Gfcf Cheese Substitute Recommendations Wanted

[trying4faith]

Hi all,

My son and I need to on a Gluten-free Casein-free diet according to Enterolab.

Please, please recommend Gluten-free Casein-free subs for cream cheese, cheddar/yellow cheese, ice cream, etc.

Would you also include where you can find them? I'm always happy to buy online in bulk.

I found a website I thought was great, and purchased a number of thier Gluten-free Casein-free recommended cheeses from Whole Foods only to get home, read the labels when I arrived home and noticed casein in all of them.

Sometimes we all make mistakes.

Also, if anyone knows of a great Gluten-free Casein-free support group like this one is for celiac disease, please let me know.

Thank you!!!

[trying4faith]

PS I just hung up with toffuti, who stated that their products are all casein free, but that they do not guarantee gluten free.

[burdee]

I also must avoid all dairy products because I was diagnosed gluten AND casein intolerant through E-lab. I also noticed soy intolerance symptoms. So I can't even substitute soy products for dairy. The ONLY gluten-free/CF (also soy free) cheese I have found is really a cheese mix substitute called "Chreese" by Road's End Organics at www.chreese.com. They offer 2 'chreese' flavors (alfredo and cheddar) as well as macaroni and chreese or alfredo and noodles mixes. I've tried both the chreese packets and noodle mixes. Don't waste money on the noodle mixes. Just order the chreese packets and add your own gluten-free noodles. I use the chreese mixes in omlettes, but the website shows recipes for pizza, grilled cheese sandwiches and other common cheese dishes. BEWARE: some of their products are NOT gluten-free. Look for their special diet section and go to celiac/gluten-free products. They also offer Gluten-free Casein-free gravy mixes, but those contain tamari (soy) which I can't have. I did not try their nacho chreese sauce (in jars rather than a mix), because I don't like really spicey food. The cheddar and alfredo 'chreese' mixes were spicey enough for me, but I'm really sensitive to 'spicey'. Their website also lists local stores which carry their products.

If you and your son can tolerate soy, there are lots of soy based ice creams, milks, yogurts, sour cream, etc. (but no cheese). If you can't tolerate soy, there are almond milks (which I prefer to rice milks) and great sorbets. Do you have the Gluten-free Casein-free shopping guide book from the people at www.gfcfdiet.com? Have you checked their website? Good luck!

BURDEE

[tarnalberry]

Open Original Shared Link makes a cheese that apparently melts fairly well. I don't like the taste of it raw, and it doesn't stay good all that long, but it's something.

I use Tofutti's sour cream with no problem. They put out that warning because they test for casein, but not gluten.

Open Original Shared Link makes some very good Gluten-free Casein-free soy "ice creams".

[lotusgem]

Hi, Trying4Faith.

I am also unable to eat gluten or casein. I figured out many years ago that I was allergic to casein, but only recently was able to discover the gluten intolerance. Before I went gluten free, I used to enjoy Tofutti's answers to cheese, sour cream and cream cheese, but like you, I talked to them and had to give them the nix, because they made no gluten-free guarantee. (In fact, I still have some Tofutti mozarella slices sitting in the fridge, staring at me, daring me to throw them out! I'll do that after this post...)

Anyway, other than the Tofutti, I've never been able to find another good substitute for cheese, even before the gluten thing was a concern. Most of them tasted horrible, either greasy or chemically, and wouldn't melt, either. Someone once likened the flavor to a "florescent orange eraser." Couldn't agree more! Gosh, don't feel dumb about buying that stuff that turned out to have casein! Go to any health food store and look at the cheese substitutes that advertise, lactose-free, and 99% of them will have casein. Very frustrating, and somewhat misleading for those of us who must maintain a truly dairy-free diet. At the end of the day, I've pretty much come to grips with eating a diet that does not include dairy substitutes, save for margarine and soymilk and soy "ice creams." But as they say, hope springs eternal, and maybe I'll just give that Chreese a shot! Thanks, Burdee; never tried that one! Sigh....

Paula

[trying4faith]

Tried the chreese - not for me I tried the cheddar type. Will try the alfredo version and let ya'll know.

Called Turtle Moutain - thanks for the name (Soy Delicious) and am working on getting it ordered locally. It looks like it will be good (I hope, I hope

Going to ask everyone on the board if they eat Toffuti cheeses w/o problems.

Thank you all for replies.

