I’m planning on going #dairyfree (for health reasons) for a week beginning on Saturday. Anybody got any good tips or snack/meal ideas? Will be making use of my #nutribullet 🌱🍎
Let me know if you are dairy, gluten, nut or anything-else-free and how you cope with everyday life in the comments below!
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21andsensory 
Almond milk saved me, for breakfasts and Coffee. Pinterest, particularly the RawTill4 movement, have a lot of pretty simple and definitely tasty meals. No need for recipe books anymore!
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Brilliant thanks – Yes I’ve been introduced to almond and coconut milk too! Ah awesome Im definitely going to check that out.
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I am gluten free and limit my dairy. At first it’s difficult making a drastic change. After awhile it is so routine you don’t even really think about it. I rarely miss things I used to eat. You probably have much different products in the UK than we have in the US, but the good thing is so many people need these special diets that there are plenty of products to choose from.
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You sound very dedicated! Yeah I find there are lots of dairy and gluten free products in the UK but they are ridiculously priced sometimes 😦
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Price is a big factor. For me eating gluten free, I just quit eating bread products. That eliminated having to pay for expensive breads and buns.
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I know why is gluten-free stuff so expensive? Its healthy and has less in it – it should be more afforable!!!
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I’m not gluten-free, but sometimes I have to go off wheat for a bit (generally two weeks, but once for two months) because I start having hay fever-like symptoms almost to the point of wheezing. I’m glad there are more gluten free options out there these days – that definitely helps. It’s definitely an adjustment to go off of something but it can also be opportunity to try new things.
On the dairy-free front, I also like almond milk. It might be helpful to look up dairy-free recipes to see what appeals to you and then go to the store and see what’s there.
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Sorry to hear about your hay-fever symptoms – I do like the idea of readjusting and eating healthier definitely. I’ve heard lots of people rave about almond milk – I’m going to have to try some soon!
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I went dairy free when I was 18 and had great health improvements! I used to get sick almost every month all throughout my childhood, and that pretty much completely went away when I went dairy free. I’m allergic to loads of foods though. Unfortunately I’m slightly allergic to both coffee AND chocolate (two of my life staples), but I keep them in my diet anyhow… Good luck! Dairy is a challenge to give up b/c it’s pretty addictive. If you’re addicted to cheese like I was, I HIGHLY recommend trying Miyoko’s cultured vegan cheeses. Some of the fake cheeses are crap but hers is SO FREAKING AWESOME (although kind of pricey). I recommend rustic alpine and smoked farmhouse. Anyhow, good luck!
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Oh wow thats awesome! I’m glad going dairy free was worth it although it sucks to hear that you are allergic to a lot of things – especially chocolate!!! Oooh okay thank you very much I will go on a vegan cheese hunt! ☺️
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Hey there! I don’t know about other places, but here in Brazil it is very difficult to find alternative products, and the ones I find are very expensive. So I just cut dairy off my diet. It was hard at first, but I get by. My biggest challenge are family reunions, because no one in my family understands that I can’t eat most of what’s served ’cause of lactose.
Good luck and congrats for the great content of your blog!
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Yes I have the exact same problem in the UK – everything is ridiculously expensive! Well done though for cutting it out it seems theres lots of benefits. Yes I’m slightly worried about what my friends will think if I can’t eat dairy when I’m with them!!! Aww thank you so much thats very lovely of you to say ☺️
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My partner’s lactose intolerant and I consequently avoid dairy myself. Some handy tips I’ve picked up are that when frying eggs, use peanut oil instead of butter. Our just in general use peanut oil when frying things. If you want I passable yogurt you might have a search ahead of you, but I’m not all that familiar with UK brands….Soy milk substitutes are great for coffee, but almond milk products taste better for chai. If you’re a coffee snob look for barista style creamer, because it gets frothy like dairy creamer does. Be careful of hidden dairy…i.e. a label saying it is lactose free but that the product contains milk.
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Oh wow I’m sorry to hear he is lactose intolerant. The peanut oil sounds like a great idea! Yes thats what I’m missing most at the moment – normal milk in my tea! Im sticking to fruit teas at the moment but Im definitely going to get some almond milk because everyone I talk to says to try it. Okay thanks for the top tip on the hidden dairy – sounds like detective work! 😂
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Yeah, she’s always having to ask at cafes and such whether or not additives to coffee, such as when buying mochas, include dairy. She’s a pretty good detective about it.
