Recipes for Healthy Living Feedback & New Ideas

[#1]

I am allergic to all milk and diary products, which seems to be in every recipe, ie> cheese, because it is high protein.  Can you please suggest alternatives. Also allergic to artificial sweetners. Please help. Thank you so much.

[#2]

Instead of milk, I use unsweetened chocolate or vanilla almond milk. It is made from almonds and is completely non-dairy. It is very low in carbs, the texture is good and it is quite acceptable in cereal etc. However, it does not do well for puddings because the pudding won't set well, but stays sort of ...loose.

There are sugar free, non-dairy creamers for coffee. They come in a lot of flavors.

Have you tried stevia? it is a no-carb, plant-based sweetener. There are many brands and many flavors. I like the plain,  chocolate and lemon flavors. I use the liquid kind with a dropper, though it is available in packet/powder form as Truvia.

[#3]

I'm not sure if you are suggesting this as an idea for the Recipes for Healthy Living section of diabetes.org, or just asking the question in general.

Products like soy milk or almond milk can be a helpful alternative for people who have problems tolerating dairy products and they can be substituted in many recipes. Another helpful aspect is that they often have fewer carbs than regular milk.

It would be nice, though. to have a section about substitutions somewhere, pointing out products that are especially helpful for people with diabetes or diabetes and other dietary restrictions.

[#4]

I am late getting to this comment but I would like to add that I found that non dairy creamers aren't always "non".  I became ill from these products several times and found out later by reading the fine print that there is milk in most of the non dairy creamers.  I too suggest almond milk. I love the stuff! I don't care for it in my coffee but use it in many dishes. I found that I can make a homemade pudding with it rather than use it with commercial puddings. I am not sure why it turns out well, I just know that it is so good. The type I buy has only 1 carb and sometimes I will find the label will say 2 carbs to 1 cup.

[#5]

Thank you all for your responses and ideas. It is true that soy milk or almond milk can be great alternatives to cow’s milk if you follow a dairy-free diet. In regard to the question about artificial sweeteners – if you are allergic to artificial sweeteners safest to avoid them. You can still have sweeteners like sugar and honey, but use them sparingly and in portion sizes that work with your diabetes meal plan. To learn more about sugar and desserts, you can visit http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/food/what-can-i-eat/sweeteners-and-desserts.html. We will also take the idea of having a page with substitution ideas back to our content team. We try to include a variety of recipes on Recipes for Healthy Living so that even those with special dietary needs can find something that will work for them. If you are dairy-free, you may want to check out the following recipes: Chicken Joes: http://www.diabetes.org/mfa-recipes/recipes/chicken-joes.html Green Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette: http://www.diabetes.org/mfa-recipes/recipes/green-salad-with-raspberry.html Sweet Onion, White Bean, and Artichoke Dip: http://www.diabetes.org/mfa-recipes/recipes/sweet-onion-white-bean-and.html Veggie Chili: http://www.diabetes.org/mfa-recipes/recipes/veggie-chili.html We have additional recipes that are also dairy-free. To find them, just visit our recipe archive at: http://www.diabetes.org/mfa-recipes/recipes/recipes-archive.html. We hope that you will find something that works for you and that you continue to visit for new recipes and meal ideas!