Are there any good non-dairy milk substitutes for tea?

[Penny]

I'm trying to figure out what is causing my allergic conjunctivitis that is a problem year round, no matter where I am. This rules out pollens, mold, seasonal allergies.  I'm eliminating foods one at a time. I have milk in my tea every single day....so it's logical to eliminate milk for a while and see what happens.

Question:  is there such a thing as a good milk substitute for tea? Almond milk is out as I'm PA. My other option is black tea. UGH.

Thanks for any suggestions. 

[gvmom]

Have you tried coconut milk?  Or soy milk?  There are a few different brands out there that you might have luck with.  We never had any luck with rice milk in coffee or tea.

What type of tea are you drinking?  That can affect things too as far as how the milk blends.

What about something like coffee-mate?  Stuff like that is typically mostly corn syrup .... but... it will blend into things.  I do know we had some sort of coconut creamer along those lines that we got to try once, but we forgot about it in the fridge, so I don't know if it was any good.

Do you have Trader Joe's or something equitable?  That would be the store I'd go to for seeing about different possibilities.

[Penny]

. oops - double-post.

[Penny]

Have you tried coconut milk?  Or soy milk?  There are a few different brands out there that you might have luck with.  We never had any luck with rice milk in coffee or tea.

What type of tea are you drinking?  That can affect things too as far as how the milk blends.

What about something like coffee-mate?  Stuff like that is typically mostly corn syrup .... but... it will blend into things.  I do know we had some sort of coconut creamer along those lines that we got to try once, but we forgot about it in the fridge, so I don't know if it was any good.

Do you have Trader Joe's or something equitable?  That would be the store I'd go to for seeing about different possibilities.

Thanks for your reply, gvmom.  I drink English breakfast tea with milk. I didn't think of coconut milk. To me, coconut milk is the thin liquid that comes straight out of a coconut...but I'm guessing there's a milk version of it.? I think I'll steer away from soy milk as it's a high allergen.  I don't think they have Coffee Mate here but perhaps there's something similar. We have a store here called Nosh - not a TJ's but probably a good place to start looking. Good excuse for a shopping expedition this afternoon 

When I was a kid, I had an oral allergy to grapes and raisins. I outgrew the allergy but I figured eliminating wine would be a good place to start.  I haven't had any in months and it hasn't made a bit of difference. 

Another question: how long should one go without a food to determine if it's the offender? Three days? A week?  Wondering if allergic conjunctivitis might be preferable to tea without milk. 

[Penny]

. another deleted post, I found my answer online.

[gvmom]

Hey Penny....

..... so ..... coconut milk..... I went to try and find an example for you, and I was able to find that Countdown stores have this coconut milk:

https://shop.countdown.co.nz/?banner=www#url=/Shop/ProductDetails%3Fstockcode%3D793905%26name%3Dvitasoy-coconut-milk-original%26searchString%3Dcoconut%2Bmilk

It is an example of what I'm talking about.  Growing up, if you had said coconut milk to me I would have thought the stuff inside a coconut too.  But, the above link should show you more of what I mean. 

Your English breakfast tea should do well with an alternative milk though.  We have had troubles trying to put other milks into herbal teas.  It separates and is gross.... except for mint.  But, real caffeinated tea that we've used will take other milks well.  It then just comes down to what flavor you like. 

If you are able to get some other milks to try, if there is a vanilla version, I'd go with getting that too.  Cooking you can go plain, but drinking I'd go vanilla. 

BTW, you can also make your own rice milk.  We buy ours.... which really is only used on cereal or in cooking.  But, for anything where you might seriously taste it, I did make rice milk once and it was the only time we all thought it was good straight.  You can find directions on the internet.  It is a lot of work ... but if you don't have 3 kids bugging you while you try and make it, it might not seem like such a hassle!

[Penny]

Hey Penny....

..... so ..... coconut milk..... I went to try and find an example for you, and I was able to find that Countdown stores have this coconut milk:

https://shop.countdown.co.nz/?banner=www#url=/Shop/ProductDetails%3Fstockcode%3D793905%26name%3Dvitasoy-coconut-milk-original%26searchString%3Dcoconut%2Bmilk

It is an example of what I'm talking about.  Growing up, if you had said coconut milk to me I would have thought the stuff inside a coconut too.  But, the above link should show you more of what I mean. 

Your English breakfast tea should do well with an alternative milk though.  We have had troubles trying to put other milks into herbal teas.  It separates and is gross.... except for mint.  But, real caffeinated tea that we've used will take other milks well.  It then just comes down to what flavor you like. 

If you are able to get some other milks to try, if there is a vanilla version, I'd go with getting that too.  Cooking you can go plain, but drinking I'd go vanilla. 

BTW, you can also make your own rice milk.  We buy ours.... which really is only used on cereal or in cooking.  But, for anything where you might seriously taste it, I did make rice milk once and it was the only time we all thought it was good straight.  You can find directions on the internet.  It is a lot of work ... but if you don't have 3 kids bugging you while you try and make it, it might not seem like such a hassle!

gvmom, wow - thanks so much for going to this trouble! I still haven't been to the store but it's on the list for today. I asked my DIL and she tells me that Coffee Mate powder is available in NZ so I'll get some of that too. Have you ever tried oat milk?

Milk is the only thing in my diet that I have every single day. I eat a lot of plain, unsweetened yoghurt too but I can live without it for a week or two. I'll pass on making rice milk!

Thanks so much for your help. I really appreciate it!

[gvmom]

I haven't tried oat milk.... but would be totally willing to.  You can make it easy apparently.  Here is a recipe:

http://simpleveganblog.com/how-to-make-oat-milk/

Let me know if you try oat milk or try making it.  I'd love to hear how you thought it tasted and worked with coffee & tea. 

Double check on anything powdered that you look for milk solids or casein in ingredients.  Sometimes stuff that is supposed to be non dairy still has dairy. 

I hope you are able to figure out what is going on with the conjunctivitis.  Elimination diets can be rough!

[Penny]

Thanks again for the oat milk recipe. I'll give it a try. I just got back from the supermarkets. I bought a little container of coconut milk. Yuck. But I also bought a carton of rice milk and it is palatable! Much better than I expected. So thanks for that! Maybe I can handle a week or two and damn it anyway - I'd better see some results.    Oh - and Coffeemate has milk protein in it! At least it does here - who would have guessed....

[Penny]

Interesting results on my almost milk-free diet. I just couldn't go without milk in my tea - but that's the only milk in my diet. Two days of rice-milk in my tea was almost worse than allergic conjunctivitis!

I was eating a lot of non-fat unsweetened yoghurt every day and have eliminated that plus other sources of milk. It's been almost a month of dramatically less milk and my eyes are so much better. At it's worst, I'd have to put drops in my eyes 3 or 4 times a night. Now not only do I not need the drops at night, my eyes are tearing when I yawn. I've also been off wine for 3 or 4 months so it could be that too. Who knows but it's certainly r-e-l-i-e-f! Thanks gvmom.