Dairy-Free Me

A few days ago I posted about changes I've made, and now I'm going to share some of my favorite things since going dairy free!

Let me tell you this - dairy likes to sneak in. Things you'd never really think about probably have dairy in them in some way, shape, or form. I can't have most of my favorite snacks anymore, and when I cook I have to make a separate dinner for myself. I haven't had junk food in a month because dairy sneaks into most snack foods.

Finding substitutions has been fun, like a scavenger hunt. I live in a small town. Luckily the shops here are finally getting with the times when it comes to allergens and have been stocking more foods that are safe for those with food allergies and intolerances. Publix, especially, has been amazing when it comes to getting the food that I need. They have always been a step ahead when it comes to organic and once again they are leading the local market when it comes to safe foods.

Milk

The first substitution I made was milk because it was the easiest thing to swap. I've tried to switch several times in the past, I just never found milk that I liked. I have tried soy before and really wasn't happy with it flavor wise. This time I decided to go with Almond milk and I'm so glad that I did. First I tried an unsweetened version from Aldi, followed by a sweetened version of the same brand. I prefer unsweetened.

My current milk

My mother picked up this Silk brand for me from Walmart. It isn't bad, but it does have sweetener in it that I am not fond of. It works well for cereal since most cereals are sweetened anyway, so the sweet fits right in. I have also used it in baking, but I can taste the sweetness. My mother tried some of the biscuits I made and she said she couldn't taste a difference. Maybe because I know what the sweetened version tastes like I know what to look for, thus I'll look for that one particular flavor among the others. What is neat about the about the biscuits is the behavior in the oven. Mine made with almond milk browned to a beautiful golden shade while the other biscuits made with cow's milk were significantly darker.

 Creamer

I drink a lot of coffee, much more than an anxiety queen such as myself probably should. Creamer is important. It makes my coffee experience a happy one.

At first, I couldn't find any dairy-free creamer that didn't have milk sneak in somehow. For years I've used Coffee Mate. Right on the label, it says it is non-dairy. Wrong! One needs to look at the ingredients label, where it clearly says contains milk. How in the hell can you call yourself a non-dairy creamer and still contain casein (milk protein)? No bueno for people like me, or for vegans.

I did try to use the almond milk in my coffee instead but it didn't work as well as I thought it was going to. I don't add sugar to my coffee. I try to avoid added sugar as much as possible. To make the coffee even remotely sweet enough to make me happy I had to add several tablespoons. One tablespoon is roughly twelve grams of sugar. Adding two would take up half of my daily goal of sugar intake!

It took a little searching and some asking about to find a creamer that I think I am ok with for now.

We found this Califia Farms creamer at Publix. It is shockingly close to the Coffee Mate brand I used before as far as how well it flavors, without all of the dairy junk. It's also only fifteen calories a serving! If you're looking to cut calories that could be a good selling point. 

The ingredients are also extremely simple: 

Almondmilk (Water, Almonds), Pure Cane Sugar, Coconut Cream, Natural Flavors, Sunflower Lecithin, Calcium Carbonate, Sea Salt, Potassium Citrate, Locust Bean Gum, Gellan Gum

I'm going to try So Delicious brand as well since I have seen a load of people recommend it, though I have a feeling that this will be the brand I return to time and time again. 

Butter

I'm from the South. Butter is it's own food group down here. We add it to damn near everything we make and use it when we cook over oil whenever possible.

Two months ago I'd finally found a butter that I liked from Aldi. My mother was terrible about getting the cheapest thing she could find so she was getting this terrible crap that shouldn't have even counted as food so I went on the hunt for a butter that was actual butter but still had a price that she'd be ok with. I found it, and it was perfect - just butter, sea salt, and a little coconut oil so it spreads. Holy grail.

Then I decided to cut dairy. Goodbye, delicious butter!

Finding a dairy free butter isn't as hard here since there is an overabundance of margarine on the shelves here. Is it like that elsewhere in the world? Please let me know - I'm curious!

Earth Balance is a brand I remember eating in the past so I went back to it.

The flavor is very buttery, spreading is meh just like butter, and it's vegan. I add it to my oatmeal, spread it on toast, and cook with it just like I'd do regular butter. 

Nutritionally this stuff does stand pretty toe to toe with butter when it comes to calories and fat. Let's face it - butter isn't exactly good for you, either. This has zero cholesterol compared to butter's 31mg, but it loses in sodium at a whopping 105mg per serving compared to butter's 2mg per serving. 

Overall it's really not bad at all if you're looking for vegan butter. 

Cheeses

Giving up cheeses really broke my heart.

I love cheese.

It is the best food in the world.

Knowing I'd have to give it up and find a substitute sucked.

I've tried to find substitutes in the past and they all tasted terrible.

I relate to this tweet all too well because of how true it is. Vegan cheeses do tend to taste like plastic, like you made a sandwich with a Kraft single and forgot to remove the plastic wrap before eating it. 

Before I jumped the gun and bought the first cheese I could find I did read a few blogs and check out some YouTube videos about going dairy-free so I could find something that didn't entirely suck. 

People seem to be a bit out on the Daiya brand but it is the easiest for me to find locally. 

