# Dairy free without soy?



## MarineWife (May 1, 2004)

Anyone do this? How? Mainly, I can't imagine not eating cheese. I also like to sub yogurt for mayo. I don't do soy products, though.


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## ollyoxenfree (Jun 11, 2009)

We're not dairy free, but last summer I found a terrific substitute for whipped cream, if you are interested.

Chill a couple of cans of coconut milk in the refrigerator - I just keep a couple of cans in there, but a day or so should do. When you open the can, most of it will have solidified into a thick cream. You can whip this into a fluffy topping in a couple of minutes in a stand mixer.

I've tried some other non-dairy, non-soy substitutes. The texture of nutritional yeast, as a substitute for cheese, just isn't appealing to me, and I don't care for the taste either. I like nut milks like almond milk or cashew milk.

Honestly, I know I would have a difficult time trying to be dairy-free. Many people are very happy and very well with dairy-free though, so I think it's do-able.


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## APToddlerMama (Oct 5, 2009)

There are some good coconut products. SoDelicious is the brand we buy. They definitely have milk (in cartons, not that super creamy canned stuff), yogurt, icecream, coffee creamer, etc. They may have cheese and I think they have sour cream. I hate both even with dairy so I don't know for sure but I think I have seen them. Whole Foods sells the products as do most co-ops and even lots of mainstream grocery stores.


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## MarineWife (May 1, 2004)

I should have added that I can't do nut milks like almond because they make me nauseous. I think I'm slightly sensitive/allergic to nuts.

I can do coconut, though. Unfortunately, we don't have a Whole Foods here. Some stores do sell coconut milk but I haven't noticed any yogurts or cheeses. I'll have to look more closely. My main concern with those products, though, is that they don't have much, if any, protein. I eat cheese as a protein source because it's quick and easy (and I like it).

eta i don't drink milk and my kids mostly only use it for cereal.


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## askew (Jun 15, 2006)

I love coconut milk and creamer. I don't think they have cheese. The best non dairy cheese is called Daiya. It melts well and I think it is made from Tapioca. Really when you go dairy free you don't replace cheese, you just manage to live without it. You should post in the Vegetarian/Vegan section of this area, you'll get more replies.


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## Mylie (Mar 15, 2004)

We are dairy and soy free..Gluten free also..It is tough but it is getting easier with newer products coming out...Daiya Cheese is the best!!! It is dairy and soy free..We use it for everything and even I can't tell the difference..They have mozzerella and Cheddar..I use it for Tacos,lasagna,pizza ect...Amy's makes a great mac and cheese that is soy and dairy free and you can't tell it isn't real cheese..We love it when we can afford it...So Delicious makes a great dairy and soy free yogurt..We like to get the vanilla...My girl loves their vanilla ice cream also...For milk I buy Pacific Rice Milk..We don't do nut milks either..So delicious does have a coconut milk but it gives L diareah...What stores do you have? Do you have a Kroger by any chance? That is where I get most of ours...My nearest Whole Foods is almost 2 hours away and I don't get there much...Oh and for butter you can buy Earth Balance Dairy and Soy free butter..It is the best!!! We use it for everything...You could probably order all that stuff online if you can't find it locally and your local stores won't order it for you but shipping could get pricey for things that have to be kept cold...I know how tough it can be and I hope you can find everything you are looking for..


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## Mylie (Mar 15, 2004)

This sounds awesome and I am definitly going to try it with the holidays coming up...Do you add sugar or anything when you whip it or just as is??? What brand of coconut milk do you use? I am going to buy a can on my next shopping trip and make it and try it..I am so excited!!!!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ollyoxenfree*
> 
> We're not dairy free, but last summer I found a terrific substitute for whipped cream, if you are interested.
> 
> ...


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## MarineWife (May 1, 2004)

that whipped coconut milk does sound good.

i didn't post in the vegetarian/vegan board because everyone i know who eats that way uses a lot of soy.

i'm going to try to go gluten free, too. that seems easier to me because there are lots of types of flour. it seems soy is the only thing used in place of dairy. i know there are others but they aren't very available, at least where i live.

i have the commissary, food lion, piggly wiggly and walmart. except for piggly wiggly, which i've never shopped at, they all carry some things but one does not carry all. walmart probably has the biggest selection of coconut milk products. i hate shopping there because it's so big and crowded and i can't use my bags (besides it just being walmart). we did just get a new organic health food store that carries that cheese, i think. it is expensive, though. tapioca is a grain, right?

i can get rice milk easily. it seems strange to me, just like soy milk. rice doesn't naturally produce a liquid. kwim? that's why i prefer coconut milk.


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## SundayCrepes (Feb 15, 2008)

We are gluten, dairy, cane sugar, and tomato free vegetarians and I LOVE the diet. I also avoid soy, carageenan, msg (including nutritional yeast and other similar yeast products that are also glutamates.) I thought getting rid of dairy would be hard, but it hasn't been. Due to my daughter's needs we have made all these changes (except the vegetarian part) so we had no choice and though it's taken time to figure it all out, with forums and google you can find recipes for almost everything you want.

