Go deliciously dairy-free!

18 January 2011 Have your say

Many caring people are choosing to cut back or go dairy-free to save the lives of bobby calves — the babies of dairy cows killed as 'waste products' of the dairy industry.

With an ever-expanding range of calcium-rich dairy alternatives available in supermarkets, going dairy-free no longer means missing out. Here's a list of our favourite cruelty-free dairy-alternatives.

Dairy's calcium myth

Clever marketing from the dairy industry has led many of us to believe that we must consume dairy for strong bones — this is completely untrue. Click here to debunk dairy's calcium myth!

Milk

Soy milk – The range of soy milk is huge and brands differ markedly in taste, so shop around and if you find one you like, chances are there's another you may like even more! There are also many flavoured soy milks that will satisfy any chocolate, vanilla, strawberry or iced coffee cravings. Our top picks are Vitasoy Soy Milky Lite, Sanitarium So Good, and Aldi's Just Organic.

Soy-free milk – For those with soy allergies (or for those who simply prefer the taste) there's also rice milk, oat milk or almond milk. These can often be found in the long-life milk aisle or the health food section of the supermarket.

Cheese

As with dairy-free milk, these 'cheeses' vary in taste among brands, but whether you like cheddar, mozzarella, smoked, or with chives you'll find one to your liking. Try Tofutti Slices, (best for 'cheese' burgers), Redwood's Melting Cheezly (for all occasions), Vegusto Mild Aromatic, Tofutti Cream Cheese (plain, French Onion, Herb & Chive).

Chocolate

Most dark chocolate is dairy-free, such as Whittaker's Dark and Lindt 70%. Supermarkets also stock Sweet William blocks, bars and cooking pieces in white and 'milk' chocolate (in the 'health' food aisle). Often in the same aisle are LEDA's* amazing chocolate rum balls and biscuits akin to Tim Tams and Mint Slices. And in health or wholefood stores Bonvita, Cocolo, and Tropical Source have so many different varieties of chockie treats, with GoMaxGo providing the mouth-watering dairy-free versions of the most popular chocolate bars.

* Note: some LEDA products do contain palm oil.

Marg & Cream

You can't go wrong with Nuttelex for your toast or in your cooking. It looks like margarine but has a buttery taste and is available in varieties including lite and olive.

For all things creamy, we suggest Soyatoo. With topping, cooking or whipped cream in both soy and rice options, it's hard to go wrong. For sour cream, try Tofutti's Sour Supreme.

Coconut cream or milk can add richness and flavour to dishes like laksa, curries and mushroom sauce. It can be used in savoury or sweet recipes - check out this amazingly simple and yummy recipe for caramel sauce made with coconut milk and dates - and nothing else!

Yoghurt

If you love yoghurt on your muesli or just as a snack, try Kingland Soy Yoghurt or Soy Life Yoghurt. Both come in a variety of flavours and are in the yoghurt section of the supermarket fridge. For a soy-free option, COYO coconut milk yogurt is delicious!

Ice Cream

For delicious dairy-free ice cream try Sanitarium So Good, a Tofutti Cutie, or a refreshingly sweet sorbet (Weis sorbets can be found in the ice cream section of the supermarket). COYO coconut milk ice cream comes in several amazing flavours - we can't go past the chocolate.

Shopping Online
If you have trouble finding any of these items in your local supermarket, ask at the counter or try checking in organic or wholefood stores. Or you could order everything without even leaving your computer from stores like Vegan Online, Vegan Perfection or The Cruelty Free Shop!

Dairy-Free Cooking
Keen to learn how to make easy dairy-free pancakes? What about a 'cheese' cake? Discover heaps of delicious dairy-free recipes at WhyVeg.com

What inspires you to shop and cook dairy-free? Is your favourite dairy-free product not yet listed here? Leave a comment!

Post a commentYour Say: 1143 comments

Dashsenohow: Useful piece Wednesday, 19 June 2013 at 1:32am

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Dashsenohow: Likely is not present Wednesday, 12 June 2013 at 8:54am

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Dashsenohow: Very remarkable topic Sunday, 9 June 2013 at 9:33pm

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Dashsenohow: I apologise, but, in my opinion, you are not right. I am assured. I suggest it to discuss. Write to me in PM, we will co Sunday, 9 June 2013 at 6:09pm

I join. I agree with told all above.

