Treat your tummy right with these great dairy alternatives

Dairy can be a nightmare for some people's stomachs, me being one of them. Ever since I was little, dairy products have always caused me issues. I've been tested several times for lactose intolerance but I have never gotten a positive reading. The doctors always said that I was probably just sensitive towards dairy. As I've gotten older, I've heard from many new doctors that dairy can really disturb people's digestive systems. Being a dairy food lover, I knew I had to be proactive, because I was being tortured every time I indulged in those foods. 

When I decided to go on the Paleo diet, I knew dairy wasn't allowed, so that was even more reason to discover non-dairy options. I started researching many products and meals that would be good alternatives to some of my favorite treats, those that I'd like to share below. 

Almond or coconut milk

When this beverage is good and cold, you could easily fool me that I'm drinking dairy milk. Almond and coconut milk typically comes in several flavors, usually vanilla and chocolate and then sweetened or unsweetened. I try to stick with the vanilla flavor, unsweetened because its generally sweet enough without the extra sugar. My favorite brand for almond milk is Silk and my favorite coconut milk is SoDelicious, but if the store brand is on sale I’ll buy that too. These milks goes great with cereal, making smoothies, and as an after dinner snack. In fact, when I'm craving something special I get the individual serving boxes of Silk dark chocolate, its a dessert all on its own, just like grown up chocolate milk. If your feeling creative you can try to make almond, or nut, milk on your own. Check out my classmates post here to see how. 

Coconut milk yogurt

On a paleo kick, I wanted a food that was paleo appropriate but still felt like breakfast. I often got tired of eating eggs all the time so I knew there must have been a sweet treat out there that would work with my diet. When I discovered coconut milk my breakfast dreams came true. Again, So Delicious to the rescue. They make individual serving cups of yogurt or larger 16oz containers. 

For the record, I did try almond milk yogurt, but didn't like it! 

Banana "Ice Cream" 

Moving away from the pre-made products listed below, I bring you a fruit turned into ice cream. Who doesn't love ice cream? Its probably my favorite dessert. My husband and I even had an ice cream bar at our wedding. On occasion its nice to have this as a treat, but too regularly and my belly is really update. I was browsing Pinterest one day for Paleo recipes and came across banana ice cream. I couldn't believe it so I had to try it. This honestly couldn't be any easier. All you need to do is freeze some overly ripe bananas overnight. I like to break them into one inch chunks for ease of storage and use. Once they are fully frozen, pulse the pieces in a food processor until they get nice and creamy. As soon as they start to break down you can mix in any additional ingredients to get your desired flavor. I've used chocolate chips, coconut, and even frozen strawberries, each creating their own mimic of traditional ice cream flavors. 

It's worth to note, SoDelicious makes a dairy free ice cream as well along with the products listed above, but I much prefer to save the $5 and just use up my extra bananas. I also prefer the least amount of ingredients in my food as well. 

I hope these alternatives can help provide some relief to you, or anyone you know who is sensitive to dairy. If anything, most of these options turn out to be healthier and more nutritious then most dairy products are, so more the reason to give them a try!