I'm actually in a hurry, but if you search some of my old posts here and in the veggie section you'll see a lot of recipe links I've posted.

We use either Rice Dream or Trader Joe's rice drink since they meet all our needs. We make coconut whipped cream all the time and even turn it into ice cream. I use coconut milk in soups and gravies (though you have to be careful since it is a bit sweet.)

Earth Balance is a good vegan butter.

Do post in the veggie section and just say no soy. There are lots of us there that don't use soy.

Daiya cheese has a yeast that is essentially msg so we only use it when our daughter specifically asks for it.

So, if you want cream of broccoli soup that's dairy free just google it (or in this case go to http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/ for a great recipe. She uses potatoes and coconut milk to make it creamy.)

Instead of soy sauce or tamari you can use coconut aminos. I haven't tried them yet but look forward to doing so.

I'll try and give more specifics later.

Oh, I only make one can of coconut whipped cream at a time. It's plenty for my family. I whip until creamy then add 2 Tbsp honey and sometimes 1 Tbsp vanilla and whip just enough to mix it all together.


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## BabySmurf (Apr 27, 2011)

IMO soy free is definitely harder than dairy free. eliminating dairy just involved breaking habits, eliminating soy (which is in nearly everything!) was much harder. Other posters have made great suggestions - really, I just googled recipes until I found my groove in terms of what I liked for substitutes. We are dairy, soy, and gluten free as well. It really just means that you need to make all your own food, which for me was a big adjustment, but it pretty easy now that I've got the hang of it. Anyway, I just wanted to mention that you can try amazon for brands that you can't find at local stores. Usually, if you find something that you like and use it on a regular basis, you can get a discount for signing up for regular deliveries - eating this way can get really expensive if you don't plan it well. good luck!


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## MarineWife (May 1, 2004)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BabySmurf*
> 
> IMO soy free is definitely harder than dairy free. eliminating dairy just involved breaking habits, eliminating soy (which is in nearly everything!) was much harder


milk protein, casein, is in a lot of stuff, too, though. did you go that far or just eliminate the obvious stuff?

i've tried to go the route of looking up recipes and trying random subs but it got really expensive and i never felt like i knew what i was doing, had a plan.


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## BabySmurf (Apr 27, 2011)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MarineWife*
> 
> milk protein, casein, is in a lot of stuff, too, though. did you go that far or just eliminate the obvious stuff?
> i've tried to go the route of looking up recipes and trying random subs but it got really expensive and i never felt like i knew what i was doing, had a plan.


Maybe it was just because dairy was the first thing I cut. But yes I don't eat ANY of it. There are blogs out there that will give common replacements, and I read as many as I can, then try to make a choice depending on what works for my pantry. I'm not going to be THAT disappointed if the texture isn't perfect, kwim? The more recipes you read, you will find that the same subs keep appearing. (I love Earth Balance dairy free soy free (gluten free) butter, to me it's an indulgence that I can't see giving up, for special occasions I get SoDelicious Coconut Milk Dairy free, soy free (gluten free) Ice cream, but it's expensive, so I use it as a treat). I basically stopped making "cream" of anything, but if I really need a creamy soup (i.e. broccoli), then I will use my milk replacement or butter...but it's rare. To be honest, after that stuff was out of my diet for a while I stopped craving it. Oh yeah, daiya makes a fake cheese that's wonderful if I want to do a chicken parm, or have cheesy eggs. but again, it's on the pricy side, and my body just doesn't look at cheesy dishes the way it used to. (Seriously, I just went to a Pizza Party and had no problem what so ever avoiding the pizza).

When I cut dairy out, I was only avoiding really obvious sources of soy. So there were plenty of things to replace. Once I was paying more attention to soy, then I realized how many foods I truly have to avoid. Now that I'm thinking about it, I had horrible withdrawals from dairy, and when I "test" soy, I have terrible headaches and mood swings, so I think a lot of the hopelessness I felt during the elimination phase was actually due to physical withdrawals....and hunger.

Are you already avoiding soy, and now eliminating dairy, or are you trying to eliminate both? If you are able, I would recommend just doing one thing at a time - or at least eliminate the obvious, and when you get more comfortable eliminate the hidden. It's really hard to start out! Oh, the other thing that helped me was that I would buy Kosher or Parve products, (parve is stricter), since they keep animal products (including dairy) separate.

Anyway, I hope this helps!


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## MarineWife (May 1, 2004)

I mainly want to eliminate dairy right now. I just didn't want to use soy as a substitute. So I'm not too concerned with the hidden soy in things at this point. Like I said, my main concern is finding something to sub for all the cheese I eat. I love cheese. I eat it by itself as a snack to get in extra protein. I don't want to use soy-based cheeses or yogurts (I don't eat yogurt, anyway, but do like to use it in place of mayo) as a sub for the dairy based ones. I hadn't even thought about butter. I use regular butter instead of margarine to avoid trans-fats. If that Earth Balance is an oil-based margarine (what else could it be if it's dairy and soy free?), I don't really want to use it.


