Friday, August 3, 2007

Question about Dairy

As many of you moms know, I am not into dairy. But I recently got a question from one mom who wants to know what to use in place of butter. Margarine is terribly unhealthy. I use light olive oil in my baking, and Smart Balance for everything else. That's the healthiest replacement I've found so far (non-hydrogenated, no trans-fat). But if you moms have some information to pass along, please share it.

Also, another mom asked about finding a replacement for milk. She and her daughter aren't too keen on the taste of soy milk. There are so many flavors of non-diary milk, that there has GOT to be one out there for you. You may want to get turned on to soy milk by buying some sweeter flavors, like Very Vanilla by Silk or some of the chocolate varieties. You can then cut back on the sweetness as you get adjusted. Also, try different brands and see if one suits your taste.

Another mom wrote in because she is worried about the estrogen in soy milk. Actually, soy contains a natural chemical that mimics estrogen. And the chemicals and hormones that you get from dairy is a LOT worse than anything you would find in soy milk. My entire family does soy milk, and personally, I have not noticed anything adverse (if only I could blame PMS on soy milk....). However, if it bothers you, try rice milk or almond milk. There are delicious varieties of both. I got some rice cheese tonight that was delicious in my lasagna.

So now it's your turn, mom. What do you think? Write your comments and let me know.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

Earth Balance makes a great "Butter Substitute". It's all natural, non-hydronated oils, no trans fat, vegan and tastes great!

Mom-E said...

If anyone wants to avoid the phytoestrogen and thyroid effects that soy produces, one can try almond milk- it's low calorie and it tastes good ;)

Elizabeth Sue said...

I do rice milk. Myself and my daughter are allergic to milk. I too am concerned about soy milk. Works great for us and whole foods will give you a 5% case discount when you buy a case. Every little bit helps!

four padgetts said...

We are an almond milk household and are just adding hemp milk to our fridge. In addition to being more nutritious it is very yummy and the kids consider it a "treat".

Hannah said...

We are also dairy free. I've found Earth Balance to be a great butter substitute (and I love my butter)! And we use either almond or rice milk (my daughter prefers rice, while I like the almond).

Leanne Oaten Holistic Counsellor said...

We use Earth Balance (found in most health stores) It tastes just like butter to me and I use it in everything including melted on hot air popped popcorn with a little sea salt...YUM! We use Almond milk mostly, and soy milk occasionally too. I prefer Almond milk for the tast though..the only down side is it doesn't carry the protein and calcium the soy milk does.