Finding it hard on a dairy free diet?anyone else dairy free?

I became (noticed that I was?) lactose intolerant about 3 years ago. I can't even do Lactaid or yogurt like many can. I also don't like eggs. I had a miserable few months to begin with. I HAD to find alternatives as I was getting sick of the same "safe" stuff day after day. The best thing I did was try many alternative milks. Almond, soy, rice, coconut are all readily available in my area. Don't assume that you don't like one after only one brand because all brands taste different and have their own yucky/yummy texture. It takes money and time to try everything, but it's worth it when you find one that you actually look forward to adding to your safe cereal! Yes, I have to have carbs, but I make sure they are all as wholesome as possible... no white bread, instant white rice, Ritz, Oreos, or Cheerios!

Snacks - brown rice cakes, edamame, hummus, seeds, air-popped popcorn, (I haven't spent the time/money to try all of the yogurt alternatives, but I really need to)

Breakfast - non-dairy smoothie w/protein powder, breakfast burrito, tofu scramble, homemade dairy-free muffins w/whole grains

Meals - taco salad, baked meats & fish, dry beans, whole wheat pasta

I don't know if that helps. I'm still trying to figure out this HEALTHY dairy-free thing over the past month. (What I've been doing for the past few years was not healthy, and it shows!) It's really frustrating when the most popular, easiest to prepare, healthy, high-protein snacks and meals are milk-based. I'll be watching this thread for more ideas!

I'm lactose intolerant although I can eat small amounts of yogurt. I use almond milk in place of regular milk. I don't drink it alone but it's great on cereal or in cooking or for smoothies.

This sort of indirectly answers your question, but perhaps you could talk to your doctor/nutritionist about consuming kefir. Apparently, a lot of people with lactose intolerance are able to tolerate it due to the large amount of (beneficial) bacteria in it - much more than you'll generally find in yogurt. It's something to consider, at least, and may help a bit with dairy cravings.

I've been lactose intolerant for 3 years, and its still SO hard for me. When i am on my own.. i eat a cheesy pizza, cause I can't resist, and I suffer the pain.
BUT, like everyone else has said, there are soo many milks out there that won't affect you. I love the almond milks. Try almond breeze chocolate milk. It is so so good, and no milk fats, protein, lactose etc that could affect you.

A sandwich, a salad, leftovers from last night, soup. Giving up dairy is not hard at all. I've been lactose intolerant for 30 years now and it's not a problem.

I am lactose intolerant and my husband gluten intolerant so we try lots of almond milk and coconut milk stay away from soy. I also pop almonds when I get hungry great protien.

I became (noticed that I was?) lactose intolerant about 3 years ago. I can't even do Lactaid or yogurt like many can...

If you can't handle lactose-free dairy, maybe you have a casein (milk protein) intolerance like me.

OP, I feel your pain. My favorite food in the whole world is cheese and I can't have it. The fake cheeses are nasty and poor substitutes, so I just do without. It's worth it not being sick, inflamed and in pain all the time, though! I still crave it once or twice a day. :sad:

Due to feeling super sick for a few days and chronically having digestive woes, I drastically changed my diet. I am dairy free, soy free, gluten free, organic AND eat non-inflammatory foods as much as possible.

The biggest help in going dairy free is using almond or rice milk. There are also soy based yogurts and milk, but lots of people who are lactose intolerant are also soy intolerant.

Try Googling "list of non dairy foods", "dairy substitutes", etc. I came up with lots of helpful info this way.

I also ordered some 3X Nutribiotic - Rice Protein Powder from Amazon to make shakes and smoothies with. There are also other rice based protein powders which have various additives, for energy, etc. I prefer the pure rice one myself, so I know exactly what's "going in".

I went dairy free 25 years ago because my child couldn't tolerate any dairy and I was nursing him. For me, it wasn't that hard. Rice or almond milk took care of the liquid dairy. Calcium-fortified orange juice, just to be on the safe side. Lots of vegetables and whole grains. I didn't miss the cheese. A lot of processed food disappeared from my diet because of the lactose/whey, which was all to the good. When I was 100% no dairy -that was the healthiest I have ever been.

Like you, i am allergic to the protein in milk. I think it's probably harder then being lactose free because there are so many lactose free products on the market (cheese, milk and yoghurt substitutes). Soy is an option but can be harmful. I prefer coconut milk, almond milk and/rice milk.

I am also gluten free but tend to avoid buying and baking gluten free breads, cakes, etc. This is what i would typically eat
- Breakfast: eggs (boiled, poached or grilled) with or without cooked veggies, veggie juice, milk shake (made w almond milk, banana, cinnamon, honey) or fruit salad with chia seeds
- i snack on mixed nuts, fruit, carrot sticks in dip (plenty of gluten and dairy free ones on the market if you don't want to make your own) and the occasional dark chocolate (check ingredient label to see if contains milk)
- Lunch is nearly always salad with tinned tuna, salmon or sardines. To bulk it up you can add bread, brown rice, pasta or beans.
- Dinner is usually mostly meat and veg. Ie. steak or grilled fish with steamed veg and mash potato, slow cooked bolognese served with squash, roast meat and veg, stews, stir fries, etc.