So – if you’re not eating dairy anymore (who wants to be a 300 pound cow???), what do you drink?

Water. Hands down, the best thing you can drink.

Tea – preferably herbal (doesn’t contain caffeine) or decaffeinated green tea. Of course you can choose other teas – try to find it without caffeine, or added ingredients (sweeteners, chemicals). If you’re a Southern sweet tea drinker, switch to agave or stevia for the sweetener.

Juice – sometimes. Remember that it takes a lot of oranges to make one glass of oj – so you get all the sugar from those oranges with none of the fiber that helps it digest more slowly. You can add more water to the juice to make it less sweet.

Decaf coffee – sometimes. Even decaf has some caffeine in it. If you’re a hardcore coffee drinker, wean yourself from coffee slowly, adding a greater percentage of decaf to your cup each week. Use a non-dairy (low-chemical) creamer, like soy milk or soy creamer. Use stevia or agave as a sweetener.

Spritzers and “sodas” – sometimes. Organic soda is still empty calories and hard on your teeth. Read the label and choose a brand made from juice. Go easy on your wallet, and consider it a rare treat.

Bottled juice blends – rarely. They look tasty, but they pack in a load of calories and sugars. Even if all the sugars are from fruit, they’re in there.

Milk subs – soy milk, rice milk, almond milk, and oat milk are all generally available. There are many brands, many flavors, many origins, and they all taste different. Some are found in aseptic cartons on the shelf; others are in the refrigerated case. You may not like it at first – give it another chance, and try a different brand. Some tips about milk subs –

• For gravy and savory sauces – plain soy creamer
• For chocolate milk – try chocolate almond milk (especially warmed up!)
• For ganache – soy milk or soy creamer (can use vanilla here, since it’s dessert, but plain works great)
• For mashed potatoes – soy milk or soy creamer (decadent!)
• For your coffee – soy creamer or soy milk (rice milk tends to separate)
• Powdered – Better Than Soy Milk® and Better Than Rice Milk® – available in health food stores
• Buttermilk – make this quickly by putting 1 Tablespoon lemon juice or apple cider vinegar in a 1 cup measure, and filling with soy milk. Let it sit for a minute. Doesn’t work as well with rice milk. OR – start with 1/4 cup of plain soy yogurt and add soy milk. Stir gently and let sit. Thicker, but not as sour.
• Rice milk is naturally a little sweeter, and much thinner in consistency. If you are used to 1% or skim on your cereal, this is for you. Does not bake as well because of consistency, and does not do as well in savory dishes because of the sweetness. Check grams of sugar with brands – again, it’s sweet from the rice, you don’t need any added sugars.
• For soy milk, know that some brands taste more “beany” than others. Those may not be as drinkable, but do really well for making gravy or “buttermilk.” Some of the more processed brands have some chemicals in them, but they may be more drinkable.
• Remember, you don’t have to drink milk to be healthy. But it’s handy to have in the kitchen for cooking.

Feel free to share your favorite beverages in the comments!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 24th, 2009 at 8:20 am and is filed under Articles - Ten Steps and THM Basics, Dairy, Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.