Is There Life After Dairy?

If someone suggested I give up dairy two years ago, I’d have laughed. I wouldn’t have even considered it. How could I? That would mean giving up cheese, butter and ice cream. I couldn’t do that! After chocolate, they were my three most favorite foods.

But a lot’s happened recently, and to my own disbelief, I’m now dairy-free. Once I learned about the health hazards of dairy (see: Milk…It Does a Body Bad!), I decided to give it up. This wasn’t easy. For the first few months I craved dairy and I gave into temptation over and over again.

At first, I felt like I’d died and gone to hell. But as time went on and I found great-tasting substitutes for the foods I used to love, it didn’t feel so bad anymore. In fact, now I love being dairy-free.

If you’re skeptical, I don’t blame you. I would have been skeptical too. But the thing is; there are great products to replace every dairy food you desire. There are some not-so-great ones too, but over time I’ve learned what’s good and what’s crap.

So today, I’m going to share the good stuff with you. I want to give credit to the book, Skinny Bitch: Book of Vegan Swaps, for introducing me to many of these products.

Celeste’s List of Delicious Dairy Substitutes

Ice Cream

• Luna and Larry’s Organic Coconut Bliss – This stuff tastes like heaven. My favorite flavor is Dark Chocolate. This is not something I eat often because due to the coconut milk, it’s high in fat. Still, for occasional indulgences it’s fab!
• Trader Joe’s Soy Creamy – I’ve tried a lot of soy ice creams, but this is the only one that I serve to company. Guests will never guess Soy Creamy Cherry Chocolate Chip is dairy free.
• Sharon’s Sorbet – All I can say is that you won’t miss ice cream when you’re eating a bowl of this. Try the Raspberry.

Butter

• Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread – I don’t use a lot of this because it’s made with canola oil and my husband and I get most of our oil from whole sources (e.g. olives, avocado and nuts). For occasional splurges, like when I bake cookies, this is my go to brand. I made vegan Christmas cookies with Earth Balance last year and my family gobbled them up. And while my parents were visiting recently, my dad asked if I had any butter for his morning toast. I gave him Earth Balance and asked him if he liked it. He said, “It tastes just like butter.”

Cheese

• Daiya – The first few cheese substitutes I tried were awful, but Daiya made me swoon. Use it for pizza, lasagna and nachos. You won’t be disappointed!

Yogurt

• So Delicious Coconut Milk Yogurt – I don’t eat a lot of yogurt, but for my occasional cravings this is what I get. Eat it as is or blend it into a smoothie. Try the Strawberry.

Milk

• 365 Organic Almond Milk, Unsweetened – When I first gave up dairy, I used soy milk, but I eventually switched to almond milk because I like the taste better. I like this brand because it tastes good, is organic and has only 40 calories a cup (that’s 50 calories less than non-fat milk!).

Pizza

• Amy’s Roasted Vegetable Pizza – Who says great tasting pizza has to have cheese? I rarely make pizza with cheese anymore. For a tasty no-cheese pizza recipe, check out my Roasted Pepper and Zucchini Pizza. If you’re not in the mood to cook, however; Amy’s is delicious.

I appreciate anyone who takes the time to say hello! I love receiving your comments and questions, so please contact me. Email: celestedimilla(at)yahoo(dot)com (pardon this funky spelling…it helps prevent spam).

Image courtesy of marin / http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

 

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