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## ollyoxenfree (Jun 11, 2009)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Mylie*
> 
> This sounds awesome and I am definitly going to try it with the holidays coming up...Do you add sugar or anything when you whip it or just as is??? What brand of coconut milk do you use? I am going to buy a can on my next shopping trip and make it and try it..I am so excited!!!!


I found the post that inspired me - it was at thekitchn, linked to Apartment Therapy. My supermarket has the same brand that they show in the photos - Native Forest Organic.

Since the "whipped cream" has a coconut flavour, I don't find it necessary to add anything. You can add a little sugar and/or vanilla if you like. It might depend on what you serve it with. I use it mostly with fresh fruit like berries or peaches, so it doesn't need to be too sweet.

The first time I tried this, a single can produced only enough topping for a small scoop each for 4 people. There wasn't much for my stand mixer to beat, and it produced enough to garnish, but a little skimpy if it's a centre of the dessert. I usually use 2 cans now when I make it.


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## SundayCrepes (Feb 15, 2008)

When I first discovered earth balance I read it's not like regular margarines. It's actually not bad for you, though I don't remember the details


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## MAMom (Mar 24, 2005)

We use the Daiya too, but that's not going to replace regular cheese for protein. Only soy or nut "cheeses" would do that.

Hemp milk is another good dairy sub, and the seeds can be added to many things for protein & EFA's (or hemp powder - we add to smoothies).

Earth Balance makes another spead - a coconut-based one - that is also soy-free and quite tasty. You mentioned you are trying to avoid transfats, and Earth Balance has none.

Enjoy Life Foods makes many dairy & soy-free items (and nut-free). We especially like the mini chocolate chips


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## askew (Jun 15, 2006)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MarineWife*
> 
> I mainly want to eliminate dairy right now. I just didn't want to use soy as a substitute. So I'm not too concerned with the hidden soy in things at this point. Like I said, my main concern is finding something to sub for all the cheese I eat. I love cheese. I eat it by itself as a snack to get in extra protein. I don't want to use soy-based cheeses or yogurts (I don't eat yogurt, anyway, but do like to use it in place of mayo) as a sub for the dairy based ones. I hadn't even thought about butter. I use regular butter instead of margarine to avoid trans-fats. If that Earth Balance is an oil-based margarine (what else could it be if it's dairy and soy free?), I don't really want to use it.


Frankly I don't think you are going to find something to sub for cheese. Nothing out there has the same taste, texture and protein content. There are convenience items like Daiya but it has no protein, and if you love cheese it won't taste right. None of the vegan cheeses taste anything like real cheese to me, but I LOVE cheese, especially artisan cheese. My body disagrees with me, so I avoid it for the most part.


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## Seana (Jan 19, 2005)

Non-dairy cheeses are not as protein-heavy as animal milk ones. You definitely can't exchange them, nutritionally. You might not need as much protein as you think you do, though. Going dairy-free is definitely worth it. You will look and feel awesome! But if you don't like soy or nuts...Uh...maybe beans for protein? Are you vegetarian, or just trying to avoid dairy specifically? Daiya is awesome, and you can order a giant frozen bag of it from vegan essentials, that should last you a while.


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## dancetoday (Aug 11, 2006)

Just a note on the meaning of "Kosher" and "parve." Kosher means that certain rules have been applied in the preparation of the food. This includes not having dairy and meat in the same dish. Parve is a dish without either dairy or meat in it.


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## MarineWife (May 1, 2004)

Thanks. I guess I can try going without cheese.









I'm not vegetarian. My dh follows the Paleo Diet so I don't want to add too much that he can't eat, like beans. I mainly want to eliminate gluten and dairy because I have digestive problems that I haven't been able to fix any other way.

I'm thinking I won't be able to do it, though. I do not cook. I don't like it. I hate being in the kitchen even for a short period. I get bored and distracted and have other things I'd rather be doing. There are just other things I'd rather do. There aren't enough convenience foods for me to completely eliminate either one of these.


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## CowsRock (Aug 1, 2005)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MarineWife*
> 
> I mainly want to eliminate dairy right now. I just didn't want to use soy as a substitute. So I'm not too concerned with the hidden soy in things at this point. Like I said, my main concern is finding something to sub for all the cheese I eat. I love cheese. I eat it by itself as a snack to get in extra protein. I don't want to use soy-based cheeses or yogurts (I don't eat yogurt, anyway, but do like to use it in place of mayo) as a sub for the dairy based ones. I hadn't even thought about butter. I use regular butter instead of margarine to avoid trans-fats. If that Earth Balance is an oil-based margarine (what else could it be if it's dairy and soy free?), I don't really want to use it.


