Giving up dairy can change your life. Think milk products don’t bother you? That’s what I thought too. I also thought stomach pain was just something you dealt with in life. Nope! By cutting out dairy, my stomach stopped hurting completely. The best part is with the alternative in the market, you don’t have to give up the food that you love.
Milk
- Soy Milk
- Almond Milk
- Rice Milk
Butter
Most margarines contain trace amounts of dairy products such as whey or lactose. If you’re checking labels, be sure to look out for whey, lactose, casein and caseinate. There are a few brands that are vegan friendly, including:
- Blue Bonnet Light Margarine
- Smart Balance Light Margarine
You can also find specifically vegan marketed brands like Earth Balance.
Cheese
Cheese can be tricky. There are lots of soy cheeses out there, but many contain a bit of casein or caseinate. Therefore, I recommend finding a vegan cheese product that is usually made from almond or rice milk. My favorite cheese brand is Daiya vegan cheese, which offers two products:
- Daiya Cheddar Style Shreds
- Daiya Mozzarella Style Shreds
A lot of vegans use nutritional yeast in cheese substitute recipes or as a direct replacement for Parmesan cheese. Nutritional yeast is a flaky powder with a naturally cheese-like flavor. There is also a non-dairy vegan Parmesan cheese substitute called Parma. Just like regular Parmesan cheese, Parma doesn’t need to be refrigerated, so it’s easy to buy online.
Sour Cream
Ingredients:
- 1/4 pound soft (silken) tofu, patted dry
- 1/4 pound firm tofu, patted dry
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp soy sauce
Preparation:
Ice Cream
- Very Cherry Chocolate Chip
- Mango sorbet/Vanilla soy
I also love the Tofutti “Better than Cream Cheese”