Best/worst gluten and dairy substitutes?

[JennK13]

Add me to the Udi's products and Bobs red mill list. Love it!

[bluebug32]

Thanks everyone, this is really helpful! Keep the recommendations coming.

Are there any cheese substitutes you like?

[Melalvai]

I tried out Daiyya (a cheese substitute that is not soy). My family hated it. I thought it was ok but it gave me a stomach ache every time I ate it. I know--you asked for what I liked, not what I disliked, but that's all the info I have.

I just tried it to see, I haven't gone dairy-free. Yet.

[OakLeaf]

When I crave junk food I like the Food for Life rice tortillas.

They're not organic, though, and I really HATE buying anything from rice that isn't organic. Rice is some of the most toxic environmentally destructive stuff on the planet, when it's grown in non-traditional ways.

[divingbiker]

I tried out Daiyya (a cheese substitute that is not soy). My family hated it. I thought it was ok but it gave me a stomach ache every time I ate it. I know--you asked for what I liked, not what I disliked, but that's all the info I have.

I just tried it to see, I haven't gone dairy-free. Yet.

Huh, I loooove Daiya. It's changed my world, after 19 years of not eating cheese or the nasty cheese substitutes.

I like quesadillas and cauliflower with daiya.

Love love love it.

[Atlas]

A lot of gluten free stuff has been covered so I'll go with dairy-free. Daiya is the only cheese substitute I'll eat. I know there are some awesome ones available in Europe and bigger cities, but where I live Daiya is my one and only. Teese is not good, Follow Your Heart is passable, Tofutti is ok for cheese singles since they taste like Kraft and work for nostalgic grilled cheese, there are a couple over brands that are soy based but watch out for casein which makes its way into a lot of them.

Tofutti also makes sour cream and cream cheese that is pretty good. Granted, I haven't had the real thing in years so I'm not sure how someone used to dairy versions would find them. There are lots of delicious ice cream options as well.

For milk I love Organic Valley soy milk, but Almond Breeze is a close second. Silk is ok for when I'm not near a coop or health food store. For the asceptic packages of milk Soy Dream has always been my favorite.

[Owlie]

No direct personal experience, but my vegan roommate has discovered:
She hasn't found a cheese substitute she likes. She also really likes the So Delicious coconut milk ice cream, but it can be hard to find around here.

[lph]

pardon me for hijacking the thread somewhat, but I've been thinking about this recently and wanted to ask:

how would you know that you are gluten intolerant or gluten sensitive, and are there health benefits to eating less gluten (and dairy for that matter) if you're not gluten intolerant?

I ask because I'm generally interested in healthy eating and try to keep an open mind to trying new stuff, my dh is dairy intolerant and I've grown increasingly so myself because of low exposure, and I just recently met several people at work who said that they could eat gluten but preferred not to because they "felt better without".