[burdee]

I have to admit 'chreese' mixes (cheddar and alfredo) had a weird taste at first. I used them only in omlettes or chreese & noodle casseroles. I suspect the nacho chreese jars have more of a 'cheese' like texture, but I don't like spicy foods. Abstaining from gluten was NOTHING compared to abstaining from dairy--I was VERY addicted to dairy. If soy were not also a problem for me (also produces those intestinal intolerance symptoms), I could substitute many great soy products for dairy. Nevertheless, I do like almond milk, chreese sauce and a nondairy/soy free margarine substitute. I prefer feeling well (and PAINFREE ) to eating previously favorite foods.

celiac disease (with casein and soy intolerances) has forced me to get out of my previous food/diet ruts. I used to eat cereal with milk every morning and get hungry 2-4 hours afterwards. Now I have peanut butter and jam on gluten-free breads for breakfast, stay satisfied for 4-6 hours and love eating what I could never have as a kid, because my mom thought I was too 'fat' for peanut butter. She interpreted my celiac bloated tummy as 'fat' and my doc gave her cart blanche to restrict my 'treats' and substitute skim milk for whole. I wonder whether I would have struggled with body image problems for many years, if my doc would have diagnosed celiac disease and casein intolerance 50 years ago.

OOPPSS ... Sorry I strayed so far from the topic at hand. If you can tolerate soy, you might find casein free cheeses, but I'm not sure. For me, chreese was much better than never having any cheesy dishes.

BURDEE

[Guest nini]

dang it all!!! I can't remember the brand name, but there is a gluten free/casein free rice cheese that my local co op carries... They serve it in their cafe as well, it's pretty good and melts well. I don't think it has soy in it, but I'm not sure. I'll try to see if I can find the name of it for you.

[Emme999]

I tried the chreese alfredo.... YUCK!!! I don't think I've ever tasted anything worse in my whole freakin' life!

The cheddar was not fantastic but not too terrible - but... I warn you about the alfredo!! I think maybe they should change the name to alfred-eww!!

Just my opinion

- Michelle

[jknnej]

This is just something I heard so pardon if it's wrong but I heard that soy is NOT good for young kids and teenagers. Don't know if it's true or not but I've heard it from several people now.

[lotusgem]

Nisla,

we're eagerly awaiting that name! Having a decent cheese substitute would just be so cool.

Bean,

Paula

[trying4faith]

This is just something I heard so pardon if it's wrong but I heard that soy is NOT good for young kids and teenagers. Don't know if it's true or not but I've heard it from several people now.

I'd very much like to see something tangible regarding the issues with soy - my son has been drinking 3 - 6 bottles a day now for 1.5 years and if there is something bad about it - please, please do let me know.

And yes - Nilsa - please do tell the name of the cheese!!!

Thank you all.

[Emme999]

Here is a whole list of articles regarding the health problems associated with soy:

Open Original Shared Link

I was actually drinking soy milk quite a lot until I found this stuff. Kinda scary! Try almond milk It's yummy!

- Michelle

[trying4faith]

I think I'm going to be sick. We've had him on soy for over a year now. Actually, almost two years.

My God, what if this is what has created his failure to thrive and not gluten?

[burdee]

If soy (as well as gluten and dairy) is a problem, AVOID the Blue Diamond Almond Breeze milks which contain soy lecithin. I absentmindedly overlooked that small detail on the label and consumed 'original' and 'chocolate' flavors for about a month and WONDERED why my symptoms recurred ... I'm soy, casein and gluten intolerant! Pacific brand of almond milk is soyfree, though. (I don't care for rice milks with zip protein and fat.)

BURDEE

[Lesliean]

I don't think soy is a bad food for anyone (unless you are allergic) , at any age. Asian people eat up to 100 times as much soy as Americans and have fewer health problems across the board. The incidence of breast cancer in China and Japan is much lower because of the amount of soy they eat. See: Open Original Shared Link

(I prefer the google.scholar professional sites to Mercola.)

I substitute a mix of almonds, nutritional yeast, and arrowroot (cornstarch will work as well) for cheese to make a cheesy dip.

1/4cup almonds

1/4cup nutritional yeast

1/8cup arrowroot

1/2tsp garlic powder

1tsp onion powder

1tsp salt

2cups water

Blend completely till liquid and cook while stirring over medium heat in a saucepan till thick.

[burdee]

Hi Lesliean:

Thanks so much for the cheesy dip recipe. What is and where do I get 'nutritional yeast'? I recall trying brewer's yeast many years ago and getting very ill. Perhaps that was wheat based??? How is 'nutritional yeast' different?

