Product Review: Daiya Cheddar Flavoured Shreds

Here is my first product review! I have tried many different products and foods in my quest for a balanced dairy-free diet, so I'm excited to share my thoughts on them.

Daiya Cheddar Flavoured Shreds:

First of all, my son LOVES eating these plain. He obviously had never tried real cheddar cheese, so the flavour was fine for him. I would often put a little pile on his tray for him to pick at while I fed him lunch.

I actually don't mind this stuff either when it's straight from the bag. However cooking with it is a little tricky, depending on what you are making. See below for the list of successes and flops.

The nice thing about this product is that it is both dairy AND soy free. Most cheese alternatives are made with soy, but this "cheese" has neither.

 The cost of 1 bag is not terrible, considering most dairy alternatives tend to be quite pricey. In my local grocery store, they go for about $6 a bag, which is about $1.50 more than a bag of real cheese.

A bag of Daiya shreds has a very long shelf life (stored in the fridge) before you open it. Once opened, it says to use it up within a week. I have kept it for a couple days longer than a week, but no longer than that because it is hard to tell when it has gone bad, and I wouldn't take the risk of my little one getting sick.

Here are some meals that worked well with this product, and meals that are only meant for real cheese:

Successes (recipes to follow!)
-Homemade Mac'n'Cheese
-Tacos
-grilled cheese

Flops:
-Pizza
-fajitas (the cheese melted and the flavour did not go well with the fajita)

Dairy Replacements

To follow up from the previous post, I have a list of replacement dairy items that were great for when you just crave that dairy!

Cheese: Oh, how I missed cheese. Thank goodness I discovered Daiya! This is a brand of dairy free/soy free cheese replacement. They are a few products, including shredded "cheddar" cheese, and cream cheese spread.

Yogurt: Most dairy free yogurts are made with soy. There are some made with almond, but the ones that I have found "may contain traces of milk/soy". Enter So Delicious Cultured Coconut milk! They have a few different flavours, and they are dairy/soy free.

Milk: My allergist recommended rice milk. I was not excited about this because A) I am not fond of the taste, and B) I found the nutritional value to be considerably lacking. I found Flax Delight (flax milk), Enriched Oat Dream, and Enriched Coconut Dream to be the best options (nutrition wise).

I find most of these products at Loblaws.


Stay tuned for my reviews of these products and more!


**This post is not sponsored, and I am in no way affiliated with any of the brands mentioned in this post**

Starting a Dairy/Soy Free Diet

I remember that feeling like yesterday. That sinking feeling when my little one had just been diagnosed with an allergy, and I needed to change everything about my diet. Where on earth do I start?? I know what I need to avoid...but which foods are safe? The last thing you want is to eat the wrong thing/give your child the wrong thing and be responsible for his/her suffering.

I was afraid to eat anything but chicken, rice, and a handful of veggies and fruit. Needless to say I quickly dropped some of that baby weight! However it is not healthy to live like that. I did lots of research and ingredient-reading over several months, and was able to come up with a guideline in case any of my mommy friends encountered the same issue...check it out!


Green Light list for the Dairy/Soy Free Diet:

- All meats (I had seen in certain parenting forums online that some people cut beef out of their diet. My allergist said this is not normally necessary for a cow's milk protein diet.  My little one never had an issue with beef, however everyone's situation is different, so it is best to consult with your doctor and/or allergist).

-Whole Grains (rice, quinoa, barley, oats, millet, wheat, etc)

-Any fruit

-Any vegetables/beans/legumes except soy beans and edamame beans. It may also be a good idea to avoid peas as they have similar proteins to soy. Again, it depends on your specific situation and would be best to consult with a doctor about this.

-Most pastas (No Name brand and President's Choice brands are safe)

-Unico, President's Choice, and No Name Pasta sauces are all made with olive oil or canola oil

-Fontaine Sante Hummus/Summer Fresh Hummus are both safe brands

-Heinz Ketchup

-All juice, pop, coffee, and tea that I have encountered are safe.

-President's Choice white soft tortillas

-Old El Paso Salsa, President's Choice salsa

-Hellman's Olive Oil Mayonnaise

-Kettle Brand Sea Salt potato chips

-Lard for baking (not "shortening"--contains soy!!!)

-President's Choice Black Menu unsweetened cocoa powder

-Renee's vinaigrette salad dressing uses canola oil

-All natural peanut butter--President's Choice makes some and it's good!

-President's choice Blue Menu jams/jellies

-Life Savers (hard candy and chewy candies)


I hope you find this "starting off list" helpful! These were some of my go-to items when I first started out. Most of these items can be found at Loblaws or Your Independent Grocer.

If you are curious about any specific items (where to find an item, whether or not an item is dairy/soy free, etc), or want to add more ideas to the list, feel free leave a comment...I will do my best to give you a satisfactory response, and I'm sure there are individuals out there who would appreciate the information.


**This post is not sponsored, and I am in no way affiliated with any of the brands mentioned in this post**