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Dairy Free At Whole Foods

November 25, 2009 · Posted in Articles, dairy-free

Last night I attended a class at Whole Foods which was something I had never done before. I tried to recruit a few friends to go with me, but no one was interested so I thought I would try it on my own.

The class was titled “Dairy Alternatives” and I was very interested in the topic as we have recently learned that my daughter has a lactose intolerance and I was looking for non-dairy solutions to things like yogurt tubes, cheese and other things that kids love to eat. A few people in the class had milk allergies and one had a dairy intolerance.

The class didn’t exactly provide that I was seeking (that wasn’t the intent of the class, I just didn’t read the outline carefully when I registered!) Rather, it was quite informative about other things related to living a dairy free lifestyle. The instructor made 2 dishes and a dairy free Caesar-like salad dressing (which was really good and impossible to detect that it did not contain dairy). However the macaroni and cheese was a different story. With nutritional yeast used to make the “cheese” sauce, it just didn’t cut it. There’s something about macaroni and real cheese that can’t be replicated!

The evening overall was really informative for me personally, but I didn’t learn much that I could bring home for my daughter. I did however, not quite realize how many uses there are for tofu in a dairy free or vegan lifestyle and that as bland as tofu is on its own, it really takes on the flavor of the foods it is combined with. I’m going to try the classic “spinach dip” out on my husband (who is not allergic to milk) and see if he can taste the difference between the traditional recipe made with sour cream and this dairy free recipe used tofu as the base.

I did walk around the store after and couldn’t find what I was looking for. When I asked for help, unfortunately, I was shown all of the products we have already tried. So far, I’m batting a zero with cheese. If you have dairy allergies or are someone who eats lactose free cheese, we want to hear from you about a product that you like!

Check out your local Whole Foods store and see what classes or demos they have going on. I would definitely register for more classes and next time I’ll rope in a few friends to join me. I’m sure they’ll be grateful to learn a thing or two!

Tags: allergy friendly cooking, cooking with food allergy, dairy free cooking, dairyfree, milk allergy, milk intolerance, Whole Foods

Comments

2 Responses to “Dairy Free At Whole Foods”

Barbara Reitman on November 26th, 2009 3:46 pm

I wish that a class like this was given by someone who actually had personal experience and an in-depth knowledge of living a dairy-free lifestyle. It sounds like it wasn’t. Here are a few of my favorite kid-friendly dairy-free alternatives. I hope you will give them a try at your house.

Vegan Gourmet Cheese Alternatives (cheddar, mozzarella, Montery Jack, nacho, and cream cheese). Bear in mind, that there isn’t a soy cheese out there that is going to precisely replicate the texture and flavor of cheese. But Vegan Gourmet cheeses taste pretty darn good, melt well, and my lactose-intolerant daughter loves them. Newer to the market are Daiya Vegan Cheeses, which are soy-free and made from tapioca and arrowroot flour. They have great meltability, but since they’re new, they’re more difficult to find. You can buy them online at stores like Pangea and Vegan Essentials (and Karmavore and Vegan Granola in Canada). I haven’t yet tried Dr. Cow Tree Nut Cheeses, but I have heard they’re amazing at replicating that fermenty-cheesy flavor. You can order an assortment online at their website: http://www.dr-cow.com/shop/

Turtle Mountain makes a whole line of coconut milk beverages, creamer, kefir, yogurt, and ice cream under the brand names So Delicious and Purely Decadent. If you are in the U.S., you can even download $1 off coupons good for any of their products at their website here: http://turtlemountain.com/products/coupon.html

One of my favorite dairy-free recipe books is Calciyum! by David and Rachelle Bronfmann. I believe it may be out of print now, but you can still find a copy through amazon.com

I hope that’s helpful!
AllergyMom on November 26th, 2009 3:53 pm

Thanks for your comments and suggestions! I should clarify that the individual who taught the class leads a vegan lifestyle and is in fact very knowledgeable about dairy free – but primarily from an adult’s perspective. Kids have such different taste buds and clearly I had incorrect expectations about the class. I really appreciate your suggestions and will check out the products you discussed.