Maybe you’re not allergic to dairy, but find you’re a bit on the intolerant side, or perhaps you’re just trying to be a bit more healthy.  When the doctor told me I was allergic to wheat and dairy, I wondered how I would survive.  It’s easy to say, okay, no more dairy.  The hard part is learning what to eat instead.  This post is for Traci, Maci, and anyone looking for dairy substitutes and healthier eating options. 

1. Raw Milk– Many people who have difficulty with pasteurized cows milk, do much better with raw milk.  Local to Wasatch County and Utah County, raw milk can be purchased at the Real Foods Market.  They also sell cheese made from raw milk there as well.  Do a little research, chances are, there is raw milk in your vicinity also.
2. Almond Milk – A staple in our home.  Our favorite brand is Almond Breeze, but lately we are making it from scratch.  Why not soy milk?  Here is an article full of soy informative articles compiled by Dr. Mercola.  There are healthy soy products out there, but they have been properly fermented: soy sauce, tofu.
3. Rice Milk – Another great cows milk alternative.  Just make sure you read your labels and choose a product with ingredients you recognize and the least amount of ingredients.  We don’t drink it in our home because it tends to have more sugar (we are sugar sensitive), and we already consume a large amount of brown rice each week, and almonds are another way to balance what we’re eating.
4. Goats milk– When the builder finished breast feeding, we found he immediately got a ‘red bum’ after drinking cows milk.  A trip to the kinesiologist confirmed his intolerance to dairy and we were encouraged to give him goats milk.  We bought a local brand as well as Meyerburg Goats Milk.  Both were great (keep in mind, they do have a short shelf life).
5. Raw Cheese – Just like raw milk, cheese made from raw milk is easier for people with dairy intolerance to digest.  Our favorite cheese last year was Winder Farms Raw White Cheddar Cheese.  Too bad they discontinued the product.  We were such fans!  If you do decided to eat cows milk cheese, white is usually easier to digest than the orange or the yellow.  Choose the fancy, expensive brands.  Nothing worse than Amercian cheese slices. 
6. Goats Cheese – Are you into fancy cheese?  You probably already enjoy goats cheese products.  Local Farmers Markets are wonderful places to find great goat cheese.
7. Organic Butter– If you choose to eat butter, organic really is better.  We had some butter in the freezer that I pulled out a week ago:  Smith’s brand.  We’ve been eating organic Kirkland butter.  It smelled and tasted so different that I was almost sick.  Clarified butter (Ghee) is another great butter alternative.  It does not need to be refrigerated either.
8. Coconut Oil– Instead of butter, I love using coconut oil on my toast.  There are soo many benefits from coconut oil.  Here is another article from Dr. Mercola, there are many found on his website.  And yes, it really can help with weight loss.  I love to substitute butter and other oils with coconut oil, especially when baking: pie crust, cookies, granola, and spelt bread.  Give it a try, the sweet flavor is very nice.
9. Coconut milk– When I long for the cream in dairy, I use coconut milk.  Look in the Asian section of your grocery store.  Nearly all of my crock-pot dishes or main courses with a sauce, are made with coconut milk.  A creamy soup, or a curry dish is not the same without coconut milk.
10. Coconut Milk Yogurt – Yogurt is the one dairy item I had completely given up on, until Cassandra from Delightfully Gluten Free sent me an email about Turtle Mountain’s new yogurt.  I’ve got my eyes out for it and am very eager to taste this treat!

Any other suggestions?  What has come to your rescue as you’ve gotten rid of the dairy in your life?