Dairy AND Soy Free Decadence

Over the years, many people have asked me to recommend a dairy AND soy free yogurt, milk, and ice cream. There are plenty of milks out there, but as far as yogurts and ice cream...a tall order! Well, the folks at Turtle Mountain (So Delicious yogurts and Purely Decadent dairy-free frozen desserts) listened and delivered.

Now we have an extensive line of organic, non-dairy, non-soy ice creams and yogurts to choose from, all based on coconut milk. I recently purchased all of the yogurt flavors and two of the ice cream flavors (vanilla and chocolate) at the Whole Foods Market in West Orange, NJ. All are rich and creamy and delicious. The ice creams rival the flavor of premium dairy-based varieties, and got a big thumbs up from the rest of the family. The yogurts are cultured, just like soy and dairy yogurts, so you get the benefits of the probiotics (good bacteria). These yogurts are also fortified with calcium, vitamin D, and B12, to mimic (or be superior to) the nutrient profile in other yogurts. The yogurts are very sweet and delicious (they are relatively high in sugar), so those of you who don't like an overly sweet flavor might wish to mix the plain and fruit flavors together.

Being that the base is coconut milk, the saturated fat content of these products is a bit higher than their soy-based counterparts. The saturated fat found in coconut is not damaging as is the saturated fat found in foods like beef and whole milk. But that doesn't mean it's ok to eat a pint of the ice cream a day; any rich food is meant to be eaten in relatively small amounts. So if you're avoiding both soy and dairy (or if, like me, you just want more variety) these products are a true godsend which, eaten in moderation, will not unravel a healthy diet based on primarily whole plant foods.