fancy eating it completely devoid of flavour, i.e. if I were tempted to have butter or cheese with my fresh bread. And rediscover the joy of high quality olive oil - you can get so many different versions of it now, too.

I was told as a child to NEVER EAT DAIRY FOODS so I kind of grew up avoiding them and as a result I think I could give them up at this point and just gorge myself in other ways. I could live on stir fries for a l-o-n-g time... and there are loads of soups you can make that have no dairy in them.

[lijuun]

Mmm, lemon juice on bread! That sounds really fun! Yep, I'm gonna have to steal that one.

[arevanye]

Ooo ooo I just thought of something I eat all the time that is non-dairy. Do you like olives? Because I buy this Olive Tapenade from Costco that is so tasty on toast, and in eggs, and on crackers with hummus, you name it.

[frodo_esque]

Hi

[lijuun]

Yay for recipes!

How do you handle being lactose intolerant? I read on a website that a lot of Indian food is milk-based, so does that sort of break your heart?

[frodo_esque]

Actually, some sweets are milk based, but since those are eaten infrequently, it never really an issue. That said, I have absolutely no problem eating anything milk based because of the wonder that is Lactaid. =) I don't even need it to eat milk or yogurt, just milk, ice cream, and milk-based Indian sweets require the Lactaid, which are such a blessing in my life. Before I discovered it, eating milk products really made me miserable, however I didn't know *how* miserable until I tried the Lactaid and saw the difference.

You should really try it-- it's simply the lactase enzyme, which your body naturally makes (or rather, no longer makes)

[lavendergem]

Dairy free is HARD HARD HARD-- I'm a cheese-aholic as well, and my natural doc has been trying to get me to to give it up (on the assumption that my daughter may be intolerant-- I don't think she is!), but i say "Cheese, I just can't quit you." (and draggit, I just discovered that I no longer have access to my "I like cheese!" icon since I've dropped back to unpaid... blargh!)

Anyway, You do have a lot of options going forward. First, go here for weekly menu mailers, and dairy-free recipes, plus a community of support! I love these boards, and the mailers make my life SO much easier inplanning my meals-- and everything is given GFCF (gluten-free/casein-free) friendly.

Second, instead of butter, substitute extra virgin olive oil. For milk, Almond milk makes a great (and tasty) sub, and it's easy to make. Unfortunately, I do not know of any viable replacements for cheese or yogurt... They are unique to dairy

[lijuun]

Goat cheese is my FAVORITE. My friend got me a pack of goat cheeses for Christmas in different flavors. She gave it to me early so I could gorge myself on it before I had to give it up. And I did. It was bliss.

Once this is over, the first thing I'll try (whether it's three weeks or a year from now) is goat cheese and see if I have a reaction. Can't wait!

[lavendergem]

Good point! I wanted to get a milking goat so we could save money on all our trips to the farm for raw milk, but Matt hates goats milk and cheese... We'll get there!

[lijuun]

I've been going organic by stages throughout the past year. It takes a lot longer in the grocery store when you have to read EVERYTHING!

I did really well over Christmas. I ate no junk food and gave away all the presents that included candy. Except for the Applets & Cotlets. They are dairy-free (as far as I can tell) and I'm limiting myself to three pieces a day.

Eggs with mushrooms and seasoning wrapped in a tortilla is what I take out the door with me when I leave in the mornings. I'm going to have to get way more creative with the seasonings, because this is going to get old FAST!

[darkladyothsith]

I've been putting together a recipe file for my use. I can send it to you via email, if you want (email me at andelin AT xmission.com). It has a lot of things with dairy, but there's a fair bit without too. And some of the dishes can be made by leaving the cheese out as well.

There are options. =)

[lijuun]

Oh, you betcha! I'll send you an e-mail tonight, as I am straining the limits of my old cookbooks. I am woefully unprepared!

[darkladyothsith]

As an aside, I made a batch of jambalaya last night that had nary a dairy in sight, and it turned out great. Made loads of it. I didn't go off of a recipe (I don't have one in that file), but I can give you an idea of what I tossed in

[darkladyothsith]

Oh! Something else that occurred to me. I've got a friend who's lactose intolerant as well, and I've learned a couple of tricks to get around the milk thing. Most of them have been mentioned, but one that hasn't is: I tend to make a lot of casseroles, and they usually require some sort of cream/milk/cream of X soup to go with it to give it some sauce. An alternative is to get some broth or stock (veggie, beef, chicken, mushroom, whatever), and heat it up in a sauce pan and add some thickener (I prefer Wondra-- it's a barley flour thickener-- for flavor, but cornstarch or flour work fine too) until it's the right consistency. It works well when I cook for my friend.