Need meal ideas for dairy free

[Anonymous]

I'm nursing a ten week old and suspect a dairy allergy or sensitivity. I'm a picky eater though, so eliminating dairy will be hard for me as I eat a lot of cheese and other dairy products. Any suggestions for meal ideas that contain no dairy, places to shop for dairy free items, brands you like, etc?

[Anonymous]

Can you eat peanuts, sesame and soy? Those are also common allergens - but can make food creamy instead of dairy. Think peanut noodles, tahini dressing on felafel, tofu smoothie instead of milk.

Also could you try non-dairy whipped topping?
What about goat and buffalo milk cheeses? Only cows milk has lactose - but you might want to cut all dairy for a while and then test by adding in small amounts of non-cow dairy.

Make risotto rice with coconut milk. That's a yummy creamy side I make for my gluten, soy, egg, dairy, and pork-free mother.

[Anonymous]

It's not the lactose. It's the milk protein - why and casein, which are in al mammal milk.

I ate a lot of broiled/grilled chicken (marinated in lemon, garlic, ginger, salt) and rice.

Also ate a lot of coconut milk based curries, since I like creaminess.

[Anonymous]

We gave up dairy a few years ago due to food allergies, so I know how hard it can be in the beginning!
I will honestly say that if you know what real cheese tastes like, the dairy free substitutes may not fulfill your cheese cravings.
Daiya brand is completely vegan and my son LOVES it. I will say that their cream cheese is pretty darn good.
If a recipe calls for milk, just use plain coconut or almond milk instead.
We use Earth Balance spread for cooking. You can also use coconut oil in place of butter (I do this more for dessert recipes).
So Delicious brand makes coconut milk yogurt, ice cream, and ice cream sandwiches/fudge pops.
Roads End has a vegan mac and cheese that is pretty good. I use plain coconut milk to make the "cheese" sauce.
Applegate Farms has a lot of good, organic products (turkey, sausage, etc)
Enjoy Life Foods has dairy free chocolate bars, chocolate chips, and their cocoa loco bars are really good
Larabars are also vegan (blueberry muffin and apple pie are awesome!)

The biggest thing is reading labels. Casein, a milk derivative, is added to a lot of things. Items labeled as "non-dairy" may still have casein added to them. Also, watch out for ingredients like "lactic acid starter culture", "lactose", and "whey".
Here's a good reference list: http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/resourcespre.php?id=37

[Anonymous]

Pp, where do you shop for these brands?

[Anonymous]

The paleo diet is dairy and soy free. You can google tons of great recipes online. I ate this way while BFing my DD who had a dairy intolerance, and still do!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pp, where do you shop for these brands?

I would call and check first at stores like Safeway, but Whole Foods usually has the things below in stock. Earth Balance products are all vegan.

Daiya cheese (shreds and cheddar block): Whole Foods and MOM's Market
Daiya cream cheese: Whole Foods (have only found it at 1 location in Northern VA)
Earth Balance: Safeway, Whole Foods, MOM's
Earth Balance White Cheddar Puffs and popcorn: Whole Foods (the cheddar puffs are awesome!)
So Delicious (milk, yogurt, ice cream): Safeway, Whole Foods (if you buy 12, they consider it a "case" and you get a discount), MOM's, some Target locations (I've only found the ice cream in Target)
Road's End mac and cheese (the Alfredo is pretty good): some Target locations, Whole Foods, MOM's, Amazon
Enjoy Life Foods: Target, Whole Foods, MOM's, Safeway, Amazon
Coconut Oil: most stores carry it, including Costco.
Applegate Farms: some stuff in Safeway, more selection in Whole Foods and MOM's
I like the Applegate brand because they state that their lactic acid starter culture is not dairy-based