Oh how I hear you on this. I've been vegetarian for at least 13 years and cheese is a big protein source for me. Yogurt also. I hate to write this because it isn't something I like to hear myself....you just have to accept there is no *true* replacement for cheese and instead look for other protein sources. You can replace it in a mental way but that doesn't get you the same protein. You are talking about needing the protein and needing it quick and easy. We are eliminating dairy to see how that affects my son and it is sooooo hard for me and I've already been cooking vegan (very little obvious soy) for many years. When you have a main food it is so hard to suddenly have it gone! Anyway, we are a pretty nut heavy house so what I'm doing won't work for you. But you may be surprised at how much protein you are already getting. I had to track protein for a week when we took Bradley classes and was surprised at how much protein I was getting and where it was coming from. Finding a list of protein sources would be a great place to start and then just figure out what would work for you. We like to eat chickpeas as a snack. That is the only quick, non-nut thing that I can think of at the moment that we do here, most of our protein comes from meals and our snacks give us other things. I was trying to "replace" yogurt at first and I gave that idea up too, realizing there is just no true replacement for it. So now I'm trying to replace what it provided nutritionally but for me my yogurt was a comfort food, it just can't be mentally replaced and I feel very hungry without it. Vegan cooking doesn't have to use obvious soy. I've been avoiding it for years and it we have fallen back on some of it recently but only because with a 5 month old and almost 4 year old, it is still hard to cook...well if my hubby didn't work so much it would be easier to cook that is the real problem. I'm juggling babe now so have to go, wasn't able to read all the replies so hopefully I'm not saying what has already been said. Oh only other thing, I don't know what the Daiya cheese is made from, but I think the taste is subjective. I've heard that some love it and can't tell the difference and same haaaate it with a passion. I was excited when I saw the previous poster state she couldn't tell the difference until I saw that she also felt that way about the Amy's mac n' cheese which I could tolerate while eating but it made me feel queasy after, and I thought the coconut yogurts were tolerable at best. Everyone's tastes are so unique, it makes it tough when you are just starting out on a new eating plan. I'm still going to try the Daiya but I've come to the realization that any cheese substitute I use is just to ease the mental missing of cheese, I look for the nutritional needs elsewhere...much cheaper that way too! ha!


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## Alyantavid (Sep 10, 2004)

To go dairy free, it's usually easier to find other things to eat rather than finding subs. You won't find a cheese sub that's as good as the real thing, especially if you're eating it on it's own. If you're eating meat, you should be fine with protein. If you really want to see if dairy-free will make you feel better, you need to eliminate everything. Casein is in lots of things so you'll have to check labels carefully.

We use rice milk, Earth Balance, coconut oil and nutritional yeast mostly. I do think it will be difficult to find many convienence foods that don't have soy.


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## MarineWife (May 1, 2004)

i don't eat a lot of meat, usually just one meal a day. i guess i'll have to eat more if i'm going to do this. i've started by adding eggs back into my breakfast.

i'm breastfeeding so i need more protein than usual. plus, i believe that we need more protein than is recommended.

yeah,, most convenience foods have at least one of the 3 i want to avoid.

this would be so much easier if my dh were home.


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## kayak32 (Jun 17, 2010)

I don't think I saw why you are going dairy free. Is it an allergy. If so have you tried none cow sources? I don't like sheep or goat. What I have found though that my dd does not have a problem with is water buffalo cheese. It is mozzarella, I buy it at Costco only place close to reasonable price. We were complete dairy free for over 18 months when I discovered this. It is excellent. For SO yogurt I buy that at Sunflower because they are .50-.70 cents cheaper than elsewhere and it is expensive. I make my own coconut milk ice cream there are lots of recipes on the web for it. For baking unless it is something that needs a distinct butter taste we use coconut oil. My daughter loves coconut manna which has a decent protien content we put it on her oatmeal in the morning that is when she hasn't eaten it all before the oatmeal is ready.


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## maself (Oct 19, 2011)

I had to go dairy free when I found out I was severely allergic to it and so is one of my sons. As a family we are dairy free, gluten free and sugar free. I do not replace with soy b/c of the estrogen in it and I don't want my five sons having that.  I like having quesadillas on corn tortillas for a snack so I tried several different types of cheeses. In the beginning, I had a hard time finding cheeses that would melt, but I have finally found several and I have enjoyed lots of different cheeses made with goat milk or sheep milk. Some even have cocoa on them or wine. None are going to taste like American cheese, but I have found so many better (imo) options. My local grocer just got Daiya in and I really don't care for it that much, but my 19 mos old liked eating it.  I have tried different yogurts too. I especially like the coconut milk based ones. We have eaten yogurt made with almond milk and goat milk too. I actually feel like I have more options than I used to.  Our palettes have changed and I never miss being sick. 

