As a result of experiencing a number of medical challenges and obstacles, I've learned to find the lemonade in all of the lemons life hands me. And, I’ve learned to listen to my body, adapt, and advocate for myself. This includes eating milk- and gluten-free. 

Some of my health challenges led to my doctors recommending that I eat a milk- and gluten-free diet. My doctor removed milk and all of its products and proteins (including cross-contact) from my diet when I was about 10-years-old and it made a dramatic positive impact on my health. Then in my 20s, that same doctor removed gluten from my diet and again there was a dramatic positive response.

Milk and gluten are hidden in lots of foods. Eating for me requires careful label reading, a healthy dose of patience, and a lot of planning.

As a result of eating milk- and gluten-free, I’ve developed a love for cooking and discovered lots of creative solutions to transform recipes into something safe for me to eat.

Along the way, friends and family have looked to me for advice when they learn they or a loved one needs to eat milk- and/or gluten-free. I recently took time to curate that information and today I’m sharing that with you.

By avoiding milk I don’t eat or drink milk, butter, creams, cheeses, yogurts, or any of their byproducts. And by avoiding gluten, I don’t eat wheat, rye, barley, or oat products. I learned how to read labels using the Food Allergy Research & Education’s (FARE) How to Read a Label sheet for milk and when I became gluten-free, I also found their guide for wheat to be helpful as well (note there is a difference between wheat and gluten). In fact, at one point FARE made magnets with this information (at that time they were the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network), and I still have the bright yellow magnets on my fridge. They are great references and reminders for the various words that can be used to indicate milk or wheat on an ingredient list.

Over the years I’ve tried a lot of different substitutes for milk and gluten-based products. Here are some of my favorite substitutes and brands:

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Milk and cheeses

• Margarine: Earth Balance, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter - Vegan

• Milk: Coconut, soy, or almond milk (no brand preference)

• Yogurt: Silk Soy Yogurt, So Delicious Coconut Yogurt

• Sour cream: Tofutti

• Cream cheese: Tofutti

• Parmesan cheese: Go Veggie

• Cheese: Daiya (it melts like real cheese!)

Breads and wraps

• Bread: Udis (frozen), Rudis (frozen), Trader Joe’s, Canyon Bakehouse

• Bagels: Trader Joe’s, Canyon Bakehouse

• Hamburger and hot dog buns: Udi’s (frozen), Canyon Bakehouse, Schar

• Wraps: Food for Life (frozen), Toufayan, Mission

Baking supplies and mixes

• Flour: Pillsbury Gluten Free Flour, King Arthur Gluten Free Flour

• Pizza crust: Gluten Free Bisquick

• Muffin mix: King Arthur Gluten Free Muffin Mix

• Pancakes/waffles: King Arthur Gluten Free Pancake/Waffle Mix

• Cake: Betty Crocker Gluten Free Yellow Cake Mix

• Brownies: Betty Crocker Gluten Free Brownie Mix, King Arthur Gluten Free Brownie Mix

• Chocolate chips: Enjoy Life Foods

Snacks, crackers, cookies

• Pretzels: Snyders Gluten Free, Glutino

• Crackers: Lance Gluten Free Crackers, Vans Lots of Everything Crackers

• Granola: Kind, Udi’s

• Granola/breakfast bars: Kind, Glutino

• Cookies: Cybele’s (Oatmeal Raisin), Enjoy Life Foods (Snickerdoodle)

Frozen treats

• Ice cream: Trader Joe’s coconut ice cream (Strawberry), So Delicious ice cream (Salted Caramel Cluster), Ben and Jerry’s Dairy-Free (Cherry Garcia)

• Ice cream bars: So Delicious ice cream bars

Miscellaneous

• Cereal: Cheerios, Honey Nut Chex

• Chocolate bars: Enjoy Life Foods (Ricemilk Crunch)

• Frozen pizza: Daiya (Fire Roasted Veggie)

• Macaroni and cheese: Daiya (Deluxe White Cheddar Style Veggie)

• Pasta: Ancient Harvest, Barilla

I use the brands listed above and lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, and meats to create my go-to meals and snacks. I map out my meals and grocery list once a week (I’m a planner). Here are a few of my favorite cookbooks and a sampling of ideas to create your meals from:

Cookbooks

• Cooking Free by Carol Fenster

• Low-Fat, Low-Cholesterol Cookbook by the American Heart Association (Note: This is not a milk- and gluten-free cookbook, but many of the recipes are naturally free of both or are easy to adapt)

• Make it Fast, Cook It Slow by Stephanie O’Dea

• Quick & Easy Cookbook by the American Heart Association (Note: This is not a milk- and gluten-free cookbook, but many of the recipes are naturally free of both or are easy to adapt)

Breakfast

• Soy or coconut yogurt with fresh fruit and gluten-free granola

• Cereal with soy or coconut milk and fruit on top

• Smoothie (frozen fruit, fresh banana, baby spinach, soy or coconut yogurt, plus coconut water, and sometimes a little honey)

• Breakfast bar

• Homemade muffins or breads (Sweetbreads such as pumpkin and banana work best. The pureed fruit helps the bread bind.)

• Oatmeal (topped with sliced almonds, coconut flakes, and berries)

Lunch

• Sandwich made with a gluten-free wrap or gluten-free bread, cooked chicken/turkey, and toppings of your choice

• Salad with grilled or cooked chicken and toppings of your choice

• Egg, tuna, or chicken salad with vegetables and/or crackers

Dinner

• Grilled chicken (marinated in one of many homemade sauces)

• Ground turkey tacos with toppings of your choice in a gluten-free wrap, with tortilla chips, or in corn tortilla shells (hard)

• Tapia (cooked in coconut milk with a little ginger, dill, salt, and pepper)

• Mahi Mahi (sauteed and topped with fruit salsa)

• Salmon (baked with melted margarine and brown sugar)

• Gluten-free pasta with sauteed chicken or shrimp and vegetables

• Steak (marinated with McCormick steak seasoning or a homemade sauce)

• Turkey burgers

Sides

• Coconut rice (sub half the water for coconut milk)

• Mushrooms (sauteed in olive oil, milk-free margarine, salt, pepper, thyme, and a little red wine)

• Caramelized onions (use milk-free margarine)

• Garlic mashed potatoes (use milk-free margarine and almond or coconut milk)

• Sugar snap peas sauteed in coconut oil and sprinkled with sea salt

• Grilled vegetables (such as zucchini, tomatoes, onions, and mushrooms marinated in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and Italian seasoning)

• Red potatoes (boiled and then mixed with margarine and parsley or cut in half and baked with olive oil and seasoning)

• Sweet potatoes (peeled, sliced, and baked with a little olive oil, salt, pepper, and cinnamon)

• Oven fries (potatoes sliced into wedges, drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with McCormick Roasted Garlic Herb Seasoning and baked)

Snacks

• Popcorn (cooked on the stove with coconut oil, and topped with salt and craisins)

• Apple (sliced) and peanut butter

• Tortilla chips and salsa or guacamole

• Hummus with carrots, apples, sugar snap peas, and/or gluten-free pretzels

• Granola bars

• Rice cakes

• Almonds and dried fruit

• Pressed fruit strips

I hope these ideas and examples can help you and/or your loved ones successfully eat milk- and/or gluten-free. By avoiding milk and gluten, I am able to keep many of my health conditions in check. If you have any questions, are looking for an idea for a substitution, or aren’t sure which brand of something to try, feel free to ask.

And always, always talk to your doctor and read every label.

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