FINDING SUBSTITUTES: MILK EXCLUSION FOR YOUR DIET
People differ widely in how they like to deal with having to avoid common foods such as cow’s milk, wheat or bread, coffee or tea. Some people like to try and find as near a substitute as they can to the food they omit, so that their diet appears as normal as possible. Others find it frustrating and disappointing to eat things that taste different from the real thing, and prefer simply not to try to create substitutes.
Be careful not to binge or overload if you use substitutes that are closely related to things to which you are sensitive, in case you become sensitive to those as well. If you have to leave cow’s milk out of your diet, you can try goat’s milk or sheep’s milk as a substitute, but take care not to overload since they are related to cow’s milk. Goat’s milk, in particular, is very closely related to cow’s milk and it is common for people to become sensitive to it. Put it in your diet, but rotate it – once every four days at first – and use it sparingly. Increase its use later if you tolerate it well.
Sheep’s milk is generally much less troublesome than goat’s milk or cow’s milk, although this may be because it is more rare in the diet.
Rotate once every four days at first and keep it two days apart from goat’s milk if you are on a four-day rotation. Mail order sources of sheep’s and goat’s milk powder and cheese are given on page 167. You can also buy yogurt and cheese culture so you can make your own.
Fresh bought goat’s and sheep’s milk and yogurts are often unpas-teurised. Cook them before serving to babies and young children, pregnant women, the infirm or the elderly.
You can also use soya milk and nut milks as a substitute for cow, goat or sheep milks. These are rich sources of calcium and particularly useful in casseroles and baked dishes. Be careful not to overuse these since both soya and nuts can cause reactions. Some people are sensitive to processed soya milk in cartons, but not if they make their own. The reason for this may possibly be minute contaminants, either from the water used or from the packaging.
You can make nut milks by liquidising 100 g (4 oz) nuts with 340 ml ? pint) water. Hazelnut, almond, cashew and peanut are particularly delicious. You can use these as bases for puddings, to thicken soups or stews, or, sweetened, to drink.
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