Also have you read Ron Hoggan's book 'Dangerous Grains'? On page 124 he describes gluten, soy and cow's milk as diabetogenic foods, consumption of which greatly influences the incidence of diabetes as well as celiac disease. My dad's side of the family has a strong diabetes history--my dad, grandmother, great grandmother, etc. all died from diabetes complications. A year ago I learned I had celiac. Enterolab tests showed I also had casein intolerance. Attempts to substitute soy products for dairy caused the same symptoms as I had from dairy. I'm now suffering from similar symptoms after accidental contamination from 'soy lecithin' in Blue Diamond almond milk. I'm fairly certain I am also soy intolerant. I suspect anyone with a diabetes history should also consider soy intolerance ESPECIALLY if they have both gluten and casein intolerance.

BURDEE

[Matilda]

..

[gf4life]

Lesliean,

I agree with part of what you said. Asians in Asia are healthier, but a lot of my asian in-laws who have been living in the US for more than 20 years and been eating the typical american diet for that long have MORE health problems than I do (and I've had my fair share!). Asians living in asia tend to have a more rice/fish/poultry/vegetable/fruit diet. Much more natural and healthy, but american style foods are creeping in everywhere!

Trying4faith,

I believe part of the problem with soy and children is the high amount of estrogen found in the soybean. It caused problems with my husband's hormone levels when he was having soy protein powder and drinking soy milk on a regular basis. He limits his soy intake now. In moderation I think it would be fine for most people. I personally am allergic to soy, so I avoid all soy except the oils/lecithin (no protein in those).

Here are some links to Gluten-free Casein-free websites, a lot of it is autism stuff, but useful for Celiacs as well:

Open Original Shared Link (go to "LINKS" on this page for more sites related to the diet)

Open Original Shared Link

My kids and I were Gluten-free Casein-free for over a year. Our favorite drinks were Blue Diamond Almond Breeze (chocolate and plain, NOT vanilla, it tastes bad) and Vance's DariFree. Open Original Shared Link Also Mocha Mix original works well as a milk substitute in many baking and cooking recipes. I would mix it 1 part Mocha Mix and 3 parts water to make a more milk like consistency. I've even used this as milk on cereal.

For Ice Cream we used the Micha Mix non-dairy frozen dessert. It comes in Vanilla, Neopolitan and Mocha Almond. It takes a bit of getting used to though. At first it has a sort of chemical taste, then after a while you get used to it and it tastes much better. My favorite was a frozen gluten-free chocolate cup cake (sliced in thirds) with a scoop of vanilla mocha mix "ice cream" and strawberry syrup (frozen strawberries with a little sugar and some water, cooked over medium heat until a syrupy consistency). Pour the strawberries (hot) over the frozen cake and ice cream. Mmmm!

If you live on the east coast or in a community with a large Kosher Jewish Community, then you might be able to find Klein's Dairy Free Ice Creams and frozen treats. They have a gluten-free list on their site, but it combines their dairy and non-dairy treats on the gluten-free list, so you would have to compare the gluten-free list and the dairy free list to figure out which is both Gluten-free Casein-free, or contact the company. they might have a Gluten-free Casein-free list. Open Original Shared Link

As for cheese. That was a hard thing to deal with. My daughter and I had a hard time without it. I couldn't have ANY of the alternatives (except chreese, YUCK!) because of the soy. It ended up with her going without, and I used avocado to get the creamy, fatty I craved on my mexican dishes, and even on burgers...If you can have soy there are some Gluten-free Casein-free soy cheeses, but they don't taste like cheese at all, and most of them don't melt. Any do contain casein though, so be careful when you buy them. The Almond and Rice cheeses also contain casein.

We did without sour cream, cream cheese, yogurt, pudding, cottage cheese, and all other dairy. The good news is that after a year off dairy (COMPLETLY) we were able to introduce it back into our diets with no problems. Well, one problem! Since February I have gained back 7 lbs (had lost 25 since going gluten-free) due to the higher calorie content of the dairy foods I've added to my diet, and now I have to get busy exercising! Good thing it is summer now, since my exercise of choice is swimming!

If you have any other questions about Gluten-free Casein-free, feel free to email or PM me directly. I have a Gluten-free Casein-free shopping guide and food lists.

God bless,

Mariann

[Guest nini]

I haven't made it back over to the co op to find out the brand of the rice cheese substitute yet... I will try to do that today.

