It has been estimated that over 7.5% of the U.S. population lives dairy-free, yet so few resources cater to this expansive and diverse group. To aid this niche, Alisa Fleming founded the informational website GoDairyFree.org in 2004, and produced the limited edition guidebook Dairy Free Made Easy in 2006, which quickly sold out. Back by popular demand, Alisa has updated and expanded her guide to address additional FAQs and to include an expansive cookbook section. Within this complete dairy-free living resource, you will
Over 225 Delicious Dairy-Free Recipes with numerous options to satisfy dairy cravings, while focusing on naturally rich and delicious whole foods.
A Comprehensive Guide to Dairy Substitutes which explains how to purchase, use, and prepare alternatives for butter, cheese, cream, milk, and much more, from scratch.
Grocery Shopping Information from suspect ingredients lists and label-reading assistance to food suggestions and money-saving tips.
A Detailed Calcium Chapter to identify calcium-rich foods and supplements and understand other factors involved in building and maintaining strong bones.
An In-Depth Health Section that explains dairy, details the signs and symptoms of various dairy-related illnesses, and thoroughly addresses protein, fat, and nutrient issues in the dairy-free transition.
Everyday Living Tips with suggestions for skincare, supplements, store-bought foods, restaurant dining, travel, celebrations, and other social situations.
Infant Milk Allergy Checklists that go into detail on signs, symptoms, and solutions for babies with milk allergies or intolerances.
Multiple Food Allergy and Vegan-Friendly Resources including a recipe index to quickly reference which recipes are vegan and which are free from soy, eggs, wheat, gluten, peanuts, and/or tree nuts.
I found this book after my own dairy allergy progressed to the point of no longer ignoring it. I felt overwhelmed and did not know where to start. Though, I did find some of the ingredients lists to not be my cup of tea, I will say though that this book combined with her website godairyfree.org changed everything for me. It is where I learned a lot of what I know about allergens and it is my go to place for all things food allergy.
The part of the book I found most fascinating and appreciated was a section where she informs you about different trials that had been done and what the results were. How being dairy free helped children with certain health issues. In my opinion, it helped me to grasp for the first time, how damaging consuming dairy can be and the idea of the little things that go unnoticed were actually symptoms all along (headaches, stomach aches, lack of focus, ect).
I don't particularly follow this cookbook, BUT it did help to create a foundation for me which I truly appreciate and thank her so much for putting this information out there.
The following conversation recently took place in my life:
BFF: So, I've been doing some research because of [this thing in her own life], and I'm 99% sure you have a casein intolerance. Me: Noooo, cheese is my favorite. Also, it's my real best friend. BFF: No, I'm serious. Me: I am serious. BFF: Read this, then try going maybe a meal or two without any dairy just for like a couple of weeks, and see how you feel. Me: Prepare to be wrong. [Several weeks later.] Me: Craaaaap.
So, yes. It turns out that my greatest love is also my greatest enemy. Who knew? I'm still in the beginning stages of this whole journey, so it's been some trial and error. I really like Alisa's site godairyfree.org and saw she had a new version of this book coming out in January 2018, so I decided to ILL the 2008 version of this to see if it might be worth ordering the 2018 version.
Now, a great deal has changed in 10 years. I can't imagine how hard going dairy-free might've been ten years ago (not to mention before that, yikes), but I still felt like I grabbed some solid, good information from this as well as some recipes and further resources. I'll most likely go ahead and buy the 2018 version of Go Dairy Free, which is huge for me—I'm a librarian spoiled with riches of free books all around me; I rarely, rarely, rarely buy books. So, that's saying quite a lot.
tl;dr: Technically, this is 10 years old, but if you see it super cheap and you're going DF, I'd go ahead and it pick it up for the tips and recipes. Based on this preview, I'm going to get the 2018 version for myself.
eta: Right after I wrote this, I was looking for DF cookbooks on Overdrive and Hoopla, aannnnd guess what? The 2018 version is on Hoopla, yessss! My little, shriveled librarian heart grew four sizes today.
This book provides wonderful information. In general she is unbiased and gives her reasons for organic but doesnt push it. She speaks about the reality of soy, but she uses it anyways because she believes moderation is fine. She doesn't speak about the dangers of peanut butter and isn't aware of the truth behind tofu and of many cooking oils. She was obviously sponsored to recommend clif bars and other bars, because she knows they arent healthy or a good alternative, however she recommends them anyways She seems to be pro things being fortified and vitamins being added to things She does speak about the dangers of supplements, and acknowledges people are going to take them anyways so she provides a list of recommendations, im glad she discusses the dangers of them though I LOVE SO MANY THINGS ABOUT THIS BOOK, it does its job of being a complete "dairy free" guide, however it is not also completely health conscious. It is only dairy free conscious. Which is what it promises, so all of my criticisms don't matter. Most people aren't health conscious anyways so they would hate the book if it was. I am going to give it a 4 out of 5, because I was too upset and distracted by all of the advertisements in the book to give it a 5: the processed crap she recommends which she obviously did only for some sort of monetary reward. BUT like I said, the focus of this is dairy free living, not healthy living. So it still did its job perfectly. And since most people hate cooking, they probably adore the recommendations and use them regularly, despite them being unhealthy. So I actually think most of her audience loves it. I cannot subtract more stars it wouldnt be fair. This is not a health book! This is a dairy free book! and it did its job wonderfully. Everything is easy to accommodate for any allergy, I appreciate that. Oh and the allergy index in the back? freaking genius. Also it references to many blogs, books and videos that are incredibly helpful. I really appreciate her thorough research as well.
3.5 out of 5: A lot of the information in the book seems obvious, but maybe I've just been dealing with allergies for long enough that it isn't new information for me and could be helpful for someone else. However, there were some good looking recipes and I want to try some of them. I wish there were more recipes, but I also know I can look on their website for many of the same recipes.
Lots of info, some new to me, some out of date. The 2018 revision of this book should make the 2008 version obsolete.
Recipes were less interesting than the commentary. I found a few spices/sauces to try, but I'm not vegan or a big fan of tofu, so many recipes didn't have much appeal.
I found this book to be more of a guide book than a read through book. It has wonderful information on allergies to milk and lactose intolerance. The book is divided into six sections - Understanding Dairy and Dairy Free from a Health Perspective, Eating Away From Home, Grocery Shopping and Preparing your Kitchen, All You Ever Wanted to Know About Dairy Substitutes, Recipes and Recommendations, and More Recommended Resources.
It was hard to admit and hard to give up, but I do much better without dairy. I learned about this book via the author's website and fine it really handy to have as a guidebook.
Alisa Fleming provides a thorough resource guide for all who want to go dairy free. I have been dairy free for three years and wish I would have read this book when I first began my journey. Her recommendations are similar to what I discovered through trial and error. I love that she included recipes and the ratios to substitute alternatives for milk products in recipes. I will definitely keep this guide handy as I continue my dairy free life. I definitely recommend this book for anyone who is or is considering going dairy free.
I had gotten this book thinking it was a cook book with lots of photos, but it is more informative about allergies, sensitives, and lactose intolerance. It does include recipes in later chapters, with helpful tips about substituting for non-dairy foods. I learned a lot about what I can and cannot eat, foods I should avoid, and foods I should be eating.
Great explanation of everything dairy including infant allergies, lactose intolerance, and dairy free living. All the recipes are great that I've tried so far plus there is a whole list of how to find or make dairy substitutions - even cheese sauce!