No Soy No Dairy Diet

I went without dairy for my second son and am now totally soy free, dairy free, egg free and gluten free. Rice milk or almond milk are excellent milk replacements. Cheese is the most difficult product to replace. The rice and almond milks are enriched with the calcium and vitamins that are in the cow's milk, so you're not missing any nutrients. Sprouts has some cheddar cheese slices that are rice based and do not have casein (dairy protein) or soy. (Note: you have to be very careful as some of the rice cheeses actually contain casein, which is the milk protein and the primary source of dairy reactions). It does definitely limit your ability to consume processed foods, but that as you mention that is far, far healthier. It also does limit or add additional restrictions to eating out as many restaurants add butter as part of the food preparation and there is always the issue of cross contamination, so you learn to be a very "picky" restaurant patron. You should not have to avoid soy oils, however, as those should not contain the protein, which is the allergenic component. You are also very lucky that with the new labeling laws that went into effect at the beginning of this year (or maybe last) that all products must spell out if they contain one of the top 8 allergens, which includes "milk" and "soy", so your label reading should not be too difficult. You may initially lose weight until you find replacements for your favorites, but I wouldn't count on it. There are some good books that you can find at the library or at the bookstores on preparing food without the allergens you mention, but that's really not necessary as you can replace the cow's milk in recipes one for one with the rice or almond milk. For baking, you can substitue vegetable oil for melted butter or a non-hydrogenated shortening or coconute oil for butter and get good results. Also, ghee is clarified butter and is casein free and should be okay to consume. It can be found at sprouts or Whole Foods and is wonderful for replacing the butter taste in prepared foods like toast, veggies, etc. It is quite expensive, so I wouldn't use it for baking. It is also a good source of butyrate, which is healthy for the GI tract.

I wish you well and I'd be happy to answer any specific questions you might have. I've been dealing with this for nearly 12 years.

M. B

You should pick up a vegan cookbook. That will definitely not have any soy or dairy.

also, The Spiral Diner.. downtown fort worth.. is a vegan restaurant that is a "safe" place to take your family.

WOW, I just found out yesterday that i have that also and would really like to get some recipe's. I put cheese on everything so I don't know how I am going to do this.
I make italian chicken all the time and it is really good. You just melt butter cut the chicken into strips and pour a 1/2 of a big bottle of zesty italian dressing in the pan and cover it. It's really good and I make pasta roni and steamed carrots with it. Both of my kids love it.

J.-

I've been doing this diet for my son for the last 4 1/2 months due to food allergies. It does get easier! Once you figure out what you can and cannot have, it just becomes a new way of life. Whole Foods has many great resources. In their gluten-free aisle, there are several brands of foods that are free of the most common allergens. Enjoy Life and Namaste are some of our favorites for treats we wouldn't normally be able to have, but it can get pricey. You can go to their information desk and they can help you find different products throughout the store.

Most Kroger stores also have 2 mini-aisles of health foods, so it's worth looking through.

We've basically become really good planners for meals - simple meat/veggie/fruit/rice meals. Our biggest life change has been that we can no longer pick up a quick dinner or go out to eat as much, and that most convenience foods have soy in them. The few times we eat out, I opt for plain vegetables and have had success with that. I have lucked out with some restaurants with a great waiter or manager who will actuall bring out some items and confirm ingredients with me, but that's rare. You can check out most restaurant web sites for their ingredient list, but make sure to do it often because they can change monthly. That might not be as big of a deal if your son is just intolerant, but if you find he's allergic, you'll have to be much more dilligent. Fast food is mostly out. The only fast food I eat is Wendy's chili or a plain baked potato from them.

These web sites are targeted more for food allergies, but they are good resources for eliminating common foods from your diet.
www.foodallergy.org
www.kidswithfoodallergies.org

If you run into other questions or need a listening ear, feel free to email me.

Good luck!
B.