Since you don't like to cook and want some quick snacks: Some pre-packed bars that are really yummy are Larabars. They are sweetened with dates and have lots of different flavors. I never eat the chocolate or peanut ones, but there are still lots of options. My kids call them candy bars.  Also Revolution bars I just recently discovered are SUPER good, but a little pricey for me with six kids.  We also just saw Wonder bars, but I haven't personally tried those yet. The hardest part for us was the transition, just finding out what we could eat. I don't like staying in the kitchen long and there are lots of easy recipes that don't take long that we prepare. Going dairy free will help you feel better! And, think of all the wonderful new foods you get to try!


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## merbear0929 (Apr 4, 2011)

I am so glad to have found this post! I have just started eliminating dairy from my diet for the sake of breast-feeding my daughter. She seems to be having digestive issues, so I am hoping cutting out dairy will help.

Thanks for all of the product recommendations. I will be heading to Whole Foods soon!


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## JosieAK (Sep 6, 2007)

We are on the GAPS diet. Last year I was dairy and gluten free (for my Thyroid). Now we are dairy, sugar, gluten, soy, etc. free.  If you are are in the midwest to west, you can look into Azure Standard which is a co-op out of Oregon with good prices and amazing shipping rates. I also agree with Amazon. You can order flats of canned coconut milk, etc.

Dairy free is important for our family now (GAPS or no) because my 5 month old daughter gets gas and eczema when I am on diary--even butter. We bought an ice cream maker (the kind where you freeze the canister) at a thrift store, and make our own coconut milk ice cream. We use honey for the sweetener and it is awesome! I like to make a custard as a base with coconut milk with two eggs or yolks. If you add a packet of Starbucks powdered instant coffee, you will think you are in heaven. 

I do miss cheese. I have started making my own humus and guacamole to go on top of things where I would normally have a dollop of sour cream or cheese. They are also good for dipping veggies when you need a quick snack.

Paleo, GAPS, and SCD recipe blogs, Thai food (when I can have the rice), and my own ice cream maker helps keep me going.

We are trying Ghee this week (clarified butter) so see if our family can tolerate it. Then it will be butter, then 24-hour fermented yogurt (which will be awesome for smoothies, sour cream, etc!), then some harder cheeses, etc. The whole reason we are on GAPS is to heal our bodies so eventually we should be able to tolerate the foods again! Here's hoping! We currently have a raw milk source that I can't wait to take advantage of again!


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## SeanaNErik (Sep 13, 2011)

The best advice I ever received was to use avocado in place of sliced cheese on sandwiches. We're dairy, gluten, grain, soy, MSG and nightshade (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers and egg plant) free. We all love avocado so that worked well for us. Every so often, I go back and thank the lady that gave me that bit of advice. It's been a bit more than 2 years since we started this journey so you can see that I really appreciated her suggestion.

We also use a ton of coconut products. So Delicious milk, ice cream and yogurt are treats for us. We use Daiya Cheese sparingly. I use Native Forest brand canned coconut milk. It's the only canned coconut that I've found that isn't supposed to have BPA in the lining of the can. I cook with grapeseed and Nature's Way EFA Gold brand coconut oil. We do a lot of meat with veggies or fruit.

My son, daughter and I are all fighting Candida overgrowth so our diet needs to be high in protein - at least 50% and lower in carbs.

I use coconut flour and almond flour to bake. We use Enjoy Life chocolate chips as they are soy, gluten and dairy free.

If anyone comes up with a coconut or almond flour recipe for Chocolate chip cookies with cookies that turn out crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, please, let me know. Most of the coconut and almond flour recipes that I use have lots of eggs in them making the cookie spongy not crispy on the outside.

Hope that helps!


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## time4latte (Nov 18, 2010)

I've seen flax milk (dairy, nut and soy free) in the dairy case next to the soy milk at Walmart. I hardly ever shop there. I can't say I've tried it, but it intrigued me.


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## MarineWife (May 1, 2004)

would you all believe i'm allergic to avocado?







i wish i could eat it because everyone raves about it.

i hadn't thought of non cow cheeses. i guess i thought it was all the same. i love goat cheese. i don't care for american cheese at all. i like cheddar and stilton.

i think i may need to get myself to walmart. i've been told the commissary here has more and more free foods so i need to check there, too.

i'm trying to be ok with cutting out what i can here and there rather than being able to do it all at once.

oh, i want to go dairy free because i have digestive problems. i don't know if i'm allergic. i was told once by a naturopath that dairy isn't good for my type, whatever that is.

GF for the same reason plus my 7yo has eczema.


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## SeanaNErik (Sep 13, 2011)

What a bummer! We eat a ton of avocado and guacamole. I'm actually surprised that we haven't started having a problem with it.

During our last visit to our Natural Doc, we discovered that my 9yo dd is struggling with citric acid. We knew she had some issues with citrus but I never dreamed how many things have citric acid in them. We took her off half of her supplements because she was reacting to the citric acid in them. We're also supposed to be avoiding sulphur containing foods like garlic and onion because she's reacting to those now. Doc said to watch lotions, shampoos and conditioners, too. I have no clue where I'll find a shampoo and conditioner without citric acid. I looked into making my own once but it wasn't as simple as I thought.

