Dairy Alternatives

This Jain text, "Dairy Alternatives" by Dr. Rupa Shah and published by Circle Health, is a comprehensive guide aimed at inspiring readers to adopt a whole foods, plant-based (WFPD) diet and transition away from dairy consumption for improved health.

The book is presented as a resource to empower individuals to pursue a holistic lifestyle independently. Dr. Rupa Shah, an MBBS with over 30 years of experience and a graduate of Lifestyle Medicine from Harvard Medical School, shares her personal journey of giving up dairy, which led to significant improvements in her health, including the disappearance of chronic pain, migraines, and acidity, along with mental clarity. Her research revealed strong links between dairy consumption and lifestyle diseases such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, hypertension, high cholesterol, heart diseases, and allergies. She has successfully helped her patients reverse these conditions through WFPD.

The core message of the book is that transitioning to a dairy-free diet is a crucial step towards better health. It acknowledges that while dairy is deeply ingrained in Indian culture and cuisine, the quality of dairy is deteriorating, and so is the health of the population. The book aims to make this transition easier by providing practical information and recipes.

The book covers a wide range of dairy alternatives, categorizing them into:

• Nuts & Seeds Milks: Detailed instructions are provided for making milk from coconuts, almonds, and cashews. Recipes include Sol Kadhi, fruit milkshakes, and coconut milk coffee. It highlights the nutritional benefits and uses of these milks in various Indian and international dishes. Other seeds like sesame, amaranth, sunflower, and poppy are also mentioned for their calcium content.
• Grains Milk: Explores the nutritional benefits of grain milk, particularly for vegans and those with lactose intolerance. It provides recipes for Raw Rice Milk and Alternative (Cooked) Rice Milk, noting that rice milk is a good addition to certain dishes and is gluten-free.
• Legume Based Milk: Focuses on peanut milk and soy milk. Peanut milk is presented as a versatile alternative for making curds, chaas, kadhi, and raita. Soy milk is discussed for its protein content and essential amino acids, with a note of caution regarding ongoing research on its potential health effects.
• Non-Dairy Butters: Offers recipes for making homemade peanut butter and almond butter, emphasizing their ease of preparation and versatility in various dishes.
• Non-Dairy Curds: Addresses the importance of probiotics in curd and provides recipes for making dairy-free curds using peanut milk and a combination of peanut and rice milk. It also mentions almond, cashew, and soy milk curds. The book explains how these dairy-free curds can be used in various Indian preparations like curries, raitas, and even to make paneer.
• Desserts: Features recipes for dairy-free desserts such as Rice Coconut Payasam (Kheer), Shrikhand, Piyush, and Coconut Milk Dessert, allowing readers to satisfy their sweet cravings without dairy.
• Cheese & Paneer: Introduces Tofu (Soy Paneer) and Cashew Cheese as healthy and delicious alternatives to traditional dairy cheese and paneer.

Beyond recipes, the book includes:

• Kitchen Replacement Chart: A helpful visual guide that contrasts unhealthy animal-based ingredients (in red) with healthy plant-based alternatives (in green) for common kitchen staples like milk, sugar, tea, coffee, paneer, curds, buttermilk, meat, rice, flour, salt, fried foods, soft drinks, ice cream, salad dressings, canned foods, chocolates, and Indian sweets.
• 10 Steps To Holistic Health: A guide to transitioning to a plant-based diet and achieving holistic health. These steps include getting expert guidance, reading up on the topic, connecting with like-minded people, caring for oneself, sustaining a balanced diet, being a wise shopper, making healthy substitutes, pre-planning meals, expanding one's horizons by utilizing available produce, and enjoying the journey.

The book concludes by highlighting that "Dairy Alternatives" is a starter's kit designed to empower readers to become masters of their kitchens and health. It encourages readers to try the recipes for 21 days to observe positive changes in their health. The publication information and contact details for CircleOhealth are also provided.