Dairy-free meal plan: 7 days without milk, cheese or butter

How to plan a dairy-free week

• Replace the protein, not just the milk. Dairy is a big source of protein for many people; fortified soy milk is the plant milk closest to cow's milk for protein, while oat, rice and almond milks have far less.
• Look for calcium elsewhere. Fortified plant milks and yogurts, tofu set with calcium, canned fish with soft bones, kale and pak choi all help.
• Cook with olive oil or vegetable oil instead of butter and ghee; most savoury recipes don't notice the change.
• Lactose intolerance and milk allergy are different. Many people with lactose intolerance tolerate small amounts or lactose-free milk; a milk allergy means avoiding milk protein completely.

Your 7-day dairy-free meal plan

Day 1 is the sample day worked out below.

1. Day 1

   breakfast

   Overnight oats with soy milk, banana and berries

   lunch

   Chicken, quinoa and roasted vegetable bowl with olive oil and lemon

   snack

   Apple with peanut butter

   dinner

   Salmon with sweet potato and green beans

2. Day 2

   breakfast

   Scrambled tofu with spinach on toast

   lunch

   Lentil soup with bread

   snack

   Hummus with carrot sticks

   dinner

   Chicken stir-fry with rice

3. Day 3

   breakfast

   Soy yogurt with granola and fruit

   lunch

   Leftover stir-fry

   snack

   Banana

   dinner

   Beef chilli with rice and avocado

4. Day 4

   breakfast

   Overnight oats with soy milk

   lunch

   Chilli-stuffed baked potato

   snack

   Pear and pumpkin seeds

   dinner

   Baked cod with roasted vegetables

5. Day 5

   breakfast

   Boiled eggs and toast with avocado

   lunch

   Chickpea and quinoa salad

   snack

   Apple

   dinner

   Thai green curry with tofu (coconut milk)

6. Day 6

   breakfast

   Smoothie with soy milk, oats and berries

   lunch

   Turkey and salad wrap

   snack

   Rice cakes with peanut butter

   dinner

   Spaghetti with tomato, garlic and olive oil, and a green salad

7. Day 7

   breakfast

   Oat pancakes made with soy milk

   lunch

   Shakshuka with bread

   snack

   Grapes

   dinner

   Roast chicken with potatoes and greens

A sample day with calories and macros

Day 1, weighed ingredient by ingredient. Rice, pasta, beans, lentils and meat are cooked weights.

Day total: about 1,740 kcal, with 105 g protein, 206 g carbs and 59 g fat. To fit your own target, multiply every amount by your daily calories divided by 1,740; the macro calculator gives you that target.

Estimates from per-100 g values in USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy). Brands, recipes and cooking change the real numbers.

Dairy swaps that work

• Milk: fortified soy milk for protein, oat milk for coffee
• Yogurt: soy or coconut yogurt
• Butter: olive oil, or a plant-based spread for toast
• Cheese: nutritional yeast in sauces, or a plant-based cheese
• Cream: coconut milk or blended cashews (if nuts are fine for you)
• Ghee: vegetable or mustard oil for tarkas

Where dairy hides

• Bread, crackers and cereal bars can contain milk powder, butter or whey.
• Ingredient names to watch: casein, caseinate, whey, lactose, milk solids, curd and ghee.
• Restaurant sauces, mashed potatoes and grilled meats are often finished with butter.
• 'Non-dairy' creamers can still contain caseinate, a milk protein.

How Meal Planner Pro handles it

• Choose Lactose in the quiz's allergy question to exclude dairy. The planner treats milk, cheese, yogurt, butter, cream, ghee, paneer, whey and casein as dairy.
• Plant milks and creams, such as soy, oat, almond or coconut milk, are still allowed.
• Allergies come before everything else in your plan, including your cuisines: a traditional dish is adapted rather than served with an ingredient you've excluded.
• Exclusion works from ingredient names, so it can't see what is inside a packaged product. Always read labels and 'may contain' warnings, especially for a severe allergy.