Live Without Dairy Products, Living Without Dairy Products

Polish your willpower. You may love cheesy pizzas, cream soups, fettuccine alfredo, and ice cream. It can be hard to try to resist those favorite foods in the beginning, but you just have to keep telling yourself, "It's just not worth the agony of eating dairy." This will become your new mantra.
Know what to avoid. Avoiding dairy isn't as simple as no longer drinking milk. Here's what else will no longer be on your list of safe food items (check with your doctor the ones which you should most definitely avoid):

• Butter and most margarines (contain whey, casein, or lactose)
• Chip dip
• Most baked items (sadly this includes cakes, muffins, and doughnuts unless made with soy, rice, or hemp)
• Some breads (there are a few made without milk/dairy)
• Most flavors of potato chips (except plain and salt and vinegar sometimes)
• Cream sauces and soups
• Cheese in all forms
• Ice cream, gelatos, and sherbets (sorbets contain no dairy products)
• Most chocolate (Even dark chocolate often has hidden dairy ingredients, but make sure to read the ingredients list! Trader Joe's has wonderful dark chocolate that is dairy free. Tropical Source makes dairy-free dark chocolate candy bars, and there are dairy-free chocolate items to be found.)
• Whey protein powder
• Non-dairy coffee creamer (casein)--how misleading this is!
• Some mayonnaise, mustard, and other condiments
• Canned chicken broth often contains whey, so food with chicken broth should be avoided by those with a dairy allergy (canned tuna, for example)
• Most canned ready-made foods (like Chef Boyardee pasta meals)
• "Cold cuts" or deli meats (they are injected with casein, whey, or sometimes other dairy derivatives)
• Be wary of chicken and turkey, sometimes they are injected with butter (especially the breast portion).
• Look for kosher turkeys for your Thanksgiving dinner. Food can be certified Kosher by different organizations and each has its own symbol. One of the most common symbols used is the "U" in a circle. If it has a D near it, that means there is dairy in the product. So check for the different symbols and the word "dairy" or a "D" to quickly find which product may have dairy or exclude it.

Try out some of the alternatives. You don't have to leave a gaping hole in your diet once you've sworn off dairy products. Here are some yummy substitutes.

Milk: based on soy, rice, almond, hemp seed, and oat, fortified or not, are available in such flavors as plain, chocolate, strawberry and vanilla
Cheese: based on soy, rice, and hemp, are available in flavors such as cheddar, cheddar-jack, mozzarella, and provolone. Be careful with cheese -- even vegetarian brands can contain milk products, usually in the form of caseinate. Goat's and sheep's milk cheeses seem to be okay for those with relatively mild intolerances.
Ice Cream: based on soy, rice, and hemp in many flavors #* Yogurt: soy and rice based with a small selection of fruit flavors
Margarines: there are a few good alternatives to butter:

• Vegan websites often maintain a list of dairy-free margarines
• There is also Vegetable Oil Spread, but you still must be careful; not all are dairy-free
• (Unrefined) coconut oil.
• Earth Balance & similar products, which consist of a blend of medium-chain fatty acid oils (healthy fats) and are solid at room temperature.
• Ghee, a refined butter that is often entirely casein/lactose free

Know where to eat out. Where do you dine? Where can you take your date? Well, Italian is pretty much off your list. Indian food is too, as ghee (ghee is clarified butter, which means the dairy is naturally separated from it, but those with a low tolerance to dairy should be careful just in case) is a common ingredient. Think East Asian: Chinese , Korean and Japanese foods are generally speaking; free of dairy, but always ask about the ice cream, as it's not always made of soy. Vegan restaurants are reliable for not using dairy ingredients if you can find them, and most vegetarian restaurants have non-dairy alternatives. It is also possible to eat out at chain restaurants. Steak, grilled chicken, fresh fruit, and steamed vegetables are usually okay. If you are unsure of ingredients and seasonings, ask your server or a manager. Salad bars are an excellent option -- just bypass the cheese and choose a dairy-free dressing, such as oil and vinegar.
 Make sure you're getting enough calcium. Luckily for you, fortified nut and grain milk offer similar key nutrients as dairy milk. You can also buy calcium-fortified orange juice. This is also a good time to get acquainted with some calcium-rich foods like dark leafy greens (kale, bok choi, collards, broccoli), sardines, and almonds.