Dairy and the alternatives

Have you been thinking of giving up dairy?

It’s a good option to take if you’d like to improve your gut health – but here’s the thing – some of the products you may decide to use instead of dairy could also be problematic for you.

Here are a few important things to consider about the alternatives if you do decide to remove dairy from your diet. 

• Almond milk – a very popular replacement. It’s important to check the label for additives such as inulin as it will be problematic for you if you have a fructose malabsorption problem. It’s also a good idea to check the label and see exactly how much almond is in the almond milk. It’s generally low at about 2% and almond will be problematic for you if you are intolerant to almonds – it’s a common intolerance.

• Coconut milk, cream, yoghurt and ice-cream – are all delicious alternatives to dairy and can also be problematic if you have a fructose malabsorption problem. 

• Soy milk, yoghurt and ice-cream are also popular alternatives. These too can be problematic if you have an intolerance to soy, thyroid dysfunction or a fructose malabsorption problem.

• Oat, rice and macadamia milks can be less problematic – again remember to check exactly what is in the milk. 

If you are considering removing dairy from your diet because you feel it is problematic or testing reveals a food intolerance it’s important to remove it totally. There are many common foods that contain dairy including butter, yogurt, cream, cheese, ice cream, chocolate, some wines, salad dressings, etc.

It’s important to check the ingredient labels on packaging as dairy is also used in many foods as flavouring. A surprising example is balsamic flavoured rice crackers.

An easy way to ensure your food is dairy free is to choose the vegan option. 

Remember cow’s milk is for baby cows!!

Its always a good idea to get some professional support before you start removing foods from your diet.