Milk Alternatives and Gluten-free bread

[Tami Lynn]

Here's Tami's rant for the day....

I know there has been much controversy and some debate over pasteurized, homogenized, cow's milk and some speculation between Crohn's disease and the myco-bacterium paratubercolosis organism.

Here are my experiences trying milk alternatives:

I've tried soy milk as a milk alternative (I usually buy vanilla Silk) and it's not bad. It tastes fine on cereal, although I don't think I would want to drink it plain.

Recently I have read in various places that Soy products may actually be bad for you. I realize that we are always being told something is good for us one week and then a week later being told that it is bad for us, but I'd rather err on the safe side. Besides, I haven't read any negative reports on almond or rice milk (yet).

A couple of weeks ago I read about almond milk (Almond Breeze came highly recommended), so I decided to go out and buy some Almond Breeze to try it. Well, the store didn't have any regular flavored almond milk, but they did have a container of chocolate almond milk. I tried a glass of it plain, and let me tell you...it was HEAVENLY! Very creamy, slightly sweet and perfectly chocoate. I will definitely be buying this one again! :thumleft:

I have since been able to purchase the plain almond milk as well as a container of vanilla rice milk (Vanilla Rice Dream is the brand). The plain almond milk works well as a milk substitute in things you want to have a creamy texture. Almond milk is much creamier than soy milk and not chalky at all. Surprisingly, it doesn't have a strong almond flavor either. I use it in my hot breakfast cereals (oatmeal, grits, etc)

I have found that rice milk tastes delicious on cereal (at least the vanilla kind). It's slightly sweet and definitely thinner than the almond milk. My daughters really enjoy rice milk on their cereal in the morning!

Also...for those who are trying to eliminate flour from their diet: check out Ezekiel 4:9 bread. This company makes bread using sprouted grains. Some of their breads do contain a naturally occuring gluten, but they also have varieties that are glute free. If you'd like to check out their website, go HERE.

I've only tried their whole grain sprouted bread (which does contain some naturally occuring gluten from the sprouted wheat grain). It has a sort of nutty flavor and makes very tasty toast (IMO). In fact, as soon as I'm done posting here, I plan to go make myself a piece of it with a bit of rasberry preserves. :ybiggrin:

Blah, blah, blah...

Anywhooo, thanks for reading. I'd love to hear everyone elses experiences with food alternatives and substitutes.

One more thing:
I ordered a book that was recommended on here (by the user: Mazen) called, "The New Eating Right for a Bad Gut." It looks like it will be an interesting book to read. Has anyone else read this book? And if so, has it been helpful in achieving remission or keeping IBD symptoms under control or at bay?

Thanks for the tip Mazen! I look forward to reading the book.

Hope everyone is having an enjoyable weekend!

 

[Kev]

Tami

The first its good for you, then its bad for you thingy will never go away. There will always be pro and con opinions, and no one side will ever dominate for eternity.

What's a person to do? Moderation.. personal experimentation. don't base a diet exclusively on a single brand or type.. I know, it sounds pretty lame. I haven't used any soy milk products yet, but I routinely use soya sauce in cooking, as long as I watch the salt content.. And I'm assuming that soya sauce is a derivitive of soy.. (which could be totally erroneous on my part).. I know that soy is a legume,
and that traditionally legumes were recommended as part of a healty diet intake..
But I also know that soy has to be heavily proccessed to be consumed by humans
and that causes me some concern. My plan? See how many of my recipes that use soya sauce or soy based proteins in one form or the other I can limit, reduce or eliminate without castastrophic effect on my diet. Having said all of that, HAS anyone tried mozzarella cheese made from soy milk? I'm dying (well, not dying) to come up with a non dairy, low fat, low lactose substitute for mozzarella so I can whip up a homemade pizza. first member to tell me they tried it and lived gets a slice..

 

[Tami Lynn]

Having said all of that, HAS anyone tried mozzarella cheese made from soy milk? I'm dying (well, not dying) to come up with a non dairy, low fat, low lactose substitute for mozzarella so I can whip up a homemade pizza. first member to tell me they tried it and lived gets a slice..

Kev, Ha ha! I wish I could give you some advice here...but I haven't figured out or come up with a good cheese substitute yet. Truly healthy pizza sounds like a dream! lol

Since I didn't come up with an answer, could I buy a slice after you do make your first low-fat, low-lactose pizza?

And I guess if you get tired of waiting, just use a low-fat mozerella and take Lactaid pills or digestive enzymes to help with the lactose. It's all good, right? I guess moderation is key. :wink:

BTW: Thanks for the reply.

Good luck!

 

[Jeff D.]

A great way to make pizza is to use very little chees and as high heat as you have without going broiler mode. You just want to sprinkle a bit of mozzerella which if you buy fresh is much better for you. The fresh stuff is what comes in a sealed bag with its juices. You don't need much and then put a little bit of topping on and it will be tasty. I don't really have milk problems or anything or at least not yet. Thanks for the tips.

 

[ruthymg]

I tried the soya milk and oat milk some time ago and didn't like the taste of either unfortunately. I'va also tried the lactose free milk, which I also didn't like. I would be up for trying the almond milk and rice milk though, theres got to be something thats as nice as cows milk. What about goats milk anyone? I used to drink this all the time as a kid and its really creamy and really good for you.

Kev, just out of interest, you say you don't want to have mozzerella and want a cheese substitute, have you tried something like Feta cheese, thats from goats I believe and its lovely. I actually eat mozzerella with no problems and didn't really think about the cow link until you mentioned it as it comes from buffalo but what you say makes sense.


Ruth