My family has been mostly dairy-free for over three years now. It started when our first daughter was diagnosed with a dairy sensitivity right before she turned three.
Our second daughter experienced respiratory problems and ear infections her entire first year–until we discovered her dairy sensitivity as well.
When our third daughter started breaking out into a rash every time I consumed dairy, we decided it might be best for all of us to give it up.
But honestly? Giving up dairy hasn’t been all that difficult.
I will admit that I still miss cheese, but switching to a dairy-free milk to drink, use in smoothies or to cook with, etc. has been very easy.
Now, I will not just use any dairy-free milk on the market today (and there are many!). Any dairy-free milks I allow into my house must adhere to the following criteria:
How to Choose a Dairy-Free Milk
1. It must taste good.
You may think I’m kidding, but I’m not. I have three little girls with powerful taste buds. If I want them to drink milk, it must taste delicious.
2. It must be nutritious.
My personal choice for dairy-free milks include either almond or coconut. I believe both of these include good amounts of healthy fats plus calcium and other nutrients vital to my girls’ growing brains.
3. It must contain very minimal additives.
Virtually all store-bought milks will contain some additives. If you want something 100% additive-free, you will have to make your own dairy-free milk with a high-powered blender.
But when buying dairy-free milk from a store, the fewer the ingredients, the better.
4. It must be easy to cook with.
One reason that switching to dairy-free has been so easy for our family is because I’ve found it very simple to make our old recipes with a substitution of a dairy-free milk. Soups, creamy sauces, puddings, etc. are really no more difficult to throw together if you’re using a good dairy-free milk.
5. It must not contain carrageenan.
This is a biggie and worth a mention all its own. There are many natural and organic products on the market today that include this additive, but I believe it is potentially dangerous. I have a personal friend whose brother-in-law had cancer, and his doctor told him to never eat anything with carrageenan in it!
I have only found one brand of dairy-free milk to meet all of these qualifications–Silk.
I recently introduced my family to Silk’s new almond-coconut blend, and they loved it!
You can check out Silk for yourself plus pick up a coupon over on their Facebook page. Click here to like their page!
Do you drink dairy-free milk? How do you choose a dairy-free milk?
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.
Bekah C.
I use almond milk because I like the taste and I can find it at Aldi. The issue I have is that it tastes pretty almond-y. It tastes yummy and works well in baked goods, but I hesitate to use it savory things like mashed potatoes, soups or sauces. Almond flavored mashes potatoes? Weird. Do you have issues with this?
Erin
Hi Bekah! I prefer rice milk for savory dishes…it’s just not as nutritious. :/
Abby
Almond milk is also terrible for the environment. It takes a gallon of water to produce 1 almond and you can’t even use the whole almond to make milk bc of all the unusable pulp left behind. Also the areas where they grow it especially California are already in frequent droughts. I use cashew (the silk kind) and it is the best tasting, creamiest plant milk I’ve had (besides soy). It’s the lowest in calories as well. It’s better for the environment and because cashews don’t have skins you can use the whole cashew to make milk. I’m telling you it’s the best and it’s the most neutral tasting plant milk.
Samantha
I feel the same as Bekah, I find some dairy free milks have a sweeter taste that tastes odd in regular recipes… and some just plain don’t work! What kind of milk do you think is the most flavorless?
Erin
Hi Samantha! I think rice milk has the least flavor, but I still prefer almond or coconut for most things since they are more nutritious. I use rice milk for mashed potatoes or soups.
Abby
Use cashew!! It’s the creamiest and most neutral tasting. It’s lowest in calories and the closest to real milk texture imo. Plus it’s better for the environment than almond.
Allison
We recently took our daughter off cow’s milk and her skin has dramatically improved.(ezcema) My only issue is I want her to be getting enough calcium. We have tried coconut, almond, and we are now on goats milk. She doesnt care for almond, and the coconut seems to be going fine and she likes it but again, not enough calcium. We will see how the goat milk goes. I have read if cows milk doesnt go well, neither will goats milk….tbd. 🙂 Does the silk almond-coconut have a good amount of calcium?
Erin
Hi Allison!
I was happy to see that one cup of the blend gives 45% of the daily need of calcium!
