I received a message from a friend today, that her daughter has been directed by their doctor to avoid milk and milk products. She was wondering what tips I have and which replacement food products we like. It took me right back to the early day's of our son's food allergy diagnosis. It's overwhelming, and time consuming to figure out what is safe to eat! I remember wading the waters and even misreading labels. One big oops was misidentifying a lactose free cheese as being dairy free. Hives and a bellyache later, I have not made that mistake again. So, to help take some of the guesswork out for you, here is our list of go-to milk replacement items!
(This post is definitely not sponsored, because I haven't yet found any free fake cheese on our doorstep, so opinions are all our own!)

• Unsweetened Almond Milk- We chose almond milk as our go-to milk for several reasons. It has as much calcium as cow's milk and still has some fat in it, which is helpful for young kids. It also has a mild flavor, so I've found it to be great in cooking and baking. Coconut milk is also a great alternative.

• Earth Balance "Butter"- Earth Balance brand has multiple 'butter' replacements. My favorites are their buttery sticks and their buttery spread. These have been amazing for baking and also great for grilled cheese and bagels. They even have soy free and organic versions. 

• Yogurt- There are many alternatives when it comes to yogurt. Our favorites are SoDelicious almond milk and coconut milk, yogurts. 

• Ice Cream- SoDelicious is also our favorite brand for ice cream products. The coconut milk ice cream is beyond amazing. (My husband and I are ice cream junkies, and we do not feel like we are missing out when we eat our son's ice cream. yes, sometimes we eat his ice cream... mean parents...) They also make ice cream sandwiches and bars, so that has been great for giving  us our son some variety! 

• Daiya "cheese"- After some trial and error, our son's favorite "cheese" is made by Daiya. Because his allergy was diagnosed at a young age, he has never known anything different. However, I too have found the Daiya shredded cheese to be mild in taste and it melts very well. We use it for mac and cheese, pizza, quesadillas and plain, as a snack.

• Snacks- Finding milk free snacks can feel tricky at first. Many foods, that you wouldn't expect, have some form of milk in them. The best advice is to read the label every time, and know which words, beside milk, indicate a milk protein is present in the food. Sometimes ingredients will change or an unexpected food will have milk in it. Panko crumbs, cereal bars and bread oftentimes have milk in them, so read the label  on every product, even if it seems unlikely to have milk in it.

As mentioned, when reading labels, there are many words that can indicate a milk protein is present. These words can include milk, butter, cheese, casein & caseinates, cream, dairy product solids, ghee, lactose and whey. For a more inclusive list follow this link.