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diana Kellett: Pure Harvest Products are sound Tuesday, 14 May 2013 at 1:14am

Pure Harvest make Natures Organic Soy milk for organic Shops and they make Aussie Soy for supermarkets.Neither contain Palm oil. I had heard from Ethikool that So Good had begun using Palm oil again.So Good only stopped using Palm oil for a very short period.

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diana Kellett: Nutalex Margarinehas Palm Oil Tuesday, 14 May 2013 at 1:10am

The only safe non Palm oil margarine is Alpha one to my knowledge!
It tastes very good and can be found at Coles and Safeway.
Country Life Soap bars from Coles are also the only soaps I know of that do not contain Palm oil unless people can find Palm Oil free soaps at markets, such as the one at Eltham?
Orange Power is a cleaner that is Ok too. its at coles and safeway.
AWARE was the 1st Laundry Powder to omit Plam oil and is still the only one I know of. Earth dishwasher Liquid does contain Palm oil as do Aveena moisturizers and other  creams.and on it goes.Hope this helps a bit? Shopping on Line at www.ethikool can be useful. They say nothing contains Palm oil and no animal testing has been done on their products either.

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diana Kellett: Sustainable Palm Oil in doubt. Tuesday, 14 May 2013 at 1:02am

Thanks.
I have learned a lot since I asked the question about Palm oil and I try to spread the word to help the orangutans and save some rain forests.
The RSPO has been proven corrupt now sadly. They are letting Bulldozers into areas they vowed to protect and preserve.
I have signed a Petition against them.Since learning of their actions, the word"sustainable" can no longer be trusted!.

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Sasha: nearly vegan Monday, 13 May 2013 at 11:51am

I am trying to quit dairy, and find it hard to get some products, I am a veggie as is my husband, I drink soy, use almond milk and coconut milk,use dark choc but do eat eggs, butter and cheese and really need to make that commitment to go Vegan, I can feel its time.
As for the dairy farmers, I think they are right in the solution needing to be sought, but they are the ones making their living by this is it not up to them collectively?

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petra schroth: i do not eat my friends Monday, 6 May 2013 at 4:10am

for me no living animal has to die,there is plenty other food i can eat,where no animal has to suffer

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Nunya: pull your heads in Saturday, 4 May 2013 at 10:46pm

I have never been a farmer, i've been on a farm mabye 5 times in my life, once for a week on a dairy farm with my girlfriend,i watched for a entire week the marvels of a dairy farm, make sure you understand that not every dairy farmer if any treat there animals with disrespect, how do 600 (basically 100% of animals on her farm) odd animals all come and want a pat and human affection if they have not been looked after and cared for, they have the life everything they could ever ask for endless food, drink and care in every way shape and form.. from a day old they are watched and helped and loved not one cow on that place did not trust a human, so that tells you something, the only people who work on the farm are people who care and love animals, would never lay a finger on them in a bad mannor. all i'm saying is no matter what sort of shit farmers there are out there not all are like that. spare some thought for those who want to make a life out working with animals and who know what respect is.

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Jacquiline Haydon: Artificial insemination Thursday, 2 May 2013 at 3:25pm

I can not believe that there is no way to impregnate the cows with only female embryos. They are artificially inseminated anyway. Wouldn't it also be cost effective not  to have to dispose of the male calves?  Women can have babies that are born with specific traits to save older children  that have diseases, why can't it be done with cows.
The whole industry just sickens me, I don't know how dairy farmers can stop  themselves from committing suicide having to deal with that type of misery every day.

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Grace: Solution Monday, 29 April 2013 at 10:42am

Hi, I'm Grace. Many of you in these comments have asked "what CAN be done?" For a start this website asks for donations, so donating to this cause would be a big step in taking this issue to a wider audience, as often campaigns like these are too poorly funded to make their cause known. There are also other methods which can and should be used, for example a peaceful protest, awareness speeches, plays, books, ect. I know becoming vegan is also an ideal personal protest, but we must also take action to raise awareness about this cruelty. I hope this helps! :)

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diana Kellett: Palm Oil? Monday, 1 April 2013 at 5:56pm

How can we be sure that the Soy Products are Free from Non Sustainable Palm Oil? I have heard that the fake cream Cheese eg,Tofrutti,, does contain it.

