So we have recently discovered that my husband has developed an allergy or intolerance to milk. After months of pain and discomfort, he is starting to feel better. For right now we are going completely dairy free for his diet. So far it's been ok. Only minor adjustments here and there. He's never been a huge milk drinker and seems ok with using rice milk for ceral and such. The only thing he really misses is cheese. We have tried a few brands of "fake" cheese and he hasn't liked them at all. Can anyone recommend a brand to try? This stuff is expensive and I don't want to spend a million dollars looking for a cheese replacement.
Hi S.B. ~ Daiya is wonderful & very much like the real stuff. When cooked or baked w/it bakes evenly does not separate like some of the others do also no weird taste. You can buy it shredded or in slices & is truly dairy free does not contain casein like some of the dairy free versions do. http://www.daiyafoods.com/
I agree with B.D. If it is going taste like a crappy subsitute for the real thing, he might be better off eating something else. He will end up taking in calories that aren't even worth it.
I had to go nut, milk, and egg free for almost a whole year while I nursed my son, who has allergies. Now that I'm not nursing any more, brie has never tasted so good! While I was on my allergen-free diet, I added a lot of avocados and hummus to my food to get some creaminess. I got my chocolate fix from Trader Joe's chocolate chips, which have no milk in them. But I never did find a good subsitute for milk. Trader Joe's sells a dairy-free cream cheese. That might be worth a try. If you don't like it, you can return it for a refund. Good luck to you!
I found almond milk cheese at whole foods it was really tasty and it melts very nice too.
From my experience with my milk allergic daughter there is NO substitute. If I had to go completely dairy free cheese I would go without.
As far as soy/rice cheese, some still contain casein which is the milk protein so you have to watch. I've also heard that the 'mozzarella flavor' is the least offensive (yes you read that correctly!). My daughter will sometimes eat the Tofutti brand mozzarella but she has no 'real cheese' for a basis of comparison. Personally I think it smells nasty so I have not even sampled it.
Depending on how sensitive he is, my allergist told me some cheeses contain little milk are more plastic and additives. I did not ask which ones but I'd assume those cheese slices would be some of the fakest of the fake.
Lastly it has been my experience that a few grocery stores will let you sample the product before you buy it. It wouldn't hurt to ask right? The worst they can say is no.
We feed our son Veggie Delight and it's pretty convincing in my opinion. It is in the produce section by tofu. It comes in both shredded and slices. The slices have a wide range of flavors - American, cheddar, mozzarella, etc. It melts well too. I don’t find it that much more expensive than name brand sliced cheese for what it is worth. Good luck.
See if he can handle raw cheese. Sometimes people with dairy issues can handle raw dairy just fine.
There really isnt something that is comparable. I had to go dairy free over a year ago for my son and decided as a whole home we would embrace it. You cant tell a 6 year old he cant have what your eating without sadness.
I second the almond cheese being a good alternative, but it still isnt going to make pizza or casseroles. You really have to just change your way of eating.
My friend has girls that are allergic to many things and she wrote a few books. We do not have all the other allergens listed, so when she calls for gluten-free flour I use regular or substitute egg I just put a real egg in.
My family missed macncheese and now thanks to her book we can have it again. She is a stay at home mom and homeschools her girls, because even being in the same room as an allergen can set them off. Consider purchasing her book!
What is he wanting the cheese for? There are gobs of recipes online that use nutritional yeast as it has a very cheesy taste to it to make liquid cheeses for noodles and such. But we use Daiya at our house to make grilled cheese or quick nachos with.
