About ten months ago, I made a choice to see a naturopath and work towards managing some of my GI symptoms. As I walked out the door, my parting words to Ben were, “I will literally do anything she says.” His reply was, “Anything, but stop eating cheese, right?” I was on a gluten-free diet for about six years. Although I found it challenging, my one solace was knowing that I could eat cheese, my favorite. I promise that I will blog about my health journey at some point as I hope my story could help others.
Alas! Here I am, eight months into my dairy-free journey. I have a strong understanding of what I can- and shouldn’t- eat. Boy, do I feel fabulous.
I can’t live without a cup of coffee in the morning. For me, it isn’t about the caffeine. It is about the joy of sipping on something warm as I start my day. Nutpods Dairyfree Creamer is hands-down the best dairy-free creamer on the market. I order it by the case from Vitacost or Thrive Market.
I also can’t live without some sort of sweet treat. So Delicious makes some great flavors of dairy-free ice cream. I love the dark chocolate truffle flavor. They also just released five new-flavors. I am hoping to try them soon and will post my review afterwards.
Probably the toughest thing for me was not using butter. Who can live without butter? I’ve been really happy to use Earth Balance products. The Olive Oil and Coconut spreads are my favorite. I use them in cooked dishes, too.
I started using Almond milk in my smoothies several years ago. I just like the flavor it adds,and I’ve always enjoyed it. I’ve really been enjoying the almond milk- coconut milk blend from Califia Farms.
What about cheese, you ask? I love cheese so much that I had to create two categories:
Best Cheeses for Snacking:
Follow Your Heart makes the most incredible “snacking cheese” as I refer to it. This company also makes Veganaise, another product I love. They have a huge assortment of vegan cheeses. I eat this by the slice. It also melts well. Ben also prefers the pepperjack slices to regular cheese slices. Say what?!?!?!
Best Cheeses for Melting:
Daiya is the holy-grail of all meltable “cheeses”. I have tried all the styles listed below. They are all so good and melt incredibly well. I also love Daiya’s boxed mac and cheese. It is my occasional weekend treat.
Here are some pictures of our dairy-free dinners using some of the products listed above:
Comment below if there are recipes you would like to see in future posts.
xoxo Laura