Ugh! And cooking with out onion and garlic? What kind of food is it without those things? This is going to be rough but worth it I hope!

I've seen recipes for "cream cheese" using the coconut cream that rises to the top of the can when it's chilled. It was more like sour cream, IMO. It called for 2/3 of a cup of coconut cream, 1/2 t of lemon juice and 1 t of nutritional yeast. You mixed it together and chilled it. When it was chilled it was slightly stiffer. I've had the Uncheese cookbook recommended to me but I have yet to purchase it.

Don't forget to check the label on fake cheeses. Many of them have casein (dairy protein) in them. Unless they say Vegan on them check to be sure. We had an experience with Almond cheese. It tasted pretty good but later I realized that it had casein in it. Did you know it takes 21 days to get dairy out of your system?

Good luck!

Seana


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## Odddlycrunchy (Jul 17, 2011)

We're on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet/GAPS diet which is dairy-free except for 24-hour yogurt and certain cheeses. However, we make our yogurt out of coconut milk, and we make almond milk for drinking (usually mix it with coconut milk for a creamier taste and smoother mouth feel). For the coconut yogurt recipe look at http://odddlycrunchy.blogspot.com/2011/10/quick-and-easy-coconut-milk-yogurt.html. The books for the SCD and GAPS diets have a good ideas on going sugar-free, grain-free and (mostly) dairy-free, and you'll find a lot of recipes online if you google-search the diets. Soy is forbidden by both diets. Good luck!


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## MarineWife (May 1, 2004)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Odddlycrunchy*
> 
> We're on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet/GAPS diet which is dairy-free except for 24-hour yogurt and certain cheeses. However, we make our yogurt out of coconut milk, and we make almond milk for drinking (usually mix it with coconut milk for a creamier taste and smoother mouth feel). For the coconut yogurt recipe look at http://odddlycrunchy.blogspot.com/2011/10/quick-and-easy-coconut-milk-yogurt.html. The books for the SCD and GAPS diets have a good ideas on going sugar-free, grain-free and (mostly) dairy-free, and you'll find a lot of recipes online if you google-search the diets. Soy is forbidden by both diets. Good luck!


I was excited about getting a coconut yogurt recipe but the link doesn't work. It says Odddlycrunchy blogspot doesn't exist. Maybe one too many ds in there?

What is GAPS?


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## Alyantavid (Sep 10, 2004)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MarineWife*
> 
> would you all believe i'm allergic to avocado?
> 
> ...


If dairy is causing your problems, not eliminating it completley won't do anything. To see if dairy is the actual problem, you need to remove all traces of it from your diet. For a month at least. Otherwise you won't get a good result.


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## MarineWife (May 1, 2004)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Alyantavid*
> 
> If dairy is causing your problems, not eliminating it completley won't do anything. To see if dairy is the actual problem, you need to remove all traces of it from your diet. For a month at least. Otherwise you won't get a good result.


Yes, I know that. It's just not something I think I can do completely all at once. I'm eliminating what I can a step at a time until I can, hopefully, eliminate it completely.


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## Alyantavid (Sep 10, 2004)

Well good luck then.


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## Ophelia (Feb 16, 2005)

Quote:


> I mainly want to eliminate gluten and dairy because I have digestive problems that I haven't been able to fix any other way.
> 
> I'm thinking I won't be able to do it, though. I do not cook. I don't like it.


I totally hear you. I originally went GF for my 5yo son, then a couple years into that I went soy free for myself (it resolved most of my seasonal allergies), and now with DD 8mo she reacts to dairy and many other foods I have tried (including corn, tomato). I LOVE dairy and also was using cheese as a protein. It is hard but you can do it!

I was also going to recommend GAPS protocol and diet, I am planning on doing this myself but it is slow going and I'm trying to use up some GF baking mixes (kind of a splurge also) before me and the kids go on the diet. Actually the 8mo is still EBF but she will be weaned onto GAPS to hopefully heal her gut so she will quit reacting to so many foods. I believe both kids inherited my bad gut (I have a history of birth control pills, long term antibiotics, SAD and candida which all mess up the gut).

I hear you on the cooking too. I was SAD all my life until DS was born, sugar cereals and everything, I still don't like cooking but have gotten used to it. Just try and go with easy recipes and slow cooker recipes.

Info on GAPS: http://www.gapsdiet.com/Home_Page.html

Quote:


> I'm eliminating what I can a step at a time until I can, hopefully, eliminate it completely.


What type of dairy do you think is holding you back, what is the most difficult to eliminate? Is is the cheese? Then I would find some recipes you can use for meals that are vegan and soy free, or recipes that don't have cheese in the first place (like pizza and pasta). Before I had to go corn free, I was using the Earth Balance soy free butter replacement as others mentioned. I don't think it's THAT great health-wise but it's nowhere near margarine. Perhaps only use it as a condiment, not where a recipe would call for a lot of butter. I use olive oil now instead.