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Sonya Stanley: dairy cattle Tuesday, 19 March 2013 at 10:33am

I was bought up on a sheep and cropping farm (chickens, ducks totally free range, and as today would say Organic, we grew all our own fruit and veg we killed our own meats and they were the old ones that had had a life, without cruelty, not the young ones for taste for our own benefit, ate because we had to not because we wanted to, and the procedure was humane. we grew all our own fruit and veg and cooked all our own cakes and deserts and made our own jams and pickles and preserved fruits. My mother married a shearer whom also had sheep, due to money they introduced a dairy. Due to a very different climate fruit,veg was not possible, we tried to keep chooks but the foxes mauled them, even after many attempts to secure them one by one was taken from us in a terrible way. My parents did at the time what they thought was in the best interest of the animals, many times answering my questions, WERE DO OUR CALFIES GO MUM, the beautiful calves that we reared with love and kindness and were never sent on the calve truck till they could feed themselves, were thought to be fed at the end of there trip and bought by other farmers for a life that they deserve, the crying mothers year after year was something I could not comprehend nor agree too, the more I learn`t the more I cried. The older I got the more I found out. The cruelty and disgust, I just couldn`t agree with my family business. My parents had no idea to what happened to these calves, nor the horrific journey we sent our beautiful cows on when we thought they were going to a life of goodness when we sent them overseas to breading programs, I cry still as I type this, how could we have been so wrong ! My mother had no idea of the treatment of farming animals and the disgusting way they are treated, until now, but like most, doesn`t agree but thinks the problem is too big  because of greed and money and selfishness, also the fact that farmers are not given a choice, ( were would we have been without them.) POLITICS RULE OUR LIVES , I ALWAYS BELIEVED IT WAS FOR THE PEOPLES CHOICE AND OPINION, WHAT A JOKE ! I was to take over the farm, I can`t, I would rather live in poverty, we now have no stock on our property due to my parents age and health, I will not become the next generation to this cruelty and can only hope more do the same. Let the world go back and only take what they need, forget the greed. Last night I had my first meat free dinner and the feeling inside my heart is unimaginable. I sincerely hope all the cruel people in this world have night mares till the day they die, hopefully they suffer the same way they  inflicted death on all  these many helpless animals !

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Elizabeth: how do we solve this ? Saturday, 16 March 2013 at 4:09am

I am glad to be informed about the fate of these poor calve`s but we also need to find what would be a better/viable solution.Not just rant and rave about something that clearly needs to be addressed !!!

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Clayton: What do we DO? Sunday, 10 March 2013 at 10:30pm

As a dairy Farmer What do you propose we do?  Its not financially viable for farmers to keep these calves and rear them on farm, from a consumer driven market where farmers are forced to produce a product at a very low cost being approx. 10% of what you pay at the supermarket for your milk and then being asked to produce more milk from less land its very sad that bobby calves have this fate but what are your suggestions and solutions for this????   as a dairy farmer most of my calves are sold to a producer which are then reared for meat but will not leave my farm without being reared on their mothers and made sure they are fit and healthy, and none of my animals are treated poorly as they are my bread and butter.  unfortunately the consumers who keep pushing for cheaper milk and more off it will force the price farmers are paid down, and then even less will be done, but as a farmer who is concerned about this   WHAT are your suggestions???

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Kristy: What do we do? Sunday, 10 March 2013 at 10:00pm

Everyone comments and says what a terrible, horrific thing to happen to this Bobbie Calves to which I completely agree, but not one person on this forum has suggested what can be done to stop, regulate or change this part of the dairy industry. 700,000 cattle annually, where else can they go, what other purpose do they have, in order to get a solution to this problem you people need to come up with some sort of proposal, instead of sitting back on your computers, commenting but yet still really suggesting nothing???  Wondering why nothing changes nor gets done!!! Get up get active and do something about it. I plan to and this is coming from someone within the dairy industry!!!

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Margaret: No dairy Wednesday, 6 March 2013 at 9:59am

I recently have gone dairy free and now use rice milk for drinking and cooking. The whole family love it. I was sceptical at first but now really look forward to a hot cup of chocolate rice milk just before bed. I do think it is possibly the best thing I've tasted in years. I've tried a few brands and found the homebrand uht the best. Give it a try.

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LEONIE: This is so sickening.. Wednesday, 6 March 2013 at 9:01am

Thank goodness for people like us ... Now we need more of us ... Keep up the good work everybody ....

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