Compared to the vegan cheeses I've eaten in the past this actually tastes like cheese. I was blown away. It is a bit of a pain in the ass to peel apart, and I've yet managed to pull one slice off for a sandwich.

The ingredients are fairly simple.

Filtered Water, Coconut Oil, Potato Starch, Tapioca Starch, Vegan Natural Flavours, Sea Salt, Tricalcium Phosphate, Pea Protein Isolate, Xanthan Gum, Lactic Acid (Vegan), Konjac Gum, Fruit and/or Vegetable (Color), Inactive Yeast, Potassium Chloride, Yeast Extract, Vegan Enzyme

They claim it melts like regular cheese though I cannot attest to that. I did make a grilled cheese sandwich from it and it softened. I didn't dig into it right away as I had to make a sandwich for my son as well, so mine was cooled by the time I got to it. I'll have to make one separately and see if it does the lovely melted cheese stretch that is just too beautiful to witness.

Those that don't seem to like the Daiya substitute recommend a cheese called Chao, but I haven't tried it yet. Since I'm agoraphobic I don't get out much so I don't get things unless my mother or boyfriend pick it up, and neither of them have found it.


Another thing I eat loads of is cream cheese. I love it on everything. Bagels. Toast. Cheesecake. By itself. Cream cheese is amazing.

When I was browsing the Publix app for dairy-free goods I came across Kite Hill brand cream cheese style spread.

Once again, super simple ingredients that made my heart sing:

Almond milk (water, almonds), salt, enzyme, xanthan gum, guar gum, lactic acid, cultures.

I was nervous. Could it live up to my beloved cream cheese? Would it be like their strawberry yogurt that tasted a tad like cardboard?

It was delicious.

It doesn't taste exactly like cream cheese, and I didn't expect that at all since it's an almond milk based alternative. It does taste slightly nutty if you eat it alone, though I've noticed if you slap it on a bagel or piece of toast it doesn't taste any different than normal cream cheese.

Texture wise it's very similar. I think that this alternative is slightly watery and a bit more grainy compared to cream cheese, which is obviously really creamy when spread.

I am very excited to try and make a cheesecake out of this.

I. Miss. Cheesecake.

It is lower in calories and fat but it's high in sodium, which seems to be a trend in all of these dairy-free and vegan products.

Yogurt

Yogurt has always been a staple in my diet, so I was concerned about finding substitutions that wouldn't be terrible. 

There are loads of alternatives on the market, much more than I had originally known about before I started this diet. 

So Delicious is the only one I knew about but the reviews had me a bit turned off. Cashewgurt is apparently a thing. 

Some review searching and debating drew me back to Kite Hill brand. 

My Publix only had three flavors (vanilla, strawberry, and key lime) so when my boyfriend first got me some he got strawberry. That's the flavor I tend to get when I would buy yogurt. 

When I first opened it I wasn't expecting it to be almost blobby. Definitely not creamy like yogurt. 

A quick stir brought it to a closer texture to what I am accustomed to. It's just a touch watery compared to regular dairy yogurts.

The only thing was it tasted terrible. It didn't taste like strawberry. Cardboard is the only thing I can compare it to. It was terrible before I doctored it up with some fresh strawberries and granola.

Strawberry ingredients:

Almond Milk (Water, Almonds), Cane Sugar, Strawberries, Organic Tapioca Starch, Natural Flavor, Locust Bean Gum, Fruit Juice, Citric Acid, Xanthan Gum, Agar, Live Active Cultures: S.Thermophilus, L.Bulgaricus, L.Acidophilus and Bifidobacteria

Most of those things I'm familiar with, very simple as is on trend with these plant-based substitutes.

When my mom went to Publix she picked up the vanilla for me. I was a little afraid after the strawberry experience. I had no need to fear - it was delicious! Even without additions, it tasted fantastic, just like vanilla as it says it is on the label. It did have a bit of the nutty flavor

It has very simple ingredients as well.

Almond Milk (Water, Almonds), Cane Sugar, Organic Tapioca Starch, Natural Flavor, Locust Bean Gum, Citric Acid, Vanilla Bean, Xanthan Gum, Agar, Live Active Cultures: S.Thermophilus, L.Bulgaricus, L.Acidophilus and Bifidobacteria.

The simple ingredients in all of these are something that appeals to me. I can read the labels and know what is in the food. The thing I do find concerning is the high sodium in nearly every product. After having preeclampsia and HELLP my blood pressure has been a little iffy, leaning toward high, so that concerns me a bit. I'll continue to eat my subs and if my blood pressure skyrockets I will know why and be able to change it.

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After a month of trial and error, and kicking dairy completely from my diet, I can see little changes in my body. I don't have near the amount of stomach trouble that I did, and I'm not as bloated. I haven't lost any weight yet, which is something that I am finding slightly annoying since I have changed my diet and exercise routines and it's still at a plateau.

My skin is definitely less oily. That could also be due to Florida participating in winter this year. When the weather returns to normal we shall see how the lack of dairy in my diet affects sebum production.

It's also made much more mindful of what I'm putting into my body. Before I would eat just any old thing that looked good. Now I have to look at labels very closely so I don't accidentally contaminate myself. That alone has made me really take a look at what I was consuming and how it made my body react.

It has really shown me how little changes can make a big difference!