Hi! I just went dairy-free and I'm looking for motivation anywhere I can get it. Can you give me some of the benefits you experienced when going dairy free to hype me up? I was trying to find older posts about that but I couldn't find much.
I found one a couple of weeks ago that I'm allergic to milk (mildly) but I tend to have gastro issues so I'm going dairy-free.
Problem is... I have back issues that make it hard to cook most days. I'm diabetic (well controlled at least), and too much fiber makes me sick (I'm not celiac but I get bloated from oatmeal), and with menopause meat just turns me off (except chicken nuggets, burgers, and chicken breast as long as it's not too dry). Also I get bad heartburn when I eat tomato sauce/soup.
So yeah - I was eating quite a bit of dairy products (breakfast was usually a frozen breakfast sandwich, I had some yogurt or cheese as snack, and a sandwich with cheese at lunch, sour cream or butter on potatoes, for example, or just pasta with cheese/butter when we had some.
This just sucks 😞
A few months ago we went to smoothie bar in Cincinnati called BanaSun and I was pleasantly surprised that they used all DF/ plant based ingredients. I ordered their Cocoa smoothie and was in love! They showed me the plant based protein powder they used so I ordered it from Amazon and have been making them at home. It's 500 cals and 20g of protein. Here's the recipe if anyone is interested:
1 cup chocolate almond milk
2 medjool dates (pits removed)
2 tbsp. unsweetened Jif peanut butter
1/2 banana (I like them barely yellow because I'm not a big fan of banana flavor)
1 scoop chocolate plant protein powder (you could use 2 scoops- adds 70 cals and 10g protein)
Handful of ice
Blend almond milk and dates first until smooth. Add other ingredients except ice, blend. Blend in ice to desired icy-ness.
They don’t look super appetizing so my expectations were low but as someone who hasn’t had a cheez-it in YEARS these things are the REAL DEAL! I am going to go back to TJ’s and grab like 10 more boxes for back stock…
How soon after going dairy free did it take before your inflammation went down?
Everything seems to have coconut oil in it. Switched to goat milk formula but we are suspecting baby is allergic to that too, as she’s throwing it up as well. We have an appointment with an allergist soon but we’re hoping to try something else in the meantime since baby is puking after every formula feeding. She is eating purées and doing great too. The issue has persisted for about 6 weeks and baby is 7 months old.
Took my little dude to the big apple and we had a whole list of foods we wanted to find. NYC did not disappoint!
- Donuts from Doughnut Planet in Grand Central Station, 3 vegan options to choose from that day. We went double chocolate and strawberry glazed (not frosted). Pricey but did not disappoint!
- Mango maple lemonade from a Vermont Maple vendor at Columbus Circle outside Central Park: surprising flavor but so refreshing and delicious
- Dino nuggets, fries and a juice box kids meal at Dan & John’s Wings: a staple in our house already, didn’t disappoint. We were on the hunt for wings when these enticed him. Nice laid back atmosphere where we could play games while we ate.
- Froyo at 16Handles: froyo has died around me so this was a delightful teleportation back to 2013! They had several oat milk flavors to choose from and even had vegan cookie dough toppings! He went with chocolate and gummy bears.
- Spiderman popsicle from an ice cream truck outside Central Park: an expensive bribe to keep him walking. I paid almost as much as a box of these suckers costs at the store and he didn’t even finish it. Oh well.
- American Museum of Natural History Dino nuggets and fries: apparently the extra culture comes with an upcharge because I almost died when I saw that the nuggets alone cost $11!!!! I guess I’m officially a patron of the arts.
- Peacefood chocolate cake and chocolate chip cookies: This was a big get, he really wanted chocolate cake and it was one of the best I’ve had ever. The frosting was so, so good. He demolished the massive cookie in minutes - it was both crunchy and soft if that makes sense? I wasn’t worried it would be dry based on the look but it was really good. They had scones, muffins, and other items too that looked good, plus lunch items. Solid spot!
- Plain pasta and fries from the Olive Garden Times Square. Olive oil wasn’t an option apparently??? Not much to say about this, kind of speaks for itself. I did learn he could eat the breadsticks as well, but he wasn’t interested. More for me!!
- Buffet breakfast from Gastro Market: I was really pleased with the quality and price for this. Little guy had bacon, strawberries, sausage, and Abe’s Mini Muffins I brought from home. I had potatoes, plantains, and a hash brown with avocado and mango salsa. Not entirely sure the potatoes and plantains were DF, but everything was really good.
- Tavern on the Green in Central Park: Terrible quality photo, but he had bow tie pasta with olive oil and vegan parm and fries. I NEVER see vegan parm as an option for pasta at restaurants near home, so this was exciting! This place is fancy and pricey though, so not a cost effective choice (the side of fries cost more than the price gauged nuggets at the museum).
