But it’s not the onlysource of those nutrients.
This article discusses the health benefits of a dairy-free diet and provides tips on nutritional considerations to get started.
It also presents a few risks and disadvantages of the diet change.
Illustration by Zoe Hansen for Verywell Health
Illustration by Zoe Hansen for Verywell Health
What Is a Dairy-Free Diet?
Simply put, a dairy-free diet excludes all (or most)dairy products.
Are Vegan and Dairy-Free the Same Thing?
You might be wondering whether a vegan diet is a dairy-free diet.
Though they do have similarities, they’re not quite the same.
Benefits and Risks
As with any diet, there are benefits and potential risks to going dairy-free.
This is because deleting a food group subsequently removes calories and nutrients from your diet.
An egg-free diet and a dairy-free diet are different.
Restaurant Eating
Note that these labeling requirements do not apply to restaurant foods.
If in doubt, ask your server if a particular dish is dairy-free.
But there’s mixed evidence on the benefits of caseins or their removal.Nor are there clearly proven risks.
This can vary by person.
Our bodies can take anywhere from 24 to 72 hours to fully digest and eliminate foods.
A dairy-free product does not contain milk.
2016;66(649):e609-611.
2019;11(4).
doi:10.3390/nu11040718
Massachusetts General Hospital.Lactose-free v. dairy-free: How to tell the difference.
Brigham and Women’s Hospital.Milk allergy diet for children: General guidelines for milk allergy.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Food allergen labeling and consumer protection act of 2004 (FALCPA).
U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Allergic to milk?
Some dark chocolate labeled as dairy-free may still contain milk.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln Food Allergy Research and Resource Program.Dairy-free and non-dairy?.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration.CFR - Code of federal regulations title 21.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture.20202025 dietary guidelines for Americans.
International Dairy Federation.IDF Factsheet: Dairy’s role in supporting a healthy immune system.
2021;8:761442. doi:10.3389/fnut.2021.761442
National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements.Calcium: Fact sheet for health professionals.
National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements.Vitamin D: Fact sheet for health professionals.
National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements.Riboflavin: Fact sheet for health professionals.
2021 Feb 1;337:127765. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2020.127765.
2023 Aug 22;12(17):3151. doi:10.3390/foods12173151.
2014;20(2):265-270. doi:10.5056/jnm.2014.20.2.265
