Tips on milk substitutes (including puddings!) (Dairy Allergy)

Member Name: NCG1

Product:	Dairy Allergy
Date:	20/03/02 (1901 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Discovering new foods

Disadvantages: Problematic eating out, Symptons from eating dairy, Subsitutes can be expensive

If you invite someone with a dairy allergy to supper, they will inevitably give you a long list of things they don't eat. This will usually be something like milk, cheese, cream, butter, yoghurt. This may sound obvious, but you would be surprised how many people find the concept difficult to grasp (my best ever was 'but this is vegetarian cheese'. Doh!). I've done a round-up of all the dairy substitutes you can use at the bottom of this op.

If they have a really severe reaction to dairy (allergy rather than intolerance, in technical-speak, but I'll keep using 'allergy' as its what most people understand) then they will also need you to check all the food for things like casein, drimmed skimmed milk powder, whey and all the other bits of milk that seem to get everywhere. You will also need to be careful that all your pans, utensils etc are scrupulously clean, otherwise they may have tiny traces of dairy products which could cause a reaction.

Each person is different. Personally, I can tolerate small amounts of dairy (skimmed milk powder at the bottom of an ingredient list on a bought cake, for example) and even if I do react I get eczema, which is unpleasant but by no means life-threatening. So, don't assume that a) everyone with dairy allergy will collapse in a heap if they have a even a tiny bit, or b) that anyone who 'cheats' a bit doesn't really have a problem and is making it up.

One final point before the list of substitutes - dairy allergy and lactose intolerance are two separate things. People with lactose intolerance tend to get tummy problems, whereas people with dairy allergy will probably react in a different way (migraine, eczema, asthma). Also people with lactose intolerance may be OK with mature cheese, low-lactose milk etc (see the very useful op on lactose intolerance). These will not be OK for someone with a dairy allergy.

And so here's the practical bit: <
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Milk

Soya milk - available from supermarkets and health food shops. Comes in plain (which is cheapest), sweetened (with apple juice, good for kids) and calcium enriched (expensive, but good if you're worried about calcium intake). The supermarkets do perfectly decent own brand versions, which are generally cheaper than the branded ones. Provamel do the calcium enriched version, whilst So Good do a 'got all the goodness of milk' one that is expensive but yummy for drinking (its less good for cooking, as you don't necessarily want everything to taste of vanilla).

Flavoured milk - Provamel do little boxes of chocolate, strawberry and banana 'milk', which are good for lunchboxes (and a quick calcium boost). So Good do a capuccino flavoured one, which is delicious.

Nut and rice milks - available from health food shops, you can get various types. I personally prefer the flavour of soya milk, but you may want to try these until you find the one you like.

Cheese

Cream cheese - definitely the nicest sort of soya cheese. There are two main brands (Tofutti and Provamel) and they both do a selection of flavours, such as mixed herbs, horseradish, onion. Provamel is better value (you get a bigger pot!). Most health food shops will have these.

Hard cheese - there are various soya and rice cheeses available. Unfortunately, lots of them have casein (a milk protein) in them. And the ones that don't usually don't melt very well. Probably the best of the lot is the Tofutti cheese slices (they do melt) or the Scheese brand (as long as you grate it and put it on things - *don't* try eating it on its own). Finding these involves rooting around in the fridge of the biggest health food store you can find, and reading the labels very carefully.

Engevita yeast - this strange substance (made by Marigold, found in good health food shops) makes sauces taste cheesy. It can also
be sprinkled on top of stews, baked potatoes etc for a cheesy effect. I only discovered this recently, but its fantastic if you're trying to do a cheesy sauce, or fake macaroni cheese.

Cream

Single cream - this can be used both as a topping for puddings and for creamy sauces. There are two brands, but I've never been able to tell the difference in taste so I just buy the cheapest. All health food shops and a lot of supermarkets will have this.

Double/ whipping cream - never found one. However, there is a vanilla soya desert (made by Provamel) that can sometimes be substituted (for instance, in trifles).

Yoghurt

Flavoured - Provamel make a four-pack in four flavours (two to each pack), and most supermarkets will have it. They also do a 'junior' four-pack (smaller pots and different flavours). There are a few other soya yoghurts, but these are usually more expensive, and only found in good health food shops.

Plain - Provamel do a big tub of plain, live soya yoghurt. This is usful for recipes (eg mild curries) and also if you particulary want live yoghurt.

Puddings

Yes, we do get to eat puddings. ;-) Though usually it involves a trip to the health food shop.

Pourable puddings - Provamel do a half litre pack of chocolate or vanilla stuff. Its a bit like thick custard, and can be eaten either on its own or on top of other puddings. They also sell it in little pots, but these are not good value for money (and anyway, you'd probably eat all four at one sitting).

Pot puddings - in health food shops you will find four-packs of fruits of the forest/ fruits of the orchard puddings that are like particularly creamy yoghurts. I prefer the yoghurt flavours, personally, but these do feel like more of a treat.

Ice-cream - Tofutti are the non-dairy equivalent of Haagen Daz. They have a wide range of flavours (peaches and cream to double chocolate) and ta
ste fantastic. Swedish Glace do the more standard flavours, which is useful if you want plain vanilla ice-cream for iced coffee. Sorbet is also an option, but you have to be careful, as some brands do have milk added (why?!).

You may also be able to find other non-dairy puddings in the fridge of a decent health food shop - I recently discovered a sinful chocolate sponge with chocolate sauce.

I'm very impressed if you got all the way down here. I just couldn't find a way to compress 10 years worth of substitute-hunting into anything shorter! Do let me know if this was helpful to you.

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