Lactose intolerant? Even if your not, you have probably heard it before from an aunt or an associate.
"Oh I'm sorry, I'm lactose intolerant, do you have soy milk or something like that instead?" That's what they all say, and you barely ever just happened to have the strange, bean based liquid they crave! For all those whom are lactose or milk protein intolerant, and for the considerate yet confused people who aren't, but want to learn more about us alien people who are, here's a guide to the strange world of intolerance!
To start off, here are some basic facts about lactose or milk protein intolerance.
*To be allergic and intolerant is not the same thing. Allergies are when you react to a food product or another substance with some form of uncomfortable reaction, and intolerance is meerly that your body is lacking the substance we use to digest lactose or milk protein.
*You can be intolerant to lactose, milk protein, or both. In some countries it is very common to be intolerant to one of them, like in Finland, where lactose intolerance is a run-of-the-mill hardship, or in China where milk protein intolerance is often seen.
If you aren't intolerant, you may think cooking or even drinking coffee without dairy would be a big hassle, but hopefully the following paragraphs will prove you wrong!
Purple Monsters's Official Guide to the Perfect Dairy Substitutes
Whether you are intolerant and need a little help with your every day dairy substitutes, or just a slightly confused non-intolerant person who happens to have an intolerant sister or such but feel as though you need a GPS in the soy isle of a super market, i hope you will enjoy the following guide.. =)
Substitute for:
Drinking milk/Cereal milk
I would suggest rice milk with added calcium, because of it's delicate, milk-like flavour and it's nutritional value.
Cooking milk for savoury or unsweetened dishes
Soy or oat milk is best for cooking according to me, they heat up well and dont add sweetness to your dishes. Oat milk is generally more available in northern European countries. For asian stews or other foods, coconut milk is an often used "dairy", both for dairy eaters and intolerant people.
Cream/Butter
I tend to use vegetable oil (such as canola or palm oils) based butter substitutes, they taste good and are better for your cholesteral levels than real butter. For cooking/coffee cream, vegetable oil based cream products work as well, or if you live in northern europe, oat cream works well in savoury dishes as well as coffee. You may also want to try powdered, dairy-free coffee creamers.
Yogurt
From my experiance, soy-based yogurt imitation products ("soy-gurt") taste the best.
Cooking milk for desserts
If you are looking for a flavourless dairy free option, go for rice milk. It won't add an unwanted flavour to your dessert. Other, more flavourful options, are almond milk or coconut milk. Observe that rice milk is a quite sweet product, so you may want to reduce the amount of sugar you add to your dessert.
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