If you have a milk protein allergy like me, or struggle with thyroid issues and are avoiding casein (due to gluten cross reactivity), you may be very bummed out that you cannot eat milk, cheese and cream anymore โน๏ธ
Luckily, there are a few swaps out there that can help you out. I must say that we try to use very little of the processed vegan โdairyโ products since they are still a processed food but sometimes you just canโt go without, like in this delicious flatbread ๐
Milk ๐ฅ
Iโm going to be quite honest: nothing tastes like real milk but these nut milks can be a good substitute for baking and in lattes (like the ones from Marigolds Snacks- use code CURE.EATED for a discount) or shakes ๐ง
Unfortunately, most of these store bought mylks contain a lot of fillers, sugars and very little nut and are often times oxidized due to processing ๐คข
You also want to make sure that you buy only organic and ideally sprouted nut milks. Sprouting removes anti-nutrients such as lectins and makes the nutrients more bioavailable !
The best thing you can do is to make your own using a blender and a handful of your favorite nut, seed or a combo ๐ฐ๐ฅ you can even spice it up with some vanilla, cinnamon, sea salt, monk fruit and/or stevia to create the perfect flavor ๐๐ป
A few hours (the longer the better), place your nuts in water and let them soak/sprout!
Then simply add everything into your blender and blend until you have a creamy smooth consistency ๐ use right away or store it in a glass bottle in the refrigerator for a few days!
Iโve also seen online recipes that use a nut butter instead of soaked nuts if youโre in a hurry. Just blend 1-2 tablespoons of nut butter with 8 ounces of water and enjoy ๐
The second best option is to purchase sugar free nut milks from the store that only contain the nut, water and maybe vanilla or salt. Some good companies include malk (they sprout their nuts ๐ช๐ป) or elmhurst (the hazelnut or walnut flavor are the best)!
Of course, canned coconut milk is also always a good option, just make sure itโs organic and doesnโt contain other ingredients ๐ฅฅ
I would totally avoid brands that contain any added gums, sugars or vitamins (sometimes nut milks are fortified). These synthetic ingredients hinder the absorbance of the real deal and are toxic to your gut and mitochondria!
Cheese ๐ง:
Like with dairy free milks, vegan cheeses are often a mixture of super processed ingredients so that the product resembles something close to cheese. I would keep my hands off of most vegan cheese products which often times contain weird gums, starches, rice, yeasts and sugars. Especially slices, shreds and blocks are very processed.
Your best bet is to go with cream cheese products but again, keep an eye out for any funky ingredients. We only buy these for occasional treats and only buy certain brands. Sometimes brands have one product thatโs clean, but others are not so always check the label!
Kite Hill: almond based cream cheese and ricotta are good options because they contain minimal ingredients. They taste yummy on โbreadโ and with lox or smoked trout! You can get really high quality smoked trout from Rainbow King Foods using my special code CUREATED and link.
There are also plenty of recipes out there for homemade based cheese sauces but we donโt have much experience with this!
Treeline: Cashew French Style Cheese, we found this at Whole Foods and itโs also very clean! No funky gums or fillers. We like garlic herb or scallion the best!
Yogurt:
Again, many vegan yogurts contain funky fillers. The only brand I really use and trust is a fermented coconut yogurt from Cocoyo! Itโs great to eat with grain free granola, or I use it as a base for my fat fueled ice-cream bars and mug cheesecake ๐ (recipe is coming).
Whatโs really great about this product is that itโs only water, coconut and probiotics, and that itโs fermented which makes it a gut superfood ๐ช๐ป
I really like the plain but it also comes in vanilla and chocolate and they are sweetened with stevia, not sugar which is super ๐ช๐ป
Cream:
The best substitute for whipping cream, either as a creamer or for cooking/baking is heavy coconut cream. It has the same consistency, a mild flavor and is just as creamy ๐
It works well in dishes like our Chicken Geschnetzeltes, or coconut Thai curry ๐
You can even beat it and create coconut whipped cream to top your favorite deserts with!
What to put in coffee:
Coconut cream also works well as a coffee creamer, but sometimes we use a creamer from Califa Farms which is almond based and sugar free (itโs the green bottle)! Itโs not ideal because it contains some gums but itโs the cleanest โketo creamerโ product we have found and we have to live a little ๐
The best way to drink your coffee would be with some pure coconut milk, cream, or homemade nut milk with a touch of monk fruit extract !
Alternatively, there are powder based coffee creamers, usually MCT based, such as that from Bulletproof, that also help create a nice coffee or you can add in some liquid brain octane MCT oil (also sold by bulletproof)!
Lastly, these arenโt vegan but milk protein free and they are called coffee bombs from Ladybird Provisions! They are coconut oil and butter based and some flavors like the one below are sugar free! They also taste delicious in Marigolds Collagen Lattes
