People choose to eliminate dairy or even go completely vegan for many different reasons. Some aim to improve their health, some advocate for animal rights, while others may have allergies or children with dairy allergies. (Did you know that a breastfeeding mother may need to alter her diet in order to accommodate the infant’s food allergy?)
I, however, chose the dairy free life for a much less heroic reason (and I will spare you of the details), but let’s just call it lactose intolerance.
Some people joke about their lactose intolerance as they take that first bite of ice cream. I’m envious as they laugh it off, “Ha-ha! I’m so lactose intolerant! This milk is going to be bad later!” Ha-ha. Funny, not funny. If you are one of those people, I have nothing personal against you. In fact, I’m happy for you! Because that is NOT the kind of lactose intolerance I have.
I completely gave up dairy about 13 years ago (HALF my life!) when I started noticing how much better I felt without dairy in my diet. I stopped feeling so sick all the time. And ever since then, I’ve tried many dairy-free alternatives to the foods I love—and my digestive tract thanks me.
Going dairy-free doesn’t have to be by elimination only, in fact I’ve found it much easier to maintain when I have diary-free alternatives to the foods I normally eat. Over the years, dairy free alternatives have improved in quality as well as in diversity. There are so many more options now than there were when I first transitioned to this diet.
I personally do the majority of my grocery shopping at Kroger, where the Simple Truth brand originates. Simple Truth is my favorite brand of dairy-free foods, even over the name brands. However, Simple Truth does not have versions of all the dairy-free alternatives I buy, so I’ve listed the other brands as well.
1. Shredded Cheese (Simple Truth)
I always keep shredded cheese stocked in my fridge. They melt differently than real cheese, but the taste is great. I definitely prefer the Simple Truth brand over Daiya’s shredded cheeses. I use these in homemade macaroni and cheese, casseroles, and even sausage balls!
2. Cream Cheese (Simple Truth)
This is perfect for a morning bagel! It’s soft and creamy and tastes just like cream cheese. It does tend to melt faster than real cream cheese—it melts similarly to a butter. If I needed the cream cheese for baking, I would definitely splurge on Philadelphia Plant Based Cream Cheese, however for everyday use, this is my fav.
3. Almondmilk and Oatmilk (Simple Truth / Planet Oat)
Plant based milks are a necessity! There are several different types of milk available, however almondmilk and oatmilk are my personal favorite. Unsweetened almondmilk is great for cereal, and Oatmilk is great for baking. For oatmilk, I prefer the Planet Oat brand. Fun fact—Avery never drank whole milk as an infant! She went straight from breastmilk to oatmilk.
4. Butter (Country Crock)
These sticks of “butter” are great for baking and even everyday items. It melts just like real butter and tastes great.
5. Cheese Pizza (Daiya)
Daiya’s pizzas have come a long way! They used to be very mediocre—to the point that I’d rather make homemade pizza than conveniently heat up a frozen one. However over the years, they have really improved. The cheese pizza is by far my favorite, but they do have a meat lovers and veggie pizza too.
6. Ranch Dressing (Hidden Valley)
Ranch dressing was a big pregnancy craving for me—which luckily, I could tolerate dairy products during pregnancy! So eliminating ranch dressing was a hard decision to make. This Hidden Valley ranch dressing doesn’t taste exactly like the original dressing, but it’s close enough!
7. Mac n Cheese (Kraft)
With a rowdy toddler, I love convenient foods! Kraft mac n cheese is one of those, and I had not had the dairy-free version until recently. Avery also approved!
8. Alfredo (Simple Truth)
I have tried other brands of plant based alfredo sauce, but the Simple Truth brand is the best. It tastes the most like normal alfredo sauce. It also has a stronger hint of pepper, which I really like.
9. Ice Cream (Kind)
There are multiple brands of dairy free ice cream that I really enjoy! Right now, I am indulging in these Kind Bars, made with oatmilk ice cream. Other brands like So Delicious and Ben & Jerry’s also have great dairy-free options.
10. Chocolate Chips (Nestle)
I recently bought 12 bags of these chocolate chips on clearance! They taste exactly the same as regular chocolate chips. I freeze them and save them for baking.
11. Peanut Butter Cups (Justin’s)
These are actually better than regular Reese’s! My favorite is the dark chocolate and peanut butter filling, but they make a couple different ones. Reese’s also makes a plant based Reese’s cup and it’s pretty good too.
12. Cookies (Simple Truth)
These refrigerated cookies aren’t advertised as dairy-free or plant based, but they are delicious!
I’m not very familiar with any other restrictive diets, such as gluten, soy, or egg. Many of these alternatives may include these ingredients in them, so be sure to check the labels.
I’m always excited to try new foods and new brands, so let me know if you have any great dairy free alternatives!
- Meagan
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