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## JosieAK (Sep 6, 2007)

If you are seriously interested in GAPS, Cara at Health, Home, Happiness is a great resource. For one, after one month on the GAPS intro diet, she cured her 20 some year dairy sensitivity. For Two, she developed an eBook for how to do the intro diet to simplify it with step by step recipes, etc. It isn't free, but it's worth it if you are serious about going down that path. The book is also a wonderful resource. Many, many people have cured things from Autism to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and lots of other things on the spectrum with GAPS. There is an extremely active Yahoo group and a helpful Facebook group too.

For us, I haven't done intro yet as it can be too much for a nursing baby, but just the full GAPS diet has already helped my thyroid so I've cut down my medicine twice in two months. Anyway. It is worth giving serious consideration too. Once you have to cut out lots of things from your diet anyway, it makes sense to do it in such a way that you can heal yourself to go back to eating those foods eventually. HTH.


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## Odddlycrunchy (Jul 17, 2011)

This is the url copied from the webpage address:

http://odddlycrunchy.blogspot.com/2011/10/quick-and-easy-coconut-milk-yogurt.html

(it does have 3 d's on purpose)

But just in case you still have problems I'll copy it here:

*Quick and Easy Coconut Milk Yogurt*

I revised my coconut milk yogurt recipe. It's much faster, much easier. No heating, no cooling down, no watching temperatures. No lactose, no casein.

The coconut milk I use is the Aroy-D in 1 litre TetraPaks. It lists only coconuts and water as its ingredients, has won awards, is really delicious, and as far as I know, the TetraPak packaging contains no BPA, which canned coconut milk (like most canned foods) does contain.

The dates are added to provide food for the microorganisms (Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, etc). Dates are said to be very easy to digest, but if you prefer you can replace the 5 dates with 1 Tablespoon of raw honey. I would still process on high for 10 to 15 seconds to blend in the starter and gelatin thoroughly.

The unflavored gelatin sets the yogurt to a soft gel as it cools. One pack of gelatin typically sets 2 cups liquid to the firm "Jell-O" consistency we all know. Here we're doing 4+ cups, so it won't be as firm, but a gentle consistency that blends in a heavenly way with the coconut milk's creaminess.

Keep refrigerated, like any yogurt. Should keep well for at least a week but in my house it's gone within about a day, so it's a good thing it's quick and easy to make again!

*COCONUT MILK YOGURT*

Ingredients:

*4 cups coconut milk* (1 quart or 1 litre), at room temperature
*1 dose yogurt starter for 1 quart
1 package unflavored gelatin* (e.g.,Knox)
*5 dates,* pitted and plain (NOT coated with honey)
*1 tsp vanilla extract* (optional)

Directions:

1. Plug in your yogurt maker. Assemble all the ingredients near your blender except the vanilla. Pour coconut milk into the blender jar. Start the blender on a low speed, take off the lid, and sprinkle the unflavored gelatin and the yogurt starter into the middle of the swirling milk. TURN OFF blender, add dates, put the lid on, and process on high for 1 minute or until dates are liquefied. Pour into yogurt maker and allow to incubate 6 to 8 hours.

2. After 6 to 8 hours, the yogurt will be "done", i.e. fermented, although it will still be liquid and the cream will have risen to the top. Add the vanilla, mix well, and taste the yogurt to see if you prefer to let it ferment longer. If it's got that great yogurt taste, cover and refrigerate.

3. After refrigerating 1 to 2 hours (if in individual cups, less than 1 hour), mix again. The gelatin will be starting to set, which will keep the yogurt from separating again. Cool 2 to 3 more hours before serving.


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## Odddlycrunchy (Jul 17, 2011)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MarineWife*
> 
> I was excited about getting a coconut yogurt recipe but the link doesn't work. It says Odddlycrunchy blogspot doesn't exist. Maybe one too many ds in there?
> What is GAPS?


GAPS stands for Gut And Psychology Syndrome, but also for Gut And Physiology Syndrome. We have billions of microorganisms living in our intestines. They are like a little ecosystem in there,living in colonies somewhat like coral reefs, and their varieties and numbers have a huge role to play in our mental and physical health. The "good" bacteria provide many vitamins, and protect the gut lining. The "bad" ones like Candida and C. difficile excrete toxins including neurotoxins. A newborn "inherits" its first gut flora at birth, from the mother, so if the mother has gut dysbiosis (improper balance in the mini-ecosystem), the baby will have it too, leading to autism, ADD, etc, in childhood all the way to adulthood depression and schizophrenia, on the mental side, and Crohn's disease, asthma, allergies, and food intolerances on the physical side, and those are just a few of the conditions that dysbiosis can bring on. Antibiotics destroy the ecosystem, as do other medicines we give our babies for fever, teething, etc. Vaccinations can then be the straw that breaks the camel's back, whereas in a gut-healthy child they would not be a problem. The other factor that can affect the ecosystem is our food: sugars and starches feed the bad bacteria. So the GAPS diet cuts out all sugars except those in fruits and honey, and all starches (so it's also gluten-free). Lactose is a sugar so GAPS is also dairy-free, except for those products in which the lactose has been "digested" for example certain cheeses and yogurts.

