I've been trying to avoid cow's milk as much as possible recently. No one has told me I'm dairy intolerant or allergic to it, but I've found when I drink cow's milk (I'm a flat white addict) I tend to get bad breakouts and feel really lethargic. I've heard it's quite common for people with a gluten intolerance or coeliac disease to develop problems with milk, so perhaps this is something that has just developed over time?
Either way, I have been trying to find alternatives I enjoy and although I loathed it at first, I actually enjoy drinking almond milk in my coffee. Don't get me wrong, I still have the occasional flat white and I do enjoy pouring cream in my coffee for a weekend treat, but generally cutting out cow's milk has helped to keep my calories and sugar intake down, and my skin looking a tad less like a teenager's!
Here are some of the dairy free products I have been digging recently...
Almond Breeze iced mocha and cappuccinos
I love an iced mocha. I'm a sucker for a cold cappuccino. So when I saw these by Blue Diamond in my local Tesco it was like some sort of chemical reaction in my brain, and before I knew it I was putting them through the checkout!
It's great to finally see a dairy-free alternative to all the milk-laden, iced coffee products already available. They are also lower calorie, though still only reserved for the rare, occasional treat!
I really enjoyed the iced almond mocha, but the iced almond cappuccino, while nice, I wasn't so keen on. I picked these up in Tesco.
Coyo coconut yoghurt
Coconut yoghurt!? This I just had to try. Again, this was a new addition to my local Tesco's chilled aisle, but I had see them before at Whole Foods in London when I went last year.
I have only tried the natural flavour, but I believe there are other variations and my friend has tried the vanilla flavour which she said was very nice. It's dairy, gluten, soya and lactose free, and makes for a low carb, low sugar snack. It does taste very coconutty, and has a different consistency to yoghurt, more like a coconut cream.
I enjoyed mine with some berries, but I did find when eating this on an empty stomach it made me feel a bit sick - I think perhaps it was a little rich and fatty, so I will reserve it for small portions only, or adding to smoothies!
Alpro dark chocolate almond milk
Oh my, I simply cannot stop drinking this!
I found out about this through Coeliac Delight's Instagram, and swiftly rushed out to find it in Sainsbury's. Not only did I find it, but it was also on offer - result!
It is so amazing - much lower calorie than dairy milk chocolate drinks. I have it in my coffee as a treat, but you can happily drink it on its own - and I bet it would be amazing hot as well. It's nice to see more dairy free 'treats' coming out now. I think the dairy free market probably is now where the gluten free market was five years ago - it's starting to catch on and grow, and I hope it continues.
Rude health oat drink
I was sent this drink to sample from Rude Health and I have to admit I was sceptical. I thought it would be bland and tasteless, but I was very pleasantly surprised.
This dairy free alternative to milk has a slight 'porridgey' taste, but it's really smooth and a bit thicker than alternatives such as almond milk. It's a good colour too - it looks almost like 'real' milk in my coffee!
I like the fact its organic, and even though it is unsweetened it has a tinge of sweetness to it. This drink was a real surprise for me and the dark horse of the lot. I love the packaging and branding as well - nice and funky!
What are your favourite dairy free products? Please share them in the comments below - I'm still getting used to cutting out dairy so need your suggestions!
' Natures Store' Hazelnut & Cocoa spread......Dairy & Gluten free! ......found in Sainsburys.
I was so disappointed with the Coyo coconut yogurt, I thought it tasted very sour. Have you tried the Rebel Kitchen range of mylks? The chocolate flavour is out of this world!
This is a good to dairy product for daily eating/drinking.
Ooo, I didn't know that Rude Health Oat drink is now gluten free! I've tried the Coyo yogurt, I was extremely excited when I found it in Tesco but it was yuck! It tasted very sour, even the chocolate one, I totally wasted my money.