Non Dairy Diets

People follow a diet free of dairy products for many reasons. Some people have allergies to dairy, such as lactose intolerance, or other health problems caused by dairy foods. Some want to avoid the fat usually found in dairy, and some people simply find the conditions under which dairy animals are raised to be cruel and don't want to support the industry. Both the macrobiotic diet and the vegan diet use no dairy products, and dairy is seldom used in traditional Asian food, especially Chinese, Korean and Japanese foods.

Vegan Diet

The vegan diet uses no animal products of any kind, including honey, meat and eggs. Most vegans choose the diet in reaction to the inhumane treatment of animals in the meat and dairy industries, but whatever your reasons for choosing a non-dairy diet, the vegan diet provides a way of eating guaranteed to exclude all animal-based milks, butters and meats.

Vegans get most of their protein from beans, tofu and "fake meats" such as Boca Burgers and seitan. Vegan recipes will let you cook and prepare all your favorite foods without using dairy products. Vegan recipes are available for cookies, pies, soups, ice creams breakfast dishes and much more, all without dairy. You can use egg replacers such as commercial products like Egg Beaters or non-dairy foods such as applesauce as binders in cakes. The vegan diet often utilizes replacements for dairy products, such as non-dairy and nut butters and milks, and non-dairy tofu-based cheeses.

Macrobiotic Diet

If going completely vegetarian is not for you, the macrobiotic diet may help. Macrobiotics is a whole philosophy of health and eating, but it also avoids all dairy products. The emphasis is on whole grains and unprocessed foods, so the macrobiotic diet is healthier than the standard American diet overall. There is little to no use of milk replacers or non-dairy butters in macrobiotics, just recipes full of whole foods and grains. If you don't want to use any substitute foods and simply want or need to totally eliminate all dairy from your diet, macrobiotics can provide resources to help you make the transition. Folllowers of the macrobiotic diet mostly get their protein from beans, but fish is also allowed. Other meat, such as pork, beef, chicken and turkey are usually not used in macrobiotics.

Asian Food

Dairy is seldom used in traditional dishes from China, Japan and Korea. Chinese food often uses nothing but grains, small pieces of meat and vegetables. Cheese is not a staple of the Chinese diet, and you will seldom find butter or yogurt in real Chinese food. Japanese and Korean recipes also seldom use dairy products of any kind. If you want to eat delicious, healthy meals with no dairy, find and prepare some traditional Chinese, Korean or Japanese dishes. Avoid Indian recipes, however, as Indian food uses a great deal of milk, yogurt and butter.