At first the idea of never eating dairy again terrified me. I thought I could never do it but with the help of these products I can eat dairy free and enjoy some of the things that I ate before becoming lactose intolerant. When I discovered alternatives existed it completely changed my life and paved the way for me to become completely free of dairy. Moving to Dallas I’ve been exposed to new products, it’s different than what I’ve eaten previously. I’ve been dairy free for two years but I am constantly finding new things I love. Here are the dairy free products I can’t live without:
- Daiya cheddar cheese: This was the first dairy free product I have ever bought or been exposed to. I remember the day, my mother came home and said, “Look Whole Food’s has dairy free cheese! You can eat this! Everything’s going to be OK”. From then on everything was OK. This dairy free cheese has the same taste as dairy cheese. The only slight difference is the texture, when it melts it melts differently than dairy cheese. Honestly I love this dairy free cheese so much so don’t mind the minor differences. In my fridge you will also find Daiya mozzarella cheese too. I like both flavors for different meals. I use this product on Mexican and Italian dishes.
- Miyokos butter: This butter is vegan butter with the same buttery taste. It is very thick and creamy. I love using this for cooking and on toast or pancakes. If I go out to eat for breakfast I take some of this with me to spread over my breakfast.
- Daiya Deluxe Zesty Cheddar Style Cheeze Sauce: I love queso. As soon as I found this I was ecstatic. In my opinion the Zesty is better than the traditional cheddar. I end up adding salsa to the regular cheddar if I can’t find the zesty cheddar.
- Silk Dairy free Yogurt: I love using the yogurt for smoothies or to create a yogurt parfait. It is exactly like yogurt with dairy but better in my opinion. It is light but not too thin or too thick like Greek yogurt.
- Daiya Pepperoni Pizza: It was very hard for me to accept that I would never be able to eat pizza again. But this frozen pizza has made that possible for me. The pizza is light, very crunchy and cheesy. This is my go to dairy free pizza. I have tried the Margherita pizza but I didn’t like it as much as the cheese.
- So Delicious Dairy free Cookie Dough and Cookies N’ Cream ice cream. This dairy free ice cream is amazing. When I am craving ice cream I turn to either of these flavors. They are amazing and the most like eating ice cream with dairy. I highly recommend trying them if you love ice cream.
- Ben & Jerry’s Non Dairy Chocolate Fudge Brownie Ice Cream: This non dairy ice cream is very chocolaty. It tastes like eating a brownie with ice cream. I am proud of Ben & Jerry’s for creating a non dairy flavors. This was the first non dairy ice cream I came across in the store. I have tried the P.B & Cookies non dairy I didn’t like it that much it tasted too much like peanuts for me, it over powered the cookie part.
- Earth Balance Cheddar Squares: This snack changed my snacking game. Sometimes I have a taste for salty food and this snack hits the spot. I can’t believe that vegan cheese squares exist. I never thought I could eat something that resembled cheez-its again. This is a great alternative and snack.
- Nacho Vibes Hippeas: Vegan cheetos but better. This was a game changer. So good and so addicting.
- Almond milk: I typically drink original unsweetened almond milk from Aldi. It’s a good price since I go through many cartons. I have a glass with breakfast and dinner; I also mix it in with oatmeal too. I have tried regular almond milk that’s sweetened but it’s too sweet for me.
- Sieste mild queso: Amazing!! Vegan queso!!
- eatpastry vegan cookie dough: edible and cookable. It’s seriously the best!
- Beyond meat ground beef: My favorite ground vegan ground beef.
- Gardien meatless chick’n strips: Wow, I thought when I went vegan I would miss chicken but this is perfect!
- Plant based Alfredo sauce: I love this product. It’s so easy to add to vegan chicken and fettuccine noodles.
You can find most of these products at your local Whole Food’s store or Sprouts. Thank you for visiting and reading! Don’t forget to follow me and comment on this post! Additionally you can follow my Instagram account @smilewithoutcheese New posts every Monday!
Google restaurants: The first step of the restaurant research that I take is going straight to google. In the search engine I type dairy free restaurants or vegan restaurants. I read google reviews and begin previewing menus to see if the comments are accurate. Unfortunately there are a lot of people who write google reviews who don’t know the difference between dairy free, vegan, vegetarian and gluten free. So you have to continue your research beyond the google comments. Recently I have been using 
Preview the menu: Eating out takes a lot of extra work, you have to research the restaurant and menu beforehand to make sure you can find something to eat there. Also if the restaurant is a chain restaurant they more than likely have a allergen menu online in addition to a nutritional facts. So you can see if the item you would like to order contains your allergy or dietary preference. This is especially helpful.
Instagram: Do not underestimate the power of social media. I look to my Instagram followers to find new and good restaurants. The restaurant will share menus, photos and people will write their honest reviews. Plus you can direct message the restaurant to get quick responses. If the restaurant is good, they will answer quick. If they don’t then don’t eat there.
Call the restaurant if necessary: I have not yet done this, but I think that it’s safe to assume that if you have any questions the restaurant should be able to answer them directly prior. If they want your business they should be straight with you and whether or not they can accommodate your eating allergy or preference. If they seem unsure or shady on the phone then I would advise against eating there.
Read reviews: Read google comments, read blog posts, search Instagram and talk to people about their experiences at the restaurant in question. There are a lot of websites dedicated to helping people with allergies or preferences find restaurants that are safe to eat at. To name a few there’s 
Talk with the restaurant staff: On top of this preliminary research when I am in the restaurant I am talking to the serving staff. Recently if I am unsure about what to order off the menu, I ask the waiter what their suggestion is. They can usually come up with a safe recommendation for me that is dairy free. An important thing I talk about if the dish contains dairy and about cross contamination. I have found out the hard way that I am really sensitive to cross contamination, I have gotten sick from french fries sharing the same fryer as a dish that contained dairy. Eating out is a very delicate situation, you are putting your trust in the restaurant to make sure that you don’t get sick. So I am being super clear to the serving staff no milk, butter or cheese because something as little as butter on a pan can make me sick. When speaking to serving staff I am clear that I have a dairy allergy (even though I’m only lactose intolerant) I have been told that you always need to be overly cautious so the restaurant will take you seriously and take necessary precautions. I am explicitly saying right away, “I have a dairy allergy, just so you know for cross contamination please make a note for the chief” to the wait staff even if I know the dish does not contain dairy. That’s one of the first things I would say to the waiter.
Share your experience with the restaurant and with others. Post a review on google, write a blog post, post on Instagram and spread the word to other people by talking. There are many people with allergies or preferences who are looking for restaurants that are safe to eat at.
Next time you go out to dinner stick with restaurants you have had good experiences at or try something new. Keep growing your go-to list of safe restaurants to eat at.
Smile Without Cheese 