Mins
One of the popular questions doctors like to ask little children is “How many glasses of milk do you drink a day?” I understand the reasoning behind this because they want to make sure the child is getting enough calcium, but the question can make a parent feeling very guilty if the answer is not what the doctor is looking for even though the family may eat a certain diet or have a certain lifestyle. I am not vegetarian, but I do take tips from the raw food vegan lifestyle where you eat raw fruits and vegetables. Most fruits and vegetables lose their vitamins once cooked.
The real point I want to get across and I’m leading up to is there are fruits and vegetables that actually have high calcium content. Knowing what these are, you can actually update the doctor, or any one else with concerns about calcium intake, on what the child is overall eating to reassure they really are getting what they need. Here are some fruits/vegetables with high calcium content…
#1: Collard Greens (Cooked)
Calcium per 100g serving Calcium in 1 Cup Chopped
210mg 357mg
21% DV 36% DV
#2: Kale (Raw)
Calcium per 100g serving Calcium in 1 Cup
205mg 137mg
21% DV 14% DV
#3: Turnip Greens
Calcium per 100g serving Calcium in 1 Cup Chopped
190mg 105mg
19% DV 10% DV
#4: Garlic
Calcium per 100g serving Calcium in 1 Cup Calcium in 1 Clove
181mg 246mg 5mg
18% DV 25% DV 1% DV
#5: Arugula (Rocket)
Calcium per 100g serving Calcium in 1 Cup
32mg
4% DV
#6: Broccoli Rabe (Rapini)
Calcium in 1 Bunch Cooked (437 grams)
516mg
52% DV
#7: Mustard Greens
Calcium in 1 Cup Chopped
152 mg
15% DV
#8: Sun Dried Tomatoes
Calcium in 1 Cup
59mg
6% DV
#9: Spinach (Raw)
Calcium in 1 Cup
30mg
3% DV
#10: Okra
Calcium in 1 Cup Sliced
177mg
18% DV
http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/high-calcium-vegetables.php
I’m running out of time right now to continue my website search, but fruit-wise a medium orange will have about 5% RDA while a lemon has 7%. Papaya is also a good source with 7% RDA and a kiwifruit has about 3%. Watermelon can also have some calcium to it.
Young Thai coconuts are rich sources of calcium with the average coconut providing 10-17% RDA (recommended daily allowance) of calcium.
Just one tablespoon of whole sesame seeds has 9% RDA of calcium! Think about all the things you can do with sesame seeds and at the same time, fortify your meals with lots of calcium. Add ground sesame seeds to green smoothies, make a raw hummus with sesame tahini or use it in salad dressings! Add it to raw nut butters or use them in raw desserts.
Chia seeds are another excellent source of calcium. One ounce has 18% RDA of calcium! Add them to smoothies or make them into your favorite raw recipes.
Flax seed, while being a rich source of Omega-3 essential fatty acids, also add calcium to your diet. One tablespoon has 3% RDA so as an added benefit to getting your daily fix of Omega-3s, you’ll also be helping to fulfill your calcium needs
Almonds are also high in calcium with 1/4 cup providing 9% RDA.
A cucumber will give you 5% of your daily value of calcium.
Erin
Wow–thanks for this!
Torie
Curious to know what your thoughts are on flax milk (with protein)? My son – 17 months with eczema – won’t do coconut or almond milk but lives flax.
Erin
Hi Torie,
I have only tried flax milk a long time ago, and I wasn’t a huge fan…I can’t remember if it was the taste or if there was something in it, but I think there is only so much you can do if he won’t drink the other…so no judgments from me! You could also try oat or hemp milk. Rice milk is another option, but it’s less nutritious.
christian cunard
I use almond milk in e verything. my daughter was dxd before a year with milk protein allergy and soy sensitive. I make mashed potatoes with butter and no milk sub. I also add spices. I use mostly plain almond milk for cooking and the vanilla and chocolate for drinking and cereal.
My only concern is making sure they get enough proper fats and nutrients for proper brain development.
Abby
Use cashew or oat. Almond is SO bad for the environment. Not as bad as cows but still uses a ton of water.
Kim Reeves
I also have a dairy and soy free daughter, we use unsweetened almond milk and coconut butter for cooking and so far so good. I have been experimenting with organic non GMO dairy products and can say I am having success with them in small amounts for cooking family meals. I have found a good cheese substitute for her when we have family pizza night or when they want a quesadilla or grilled cheese.
Beth
For savory dishes like mashed potatoes I’ve substituted chicken broth. It’s not quite the same but it works. Especially if you can use butter or ghee but are avoiding fresh milk.
Erin
That’s a great idea!