While our animal milk product consumption habits continue to be a source of debate, the dairy-free trend is flourishing in health-conscious circles.
The true prevalence of lactose intolerance—a condition which makes it difficult or renders a person unable to digest milk sugars from dairy products—is unknown in Australia. Despite this, Data Monitor's consumer and innovation trends in milk for 2014 report claims that roughly one-third of Australians (around 7.5 million people) actively avoid dairy products.
This has been attributed to growing awareness around dairy allergies, intolerances and health-toting hipster alternatives like almond and soy milk, which are increasingly becoming part of the staple offerings in savvy cafes.
But the bulk of our calcium and protein needs come from the dairy portion of the Healthy Eating Pyramid, so how can you ensure you're making up these nutrients in other ways if you choose to forego dairy?
Helen Ridge, a nutritionist and consultant for Nudie, spoke with ninemsn COACH about some of the reasons people are making the dairy-free switch, and how to do so without putting your health at risk.
Why go dairy-free?
The dairy-liberated lifestyle is certainly not for everyone, and, as Ridge points out, unless you suffer from dairy allergies you may not need to cut it out completely, if at all.
"If you are allergic to proteins in dairy, which is the casein, you should definitely avoid dairy," Ridge says. "People with milk allergies can experience symptoms such as skin rashes or hives."
Lactose intolerance and skin issues are also common reasons for avoiding the creamy stuff, according to Ridge.
"When clients experience symptoms of getting a bit bloated, a bit of a sore tummy or diarrhoea, then lactose intolerance is one of the first things that we look at. Going dairy-free may also help with skin conditions such as eczema."
But having those symptoms isn't a sign you should immediately purge your fridge of all milk, ice-cream or yoghurt. In fact, depending on where you sit on the intolerance spectrum, you may still be able to hold on to some of those dairy indulgences.
"It comes down to the enzyme lactase and how much you have of it — so some people do produce a little bit, and those people tend to cut out milk, but they can still consume yoghurt."
Can you meet your body's calcium needs without the recommended three serves of dairy Nutrition Australia recommends each day?
"You've only got to look at Asian cultures who don't consume a lot of dairy, and they don't have particularly high rates of osteoporosis," Ridge says.
"There are lots of other foods that you can get calcium from, so you just need to look at things like green leafy vegetables, broccoli, nuts, peas, almonds and tahini."
Vital for growth and maintenance of cells and structures, protein plays a major role in a healthy, balanced diet, and cow's milk and dairy boasts loads of the stuff.
"That's one thing to be aware of if you are cutting it out and you are relying on dairy for your protein intake," Ridge says.
But the good news is you can find protein in plenty of other food sources, both animal- and plant-derived.
"There are animal sources of protein, which are 'complete proteins' [protein sources which contain adequate amounts of all nine essential amino acids], and that includes dairy and, obviously, meat. There are lots of vegetarian sources as well, such as nuts, seeds and legumes."
It's also worth noting the meat and dairy aren't the only food sources considered "complete proteins", with powerhouse vegetarian sources like quinoa and hemp seed also containing all nine essential amino acids.
The dairy alternative dilemma
You only have to look at your local supermarket milk aisle to get a sense of the plethora of dairy-free options now available, and it can be overwhelming.
"You're going to see oat milk, rice milk, coconut milk… There's a lot of choice out there and people tend to choose based on their personal preference of flavour and what they want to get out of it, so [they may factor in] protein and calcium needs."
Ridge shares some of her tastiest dairy-free swaps to make the transition a bit easier:
Dairy product: Yoghurt
Swap: Coconut yoghurt
Benefits: Coconut yoghurt is rich in lauric acid, which have antibacterial properties.
Dairy product: Cream
Swap: Coconut yoghurt with maple syrup
Benefits: Coconut yoghurt contains live cultures known as probiotic bacteria that assist in gut health and boosts immune system.
Dairy product: Sour cream
Swap: Cashew cream
Benefits: Cashews are high in protein, magnesium and copper.
Dairy product: Cheese
Swap: Nut cheeses (cashews, Brazil nuts, macadamia nuts)
Benefits: These nut-based alternatives boast healthy monounsaturated fats and powerful antioxidants.
Dairy product: Ice-cream
Swap: Frozen banana blended with nut butter or coconut yoghurt
Benefits: Combine the benefits of nuts and coconut yoghurt with the magnesium- and potassium-packed goodness and natural sweetness of bananas.
Dairy product: Milk with coffee/tea
Swap: Almond milk
Benefits: Rich in the good monounsaturated fats, almond milk also helps with belly fat.
Dairy product: Milk or cream in desserts
Swap: Avocado blended with banana
Benefits: This creamy green fruit is rich in good fats, fibre and vitamin E, while bananas bring potassium and magnesium and some gut-loving probiotic goodness to the table.
Dairy product: Butter spread
Swap: Avocado or olive oil
Benefits: Both are rich in monounsaturated fats, with avocado oil also boasting additional vitamin E.
Dairy product: Butter in cooking or baking
Swap: Almond milk, chia seeds
Benefits: Almond milk is deliciously devoid of saturated fat, while chia seeds are rich in omega-3 fat ALA and contain plenty of protein and fibre.
Blueberry muesli stack with dairy-free coconut yoghurt
½ cup of muesli or whole rolled oats
¼ cup of almond milk
1 tub of Nudie coconut yoghurt, blueberry 170g
A handful of fresh blueberries
½ a banana
A handful of almonds
1 tablespoon of chia seeds
Puffed amaranth or quinoa
Sunflower and pumpkin seeds
- Place muesli in a glass and pour over the almond milk.
- Layer with nudie blueberry coconut yoghurt, fresh blueberries, banana, almonds, and chia seeds.
- Top with coconut flakes or any other of your favourite toppings. Serves 1-2