[dperk]

Nutritional yeast is a great substitute for cheese. You can find it at most larger health food stores, but I buy mine from the Mail Order Catalog.

Here is their website: [url=http://www.healthy-eating.com]

and phone number 1-800-695-2241.

The price is $10.79 for 1 lb. - but it goes a long way. There is also a Nutritional Yeast Cookbook available - you just have to substitue when it calls for flour or oats. I've been using Red Star nutritional yeast for 20 years and it is gluten-free (I double checked when I had to go gluten-free). Red star nutritional yeast is made on beet and cane molasses and contains no dairy or gluten. You have to watch what brand you buy - some may not be dairy free. I know that Red Star is ok. I have the cookbook if anyone wants recipe suggestions.

It doesn't taste exactly like cheese, but it makes a good substitue. We love it sprinkled on popcorn.

[Lesliean]

Thank you dperk for your complete discussion of nutritional yeast. I bet some people love it and some can't tolerate it.

It's always great to hear your thoughts Marianne. I am trying to research soy. The website I linked to talked about different estrogen receptors and how the estorgen like substance in soy is different and beneficial compared to hormonal estrogen. But I am eager for your thoughts and anyone elses and to do more reading as I do not know enought. Doctors limit soy in women with breast cancer that grows faster in response to estrogen. And modified corn grains have been linked to organ defects in rats. I'm all for rice and veggies. Never heard anyone say they weren't ok.

It also seems many people with gluten sensitivity often have sensitivities to other grains. I just hate to see all grains (and bean)avoided as they are such an important source of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and energy. Maybe if we trust our reactions to food we all will find the foods that work best for our own bodies.

Marianne- I read recently that soy and rice drinks can be made from barley enzymes. Can this be a problem? Is it listed on the label?

Also I thought everyone might like these articles on dairy intolerance. The first article tests the incidence of lactose intolerance in those with Celiac and the second the recovery % of lactose intolerance in Celiacs who are gluten free. Enjoy!

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

Thank you,

Leslie

[gf4life]

Marianne- I read recently that soy and rice drinks can be made from barley enzymes. Can this be a problem? Is it listed on the label?

Yes, some are made with barley enzymes, and they are NOT gluten free. Rice Dream is one of those and you should not drink that. There are others, but I can't recall offhand what brands they are.

I do know that Silk soy milk is gluten-free and Pacific has quite a few soy, rice and almond drinks that I believe are gluten-free. My kids didn't really like soy or rice milk, so it wasn't worth spending much of my time and money trying to find one they liked once we tried the Blue Diamond Almond Breeze. The chocolate is great!

And yes, the barley should be listed on the label, but sometimes it isn't right with the ingredients, it is somewhere else and says something about barley enzymes being used in the processing of the product. I really think that it should be listed as an ingredient if ANY part of it remains in/on the food product, even if it is microscopic.

God bless,

Mariann

[Guest nini]

Well, I checked at the co-op and they didn't have that particular cheese substitute anymore , I asked what brand it was and if it was still available and they couldn't tell me.

[seamaiden399]

I used both Toffuti and Soy Dream with absolutely no problem, as well as Silk. You might try Silk's eggnog during the holiday season. Also, Amazake's almond eggnog (only available at holiday time) is SOOOO yummy! It is my favorite.

I would also recommend nutritional yeast in general- it's very tasty and you can make some good cheese substitutes with it. I would highly recommend "Vegan Vittles" and "The Uncheese Cookbook" for their cheese substitute recipes. I found that, with the exception of toffuti, I liked the things I made as cheese substitutes far better than most of the rather nasty processed substitutes out there. The only thing is, it can be time consuming. Vegan cookbooks can be a very good resource for those of us trying to get around casein products- many of them rely on gluten free ingredients.

Dairy intolerance can be a temporary affliction associated with those recently diagnosed with celiac due to the compromised villi in the intestines- so even if you are currently dairy intolerant, it may not last forever. But, if you do have a permanent dairy or soy intolerance, at least we have more options that we used to!

I am really skeptical about the harmful effects of tofu or soy. It seems that for any food ingredient we consume there is a variety of often conflicting information about it. Everybody has their own interests and agendas, and you have to wonder who is funding each supposedly "scientific" study. The Internet has a wide variety of information available, but the sources are often questionable. However, as tofu is a staple food in Asian countries and has been for quite a long time, I am personally not worried about it. I think the most "dangerous" aspect of soy consumption is probably soy sauce, because of its high sodium content.