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I am allergic to dairy products, eggs, and mildly allergic to several other foods. I have found nut milks like almond milk and coconut milk to be fair substitutes. The non dairy cheeses are all pretty much lousy to my taste. Do read ingredients because milk and milk products are slipped into so many foods. It was a big challenge at first to get used to, but once you figure out your safe and not safe foods, it gets easier. I don’t know about in the UK, but here in the US we have stores called health food stores that cater to people with food issues, and they carry alternative types of foods. We have a local food coop that carries natural, organic, vegan, non-dairy, egg free, or whatever special thing a person needs. Oh yeah! If something is labelled vegan it has no dairy. I found a non dairy butter substitute that is pretty yummy. You might have to try a few to find one you like. Be aware that some bread has milk in it. With salad dressings, stick to oil and vinegar types with no cheese in them. Best of luck and be patient with yourself.
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Sorry to hear that you are allergic to many foods. I’m not a huge cheese fan so Im managing okay at the moment. Yes Im surprised how much milk features in the ingredients list on products. We do have health food stores like you say but healthy food in the UK is so expensive even things like fruit and vegetables are ridiculously priced but gluten and dairy free products are even more expensive. Ooh okay thanks for the vegan labelling tip 😄 Oooh a non dairy butter substitute sounds good – I’ve tried almond butter/spread which is nice. Yes Im buying gluten-free bread for that reason! Awesome thank you for all your top tips!
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About 7 years ago, I changed my diet to few calories and less fats. I don’t have a gluten or allergy to dairy. But I have a VP brain shunt for hydrocephalus (w/ SPD as a result) and have found that high fat foods affect performance of my shunt. It’s also hard to find good sources of protein when you’re limiting calories and limiting dairy (higher in fats). So I eat a lof of energy bars. Most bars have 10-15 grams of protein, and are low in fats too. As for allergies, you can use meditation and other mind-body techniques to train your body not to react adversely to foods and other environmental factors. I live in Southern California and work as a neuroscientist, which I got into after my 1992 brain injury.
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Hi Stephen, thank you very much for your comment. Im sorry to hear about you hydrocephalus – but it sounds like you really know what food effects you. I didn’t think about energy bars actually – I don’t eat meat as I don’t like the taste/texture of it but I’m losing out on protein without it. I think training your body not to react is super clever and definitely worthwhile doing. Wow I think its amazing you are a neuroscientist! Thank you again.
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Nice to hear back from you. Yes I am 23 yrs into this adventure and have acquired two nick names, MacGuiver, and TheProfessor. I combined the two and often use ProfessorMac. I do neurological consults for hydrocephalus all over the world, put on drumming events & workshops, and write on mHealth & related brain health topics on my blog. Getting protein from your diet can be challenging as I discovered after changing my diet. I will also cook up a bunch of hard boiled eggs & keep in the frig. I love my Balance bars though. For allergy, it is possible to overcome this thru mind-body methods which I wrote about in this blog. I was able to rid a life long hives allergy to aspirin in 1981, that resulted in new skills as a medical intuitive. Actually these skills 1st surfaced during pot use in high school. Go figure! http://wp.me/poW1N-h
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Hi there, my SPD daughter was dairy free for a few years due to delayed onset allergy to casein… I still think it affects her “sensories” as she calls them but not as much as perhaps it once did… but at the moment, she’s unwilling to deal with addicted to ice cream 🙂 her paediatric dietician raved about KOKO the coconut ‘drinking’ milk, we still use it over dairy for many things… and altough super expensive COYO ‘yoghurt’ as a treat – lovely!! Vegan cheese – boik! If you have a desperate comfort-food-needed moment then the winner here was Jus Rol DIY pain au chocolats… My big advice would be avoid ramping up your soya intake if you can, it can be a difficult allergen (neither her or myself tolerate at all any more)… good luck xx
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Hi there! Thanks for your comment. Interesting to hear she was dairy free for a while too. I think my one problem is ice cream too its just amazing 😊I will see if I can hunt down the drinking coconut milk you mention! Ahh yes my sister is on a gluten-free diet and raves about COYO but I know how expensive it is…wish good stuff wasn’t so pricey! Oooooh thanks for the top tip there I love pain au chocolats too. Thank you – and thanks again for your advice xx
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Have never gone dairy free or anything, always wondered about it though, how people coped I mean. Hope it went well for you. XX
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