Navigating the Dairy Dilemma for Health (Part 2)

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Last updated on 9 March 2026 by BLC Editorial Team

This week our focus is on adjusting to a dairy-free diet, covering concerns about Calcium and the pros and cons of milk substitutes. Guidelines for a lactose-free diet are included for those who might otherwise tolerate dairy since this is quite a common issue.

Doing Dairy-Free Well

Fortunately, we live in a day and age where dairy substitutes are more readily available than ever before. The key is to consume a variety of dairy alternatives and ensure they contain natural ingredients. The real alternatives to cow’s milk are of course goat and sheep milk products. However, in the case of cow’s milk allergy, these can still be problematic foods. The recommendations here are focused on predominantly plant-based alternatives to dairy.

Tips on how to go Dairy-Free

Vegan products are a guarantee of dairy-free
Prescription and over-the-counter medications often contain lactose
Read labels carefully for hidden sources of dairy. Look out for words other than milk or butter that indicate the presence of lactose or cow’s milk including ghee, whey, hydrolysed whey, casein, caseinate, beverage whitener, lactalbumin, rennet and curds
Watch for products like dips, salad dressings, flavoured chips, some bread and baked foods, ready-to-eat breakfast cereals, instant soups, confectionery and biscuits, salad dressings, sausages, gravy, drink mixes and margarine.(1)

Simple swaps

Replace butter with

avocado, nut butter or hummus as a spread
applesauce or mashed banana in baking
coconut and olive oil in cooking

Replace plain and flavoured yoghurt with

coconut yoghurt
soy yoghurt
cashew cream (try homemade)
tofu cream

Replace cheese with

cashew cheese
nutritional yeast
vegan cream cheese
tahini

What about Calcium?

Calcium-rich non-dairy foods can help with dietary adequacy, while calcium-fortified foods such as soy milk, firm or silken tofu and orange juice can be a good addition. Calcium supplementation may also be necessary for certain populations such as pregnant, breastfeeding and post-menopausal women.

Good sources of non-dairy calcium-rich foods include:(1,2)

shellfish and bony fish (eg. tinned salmon or sardines with bones)
leafy green vegetables including broccoli, kale, bok choy, collards and turnip greens
nuts and seeds, specifically almonds and sesame seeds
red and white beans including kidney, pinto and chickpeas
blackstrap molasses

Milk alternatives and their pros and cons

There is no perfect substitute for cow’s milk in terms of its nutritional properties. The closest in terms of protein content is soy milk. While the benefits of plant-based milk products are that they are low in saturated fat and cholesterol(3), the disadvantages depend on the quality of the product consumed. Generally, plant milk is higher in kilojoules due to a high content of oil and added sugar. In fact, sugar content can be equal to that of sugar-sweetened beverages. Opting for an oil-free and unsweetened brand will improve the nutritional value of the product. Plant milk is also lower in iodine, potassium, phosphorus and selenium (3) and so a varied and balanced diet must be implemented to ensure these nutritional needs are met from other food sources.

Non-dairy beverages are commonly derived from almond, cashew, coconut, hazelnut, hemp, macadamia, oat, rice and soy. Most options are low in protein. Keeping a few on rotation for different recipes, sourcing organic brands where possible and choosing products with minimal ingredients is a good rule of thumb. The rest comes down to taste preference!

Lactose Freedom

If you’ve had an official diagnosis of lactose intolerance and can clearly distinguish that lactose is your only issue, here’s how to keep an eye on your intake of dairy products that aren’t lactose-free. Milk may be more problematic since it is higher in lactose, while the lactose in yoghurt is digested more efficiently due to the lactase present as a result of probiotic bacteria. Cheese on the other hand has negligible lactose.(3) The lactose threshold will vary from person to person. The majority of people can tolerate up to 5g of lactose per single dose or approximately the equivalent of 100mL of milk.(1)

When testing your lactose threshold it is recommended to trial:(1)