Eliminating Dairy from Your Diet: What to Avoid and What’s Safe
When eliminating dairy from your diet, it’s crucial to be aware of both obvious sources like milk and hidden sources where dairy might be present. Always check food labels to ensure they are dairy-free.
Foods to Completely Avoid:
- Milk
- Cream
- Half-and-Half (even small amounts in tea or coffee)
- Butter
- Yogurt
- Kefir
- Sour Cream
- Creamy Salad Dressings (e.g., blue cheese, ranch, thousand island) – Opt for vinaigrette alternatives like oil and vinegar.
- Creamy Sauces (often served with fish, chicken, or steak) – Request olive oil and lemon instead.
- Creamy Soups or Chowders – Choose broth-based soups without cheese. When dining out, ask if the soup is dairy-free.
- Cottage Cheese and Cream Cheese
- Most Muffins, Scones, Cookies, Cake
- Puddings, Custards, and Related Desserts (e.g., crème brulee, key lime pie, lemon meringue pie)
- Nougat (found in most candy bars)
- Ice Cream
- All Cheeses (including those from cow or goat milk)
- Certain American Dishes (e.g., pizza, lasagna, spaghetti, tacos, chips, meatballs)
- Surprising Restaurant Dishes or Processed Foods (e.g., meatloaf, scrambled eggs, sauces, soups, hot dogs, doughnuts, pastries, pancakes, mashed potatoes, chocolate)
Ingredients to Avoid:
When reading labels, steer clear of processed food ingredients containing the following:
- Ammonium Caseinate
- Calcium Caseinate
- Casein/Caseinate (in general)
- Curds
- Delactosed Whey
- Demineralized Whey
- Goat Milk
- Hydrolyzed Casein
- Hydrolyzed Milk Protein
- Iron Caseinate
- Potassium Caseinate
- Recaldent
- Rennet Casein
- Sodium Caseinate
- Whey (Powder, Protein Concentrate, Protein Hydrolysate)
- Zinc Caseinate
- Lactulose
- Magnesium Caseinate
- Malted Milk
- Lactalbumin
- Lactoferrin
- Lactoglobulin
- Lactose
Foods Safe to Eat:
These items are often confused with dairy but are safe to consume during dairy elimination:
- Eggs and All Egg Derivatives
- Ghee (clarified and filtered butter)
- Cocoa Butter/Powder
- Coconut Foods (including ‘cream of coconut’)
- Cream of Tartar
- Malt Liquor, Malt Vinegar, Malted Barley
- Shea Butter
- All Nut Butters
- Some Calcium Additives (Calcium Propionate, Carbonate, Citrate, or Phosphate)
Adapted from Go Dairy Free by Alisa Marie Fleming
Adapted from Go Dairy Free by Alisa Marie Fleming
