I wasn’t always dairy- free. Up until two years ago I was the dairy eating queen of the world.  Obviously, realizing it didn’t agree with my system anymore put a bit of a damper on my eating life.  I’m here to share with all the other dairy-free people out there, that there are fabulous alternatives.  While nothing is as good as a nice chunk of cheese, there are tons of cooking alternatives that can be done so that beloved dairy becomes a distant memory of the past.

The facts:  Lactose intolerance is the inability to digest lactose a sugar found in dairy.  Lactose intolerance develops over time starting around 2 years of age when the body starts to produce less lactase, an enzyme that is needed to digest lactose.  That being said, some dairy products likes goats milk and hard cheeses are easier to digest then others so you may not need to convert to 100% dairy free.  That being said, if you feel bloated, gassy and yucky after consuming dairy it may be a good idea to limit the amount you consume.  Here are some easy substitutions to try…your belly may thank you.

1.)    Find y our favorite milk replacement

When you decide to ditch dairy once of the first questions many people ask is, “What do I put on my cereal?”.  For me, it’s all about the coconut milk.  Whether I’m making brownies, pancakes, a bowl of cereal or hot chocolate, coconut has all the flavor for me.  I’ve even found coconut based ice cream (Coconut Bliss brand in particular) that is BETTER than some of the cow’s milk ice creams! I find coconut milk to add sweetness and flavor that cow’s milk used to be lacking. However, I know there are cholesterol warnings about eating too much coconut product.  There are other options like almond (Katie’s favorite), soy and rice milk–yogurt options available as well.  Just make sure to buy organic soy milk in order to avoid genetically modified ingredients. If you want to treat yourself every once in awhile though, coconut milk offers that rich creaminess that we don’t often find when we’re avoiding dairy.

2.)    No Cheese?  There are alternatives…

One of the great characteristics of cheese is that it lends sharpness to many meals.  While cheese is hard to replace, there are some goodies out there that get close. Nutritional yeast is a powder that can be sprinkled onto popcorn, pasta, etc. and has a taste comparable to parmesan.  It’s also extremely nutritious (as the name implies) with many B-vitamins. There is also a nice “cheese” recipe that I have included below. I also LOVE local Bobbi’s Hummus  (sold at Healthy Bites)because it has a sharpness comparable to cheese on a sandwich.

3.)   Fall in love with Vegan Options

There are tons of vegan, if not specifically dairy-free, goodies out there.  It just takes finding your favorite ones.  At Healthy Bites we sell cookies from Alternative Baking Company that are Vegan and ta-da that means dairy-free. They can be found at lots of coffee shops these days.  As far as baking, there are brands that make vegan chocolate chips, but I prefer regular semisweet chocolate Chips from Ghirardelli that happen not to have dairy in them and are delicious.  Also, just check out your local bakeries and coffee shops.  More and more places are making treats like vegan donuts and muffins that are also great for us dairy-free folk.

4.)  Baking at is best

At Healthy Bites we are often looking for ways to make food healthier and that has led us to creative baking solutions.  Without trying to avoid dairy in several muffin recipes we did just by adding healthy ingredients like pumpkin and squash puree to replace eggs and milk alternatives to add flavor and moisture.

“Cheese” Recipe- Offers a nice sharp taste, resembling cheese, that is great on Pizza, Pasta and Sandwiches!

1 Cup olive oil

¼ Cup cashews

¼ Cup nutritional yeast (optional)

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

2 cloves garlic

½ tsp. salt

Place ingredients in food processor and blend until incorporated.

By Devorah Ketai