Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 2: Avoid Dairy Products
• Method 2 of 2: Find an alternative to dairy products
• Tips

Are you lactose intolerant or allergic to dairy products? Or are you a vegetarian or want to skip milk for dietary reasons? However, it is important to review your diet and determine which foods contain milk (there are more of them than you think) so you know what to avoid. You also need to think about how to replace calcium-rich dairy products.

Steps

Method 1 of 2: Avoid Dairy Products

1. 1 Read the labels on the products you buy. Avoiding dairy products does not mean that you just need to stop drinking milk. Milk is added to many foods to enhance their taste, so read the labels carefully. Most products that contain milk in one form or another have it listed in the ingredient list. For example, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires milk to be listed as ingredients because it can cause allergies. Buy foods that do not contain milk.
   • Pay attention to casein and whey as well. Both of these supplements are proteins found in cow's milk and are used in many products. Whey is added to a wide variety of foods, from muscle-building supplements to canned chicken broths.
2. 2 Avoid milk and cream based products. These ingredients are the most difficult to refuse, as we are used to enjoying milk in a wide variety of dishes. Without them, it is difficult to imagine a daily diet. Here are some common milk and cream based products:
   • milk (whole, 50/50, skim, dry);
   • heavy whipping cream;
   • custard;
   • coffee cream and butter powder;
   • sauces and soups with cream;
   • ice cream, cold desserts, sorbet (although not all types of sorbet contain milk);
   • yogurt;
   • some types of mayonnaise, mustard and other spices;
   • Non-Dairy Coffee Creamer - Casein is animal-based and therefore not suitable for vegans.
3. 3 Avoid butter and most margarines that contain whey, casein, and lactose. Before you buy any products, research their ingredients and make sure they are free of butter or margarine. Butter is obtained by collecting cream from whole milk. After that, whip the cream until it thickens.
   • Some nutritionists consider butter to be the least harmful dairy product for those with milk allergies or lactose digestion problems. For most people, these problems are related to the proteins in milk. Since butter is 80 to 82 percent fat and relatively low in protein, it is relatively harmless to these people.
   • There are many varieties of margarine on the market that do not contain milk and are therefore suitable for vegans. Study the ingredients and make sure they are free of whey, casein or lactose.
4. 4 Don't eat cheese. All types of cheeses contain milk. Obviously, you'll have to ditch the cheese slices in your sandwiches. Pizza, burritos, tacos, and casseroles also contain cheese or cottage cheese. Don't eat cheese sauces. When visiting a restaurant, be sure to ask for a cheese-free meal. As a rule, mature cheeses contain less lactose than soft and highly processed cheeses. Processed cheeses and spreads are also high in lactose.
5. 5 Be careful with baked goods. Milk is added to most baked goods. Unfortunately, this is true for cookies, cakes, muffins, and donuts, unless soy, rice or hemp are used in place of milk.
   • Some breads use mono- and diglycerides or lecithin - these ingredients are not made from milk and are suitable for vegans. Typically, these types of breads indicate that they do not contain dairy products.

Method 2 of 2: Find an alternative to dairy products

1. 1 Find a replacement for dairy products. As an alternative to dairy products, you can use milk, cheese, and ice cream made from soy, rice, almonds, hemp seeds, or oats. Vegan products are increasingly popular nowadays and can be found in many stores.
   • When preparing meals with milk, use soy milk. In terms of protein content, soybeans are comparable to cow's milk. Use milk made from nuts (cashews or almonds) instead of yogurt. As an alternative to cheese, try adding hemp milk to your meals. Hemp products retain the firm texture found in many cheeses.
   • All bOSunflower seed milk is also gaining in popularity, but it is less common on the market than other dairy substitutes.
2. 2 Use dairy-free butter substitutes. There are many ways to replace butter. Various varieties of dairy-free margarine are available for sale. For frying, you can use olive oil or sunflower oil.Some ingenious chefs even substitute applesauce for butter. Applesauce and edible coconut oil add more sweetness to food than butter, so you can add less sugar to your meals and baked goods.
   • If you are lactose intolerant but don't want to skip butter altogether, try cooking ghee, which is much less casein and lactose.
3. 3 Find dairy-free ice cream. There are many varieties of dairy-free ice cream based on soy, rice or coconut. This type of ice cream is very diverse in taste and size. It comes in the form of balls and briquettes. In most cases, soy, rice or coconut milk is used in its preparation, and ingredients that in one form or another contain dairy products are not added - for example, such ice cream does not include "milk" chocolate.
4. 4 Switch to dairy-free yogurt. Most vegan or even dairy-free diets say they lack yogurt. Although the delicate and rich taste of yogurt is difficult to recreate without dairy products, you can still find substitutes for it. As with ice cream, you can buy soy or rice yoghurts. Most of these yoghurts are rich in vitamins B and E, dietary fiber, potassium, and antioxidants.
5. 5 Eat dairy-free “cheeses”. Since cheeses are often used in cooking (chopped, grated, or melted), you will have to find suitable alternatives. As a substitute for Parmesan in salads and spaghetti, try nutritional yeast, which is packed with B vitamins and tastes great. Sliced ​​smoked tofu has a texture reminiscent of mozzarella and provolone. Tofu can be eaten on its own or with sandwiches and crackers.
   • There are soy, rice, nut and hemp cheeses commercially available that taste like cheddar, pepper cheddar, mozzarella and provolone. Be careful with cheese - even vegetarian varieties can contain dairy products, usually in the form of casein. For many people with mild lactose intolerance, goat and sheep's milk cheeses are suitable.
   • Some people who try tofu for the first time say that it is tasteless and resembles gum. As with most other foods, it all depends on how you cook it. Try tofu from a variety of manufacturers and seasonings. Give tofu a try and you'll love it.
6. 6 Make sure your body is getting enough calcium. For most people, dairy products are the main source of calcium. This trace mineral is essential for healthy bones and teeth. In addition, calcium is needed for the normal functioning of muscle and nerve cells. Fortunately, calcium-fortified nut and cereal milk is nutritionally comparable to cow's milk. You can also buy calcium-fortified orange juice. This is a good opportunity to take a closer look at other calcium-rich foods such as dark leafy vegetables (cabbage and collard greens, bok choy, broccoli), sardines, and almonds.

Tips

• Dairy allergies are not the same as lactose intolerance. Allergies trigger a histamine reaction in the body that can be life-threatening, while lactose intolerance is the inability to digest this protein, which is unpleasant but not fatal. Some people who are lactose intolerant but not allergic may eat cheeses (especially mature ones), yogurt, or cooked dairy products (in small amounts). There are over-the-counter enzyme preparations available to help improve the situation. Everyone has a different reaction, so be careful when experimenting or use the tips in this article and replace dairy with something else.