So maybe you don't have to cut out ALL dairy. The GAPS book, Gut and Psychology Syndrome by Dr. Natasha Campbell McBride, has the list of cheeses you can eat. To me, this book is a "must-read" even if you're not going to do the diet. I think it should be taught in high school! It explains so many things about our health, through the generations. You'll find yourself putting 2 and 2 together in the family history, that you never thought were related. And this knowledge will help you prevent horrible damage like autism and IBD just by tweaking your food choices, if you're starting from a pretty healthy position.

Without buying the book, there are some excellent articles online:
http://gapsdiet.com/uploads/Probiotics.pdf and http://gapsdiet.com/uploads/GAPS.pdf.


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## shantimama (Mar 11, 2002)

Are you wanting to be free of all animal milks or just cow milk products? My dh is lactose intolerant for cow milk products but just fine with goat's cheese and foods baked or cooked with goat's milk.


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## MarineWife (May 1, 2004)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Shantimama*
> 
> Are you wanting to be free of all animal milks or just cow milk products? My dh is lactose intolerant for cow milk products but just fine with goat's cheese and foods baked or cooked with goat's milk.


i hadn't really thought about that. i guess just cow milk products for now. i'm more concerned with the protein than sugar.

i got myself all worked up and confused over the cheese for a protein snack and didn't think of anything else. i can use that daiya cheese for recipes that call for cheese, right?


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## catnip (Mar 25, 2002)

Daiya doesn't act exactly like dairy cheese - I don't put it IN things, but use it as a topping, and usually add it at the last on something baked. If a recipe calls for cheese, I use about half the amount it calls for when using Daiya. A little goes a LONG way, and if you use too much, you get a greasy blob of waxy yuck, but if you use the right amount, it's great. In a quesadilla with an 8 inch tortilla, I use one ounce (and load it with beans and veggies), on a 14 inch pizza, 8 ounces is plenty. I tend to think of it like mayonaise - an accent, not a focus.


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## MarineWife (May 1, 2004)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *catnip*
> 
> Daiya doesn't act exactly like dairy cheese - I don't put it IN things, but use it as a topping, and usually add it at the last on something baked. If a recipe calls for cheese, I use about half the amount it calls for when using Daiya. A little goes a LONG way, and if you use too much, you get a greasy blob of waxy yuck, but if you use the right amount, it's great. In a quesadilla with an 8 inch tortilla, I use one ounce (and load it with beans and veggies), on a 14 inch pizza, 8 ounces is plenty. I tend to think of it like mayonaise - an accent, not a focus.


well, i thought of subbing daiya after i saw it in a frozen pizza at the health food store. too bad the pizza crust was made with wheat flour.


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## SundayCrepes (Feb 15, 2008)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *catnip*
> 
> Daiya doesn't act exactly like dairy cheese - I don't put it IN things, but use it as a topping, and usually add it at the last on something baked. If a recipe calls for cheese, I use about half the amount it calls for when using Daiya. A little goes a LONG way, and if you use too much, you get a greasy blob of waxy yuck, but if you use the right amount, it's great. In a quesadilla with an 8 inch tortilla, I use one ounce (and load it with beans and veggies), on a 14 inch pizza, 8 ounces is plenty. I tend to think of it like mayonaise - an accent, not a focus.


Personally, I don't like the taste of Daiya, it tastes chemically to me. Although we allow our daughter to eat it, we only serve it when she asks for it as it has some sort of yeast that is a glutamate (essentially MSG.)


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## catnip (Mar 25, 2002)

I've generally found that if you mix it into something, like the inner layers of a lasagna or mixed into a potato-veggie skillet for example, it sort of vanishes, though I've had good luck making biscuits with it mixed in. It does pretty well as a pizza topping, as long as you don't use too much. There's a chart on the website that recommends the right amount for different sizes of pizza, don't use more than that.

It does not taste like a good dairy cheese, no, more like Kraft singles. Nor does it really have any nutritional value. But I can eat it without getting sick from it, and when I find myself missing cheese, it's better than nothing at all.


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## MarineWife (May 1, 2004)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *catnip*
> 
> when I find myself missing cheese, it's better than nothing at all.


This is what I'm hoping for because there seem to be a lot of recipes that just wouldn't work without cheese.


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## donttrustthesystem (Jul 26, 2007)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MarineWife*
> 
> I also like to sub yogurt for mayo.


Homemade mayo is super healthy as long as the egg yolks are from local chickens who weren't eating un-chicken food. It's awesome...doesn't keep and I have to make it each time I eat it, but still, it's awesome.


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