My journey to becoming gluten free + dairy free took several years. I’m not really one to “eliminate” food items from my diet if it’s not absolutely necessary. I love a big ol’ piece of sourdough toast loaded with smashed avocado… and frozen yogurt is just the best… as is a cookie topped with vanilla bean ice cream. Yet, when a couple of non-threatening health issues arose, it came time to eliminate both. Luckily, not at the same time.

Eliminating dairy was the first strong recommendation I received from my acupuncturist when I was trying to get pregnant with Harper 6 years ago. I wrote more about that process here, so for the sake of this post, I won’t get into it further. It was an adjustment at first… finding good dairy alternatives is not an easy feat… yet once I started to find them it became easier and easier. And while I wouldn’t say I am 100% dairy free right now, I still follow it pretty closely (I’d say I’m 95%).

Then about 9 months ago I started noticing some stomach issues arise again, along with extreme fatigue and a lot of hair loss. I decided to go try Parsley Health (a holistic medical practice). They ran an incredibly exhaustive blood panel (over 20 vials of blood…) and the results came back indicating that I was borderline Hashimotos. The doctor strongly suggested that since my numbers weren’t too high that eliminating gluten should help to keep everything manageable. So, gluten free I went back in October… wasn’t super mindful of it during the holidays, but went back onto the gluten free/dairy free track in January.

I have noticed a lot of improvements since doing so… hair loss is within what I would say “normal limits,” I have more energy (well, still tired… but that’s just from being a parent haha), and my stomach issues have dissipated.

All of that to say, I’ve had the opportunity to do a lot of trial and error when it comes to gluten/dairy free products and I’m sharing all of our favorites here today. I say “our” because everyone in the family likes these items as well (although they aren’t technically on “gluten/dairy” free diets….). Hope it helps if you’re in the same boat and looking for some good alternatives… and if you’re not, these are just really great products in general (my mom and sister like most of them as well)!
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FAVORITE PRODUCTS

SIETE PRODUCTS: I first discovered Siete products several years ago and have been hooked ever since. They are continually adding new products to their line, which I love. Our favorite items are their tortillas, burrito tortillas, chips (they have nacho and ranch…. and a cinnamon churro chip which reminds me of Taco Bells churro strips….), hard shell tacos, and their hot sauce. I get mine from Whole Foods or Sprouts.

SIMPLE MILLS: Another brand that has so many products that the entire family loves… from their baking mixes to their crackers…. I haven’t met a product I don’t like. Our favorites are the sea salt crackers (Camille loves them), pumpkin muffin mix, and their almond flour dark chocolate bars (spread a little peanut butter on them and they’re a great afternoon snack).

PURELY ELIZABETH: Hands down our favorite granola. We buy the Chocolate Probiotic granola in twos (since it goes that quickly)… we are also fans of her quick oats, as well as her granola snack bars.

VIOLIFE CHEESE: I’ve tried a lot of dairy free products over the past 6 years, and some are just plain awful. Yet this dairy free cheese line is hands down the best…. and they have several different types of cheeses (colby jack, feta, parmesan, cheddar, and mozzarella) which I appreciate. It melts really well too. I’ve found it at Whole Foods and Sprouts (with limited selection).

CHLOE: Our favorite cauliflower pizza crust comes from this brand… it’s so good and doesn’t taste like cauliflower at all… and it gets super crispy.

CAPELLOS: So many great products from their almond flour line…. they make an excellent pizza crust (that gets crispy) which the girls love, chocolate chip cookies (they are seriously so good), and all of their pastas are delicious (if you end up trying them, don’t cook them for more than 2ish minutes because they will get mushy). I get all of mine from Whole Foods.

PRIMAL KITCHEN: Primal kitchen makes so many of my favorite salad dressings, dipping sauces, and marinades. Our favorites are the ranch + cesar dressings, ketchup (spicy is the best), BBQ sauce, pasta sauce, and teriyaki sauce.

COOK’S GLUTEN FREE BREAD: I was on the hunt for a good gluten free sourdough bread and this one hasn’t disappointed. The slices are on the small size, but the bread stays together and gets nice and crispy… perfect for avocado toast.

BIRCH BENDERS: These are our favorite pancakes (we add some Lily’s Chocolate Chips to them) and frozen waffles (great for an easy weekday breakfast).

PERFECT BAR: The girls love the kiddo option, and I love their bars as a quick way to get energy before my morning workout… or as a topping on my overnight oats. I should note here that these aren’t dairy free!