Going Dairy Free: The Holiday Guide for Comforting and Creamy Foods
By: Juliana Wilhelmy
Have you ever tried cutting dairy out of your diet and then quickly regretted your decision because you realize you miss all of your favorite foods? Whether eliminating dairy from your diet for an allergy, lactose intolerance, or environmental concern, no matter the reason, it can be hard to adjust to dietary changes, especially if you are accustomed to pairing cheese with crackers as a routine snack or spreading butter on your morning toast. Luckily, as someone who has been dairy free for 15 years, I have all of the tips and tricks to get you through the holiday season without being deprived of the many delicious comfort foods we all cherish, know, and love.
When I was five, I abruptly became severely allergic to all dairy products (- and for reasons, doctors can’t explain). I woke up one morning and all of the sudden a bite of pizza or a lick of ice cream would put me into anaphylactic shock. Immediately, my mom sprung into action to try to find foods that I could eat and actually enjoyed, and for context, this was when Starbucks hadn’t even begun brainstorming ideas for selling plant-based options or any type of cow milk alternative. Whole Foods quickly became a second home as my mom and I both figured out that casein was, in fact, a dairy product.
A dairy-free diet doesn’t just improve gut health if you are intolerant, but it also helps the environment too. In a study done by Oxford University in 2018, it was reported that cow’s milk has “at least three times more emissions than any alternative milk” (Goto, 2021). In the current climate crisis, doing anything you can to reduce your impact on the environment is going to make a change in the aggregate. Lactose intolerance is also becoming increasingly common in the United States, with 30 to 50 million Americans lacking the proper lactase enzyme to digest milk in the small intestine (Boston Children’s Hospital). More and more people are experiencing issues with consuming dairy, making it a national issue.
In this new climate of health consciousness and trends like veganism, dairy-free alternatives are easily accessible. The past of barely being able to find dairy-free options while eating out is over, and plant-based food companies are rapidly growing in options and popularity. Going dairy-free seems like a big obstacle to overcome but, in reality, it is very manageable when you know how and what to look for.
As the holiday season is upon us, many warm comfort foods are packed with creamy ingredients that taste amazing, so here is the guide for the best dairy-free products that I have learned about and loved over years of taste testing to get into the holiday spirit:
Nut Pods holiday flavored creamers
VioLife mozzarella cheese
Miyoko's cream cheese
Oatly oat milk
Earth Balance butter
Primal Kitchen (any dressing or spread)
Reddi Rip almond whipped cream
So Delicious ice cream
Bragg’s nutritional yeast (adds a cheesy flavor)
Chobani oat nog
Pepperidge Farm puff pastry dough
Enjoy Life chocolate chips
Simply cutting out dairy from your diet a few times a week will decrease your environmental footprint, and also potentially make your stomach feel better if you lack the enzyme. There are so many dairy-free options widely available and simply going to a grocery store and reading the ingredient labels will allow you to find fun alternatives for your favorite foods. This is a list of my current favorites that I have collected over the years and I hope you are enticed to try a few this season.
Reference List:
Goto, T. (2021, May 12). How Oat Milk Can Help Save the Environment | MA in Climate and Society. Columbia Climate School . https://climatesociety.ei.columbia.edu/news/how-oat-milk-can-help-save-environment
Lactose Intolerance | Boston Children's Hospital. (n.d.). Retrieved November 12, 2022, from https://www.childrenshospital.org/conditions/lactose-intolerance#:~:text=A%20lack%20of%20lactase%20can,Native%20Americans%20are%20lactose%20intolerant