- Bacon and breakfast sausage from Cafe Aroma, paired with Abe’s mini muffins and a clementine that I brought from home
- His number one most desired item: a real pizza slice from a real pizza place. We went with a vegan cheese slice from Vinny’s Gluten Free Kitchen. He liked it! Was nervous about the sauce because it had noticeable herbs in it (god forbid he eat something green) but then he scarfed it down. There were other options besides cheese, which is cool. We can find vegan pizza a few places by us but always as a whole pie, so I appreciated the slice option.
- Not pictured: a vegan chocolate chunk cookie from Joe Coffee in Grand Central Station. Really, really good. Very different from the Peacefood cookie, this was a thicker, chewier cookie with a cinnamon undertone and some salty bits. Superb.
It sucks, but I'm glad it happened! I've recently cut out gluten and dairy and have noticed a complete 180 in symptoms doctors have been shrugging off for 2+ years.
My mom hasn't been convinced this is necessary, and keeps telling people things like "Oh, she won't eat that, she doesn't want to eat dairy." or "Don't ask her, she doesn't want gluten." in a clearly judgmental/rage baity way lol.
She kept telling me I should reintroduce it just to be sure. Well, I did, accidentally. Definitely reaffirmed my decision to cut it out, lol!
I’ve been experimenting with vegan cheeses using cashew based, cauliflower, tofu riccotta and my favorite is silken tofu mozzarella that melts using carageenan. I use sauces from primal kitchen as well as plain tomato and fresh basil cashew cream sauce. Some other toppings I enjoy are seitan pepperoni, spinach, artichoke and tomato.
Does anyone avoid dairy products for reasons other than gastrointestinal issues? I think they cause me problems with low mood, nervousness, insomnia, constipation (very strange) and constant hunger. Anyone else like me?
Perfection, no notes.
Edit: from Whole Foods
- There’s a restaurant in NYC called the Salty Lunch Lady and I’ve been making a version of their Dill Party sandwich (turkey, pickles, avocado, dill mayo, and Daiya Jalapeno Havarti)
- Sweet Loren’s chocolate chip cookies
- Ben & Jerry’s DF oatmeal cream pie (I’m breastfeeding and have such an insatiable sweet tooth)
- Cocojune yogurt
The silky smooth texture, the sweet chocolate flavor, everything about it is so amazingly delicious. I can’t share a picture of the jar cause I’m ashamed with how much I’ve eaten already. I highly recommend it.
High protein low fat mozzarella slices 60 calories per serving 4 grams protein 2 g fat. Recipes make 10 servings.
Blend the ingredients shown in the photos with an immersion blender and heat over a low stove for 10 minutes stirring and folding regularly. Once glossy transfer to a lined dish and chill for at least 5 hours before sliceing or shredding. This both melts and stretches as well as having a gooey texture and fantastic flavor. Super easy and perfect for pizza, grilled cheese, caprese salads or any other mozzarella dish. You could also put it into molds for snack cheese since the flavor is great cold as well!
ok this is silly but i just have to share.
recently went dairy free (lactose intolerance hit me hard in my late 20s lol)
decided to try oat milk for the first time. poured it into my coffee. took a big sip.
literally taste nothing. completely neutral.
laughed for 5 minutes straight because i was expecting SOMEthing and got NOTHING.
now i cant stop experimenting. oat milk, almond milk, coconut milk...
who knew dairy free life would be this entertaining
anyone else have funny dairy free moments??
Hi there and I hope this question is okay! Due to personal dietary restrictions, I am trying really hard to cut down on dairy, but butter is the *only* thing I cannot find a good alternative for.
“Just get margarine!” I’ve tried, and now my fridge is a graveyard of different margarines I’ll never touch again. I can’t explain what it is, but margarine tastes so off to me and has my whole life. As an undiagnosed autistic child, I was a nightmare for my foster parents because I could instantly taste anything cooked with margarine and would go hungry rather than eat it.
I just want something creamy and salty without that artificial “butter” flavor that my tastebuds protest. I know I should just be less picky, but I struggle to maintain a healthy weight because I have and will go days without eating rather than eat something that tastes off to me.
I use butter for cooking, baking, frostings, spreading on toast, etc., so I would really appreciate any suggestions for alternatives! Thank you so much for reading this far!
I plan on making a simple vanilla cheesecake using this recipe. Wondering if anyone has tried this one and if it bakes well?
2 eggs
½ cup sugar (divided)
8 oz. (225 grams) non-dairy cream cheese (I used Tofutti brand)
¼ cup lemon juice
1½ tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1 (9-inch) graham cracker pie crust
I live in the U.S. Oatley, Nadamoo, and So Delicious have declined in their vanilla ice cream. Breyers sucks. I don’t want to make my own ice cream.
I haven’t tried cosmic bliss in awhile, is that good? Is the sprouts ice cream good? I’ve also heard of fronen, is that good?