I absolutely love dairy, but the lack of lactose enzymes in my stomach happen to make eating dairy very unpleasant. While regular dairy may be my favorite, I've tried tons of dairy alternatives. Throughout my dairy alternative search, I've tried some good, bad, and awful dairy products. I've come up with a list of the very best dairy alternatives so that my fellow lactose intolerant and vegan folk don't have to try them all.

Olivia Lesnick

1. Milk With Cereal: Silk Soy Milk

cereal, corn, wheat
Kristine Mahan

With the rise of supermarket inclusivity, there are a lot of options for nondairy milk. I tried tons of soy, rice and almond milk options but few were quite like the real thing in taste and nutritional value. For me, Silk soy milk offers the best nutritional content for the best flavor. The sweet flavor and smooth texture of the soy milk is the best complement to crunchy cereal. 

chocolate, candy, milk, sweet, cookie, Oreos, Cookies, Unhealthy
Anna Arteaga

If you're not in the mood for a breakfast of champions, Silk soy milk is still the best option for a late night cup of milk with a package of Oreos. 

2. Milkshakes: Thai Kitchen Coconut Milk

Teodora Maftei

Milkshakes were one of the things I missed the most when I first cut out dairy. I tried a host of different milkshake recipes and the definite winner was a splash of Thai Kitchen coconut milk with a big scoop of So Delicious chocolate coconut milk ice cream. The refreshing coconut taste is just the right amount of sweet to provide a perfect milkshake.

3. Ice Cream: Ben & Jerry's Nondairy

Olivia Lesnick

Getting my wisdom teeth out was the absolute worst but the most painful part was how much I wanted ice cream. I tried every sorbet flavor, Lactaid ice cream and coconut milk substitute but nothing could satisfy my desire for the rich and creamy flavor of real ice cream. But then a year ago, Ben and Jerry's nondairy ice cream hit the shelves in my local supermarket and my ice cream dreams came true. Ben and Jerry's nondairy ice cream is a vegan product made from  almond milk and it's pretty fantastic. My favorite flavor is Caramel Almond Brittle but the Chocolate Fudge Brownie is a strong second. (If you're feeling adventurous, try these DIY frozen vegan desserts as other alternatives!)

4. Yogurt: Yoplait Lactose-Free

blueberry, yogurt, berry
greta dylus

My go-to for lactose-free is definitely Yoplait's lactose-free cups. They're the perfect smooth snack with nearly the same nutritional value as their regular yogurt cups. On the vegan side, Kite Hill make delicious almond milk yogurt cups. My favorite flavor is their blueberry and it tastes even better with some added fresh berries.

5. Cheese: Boar's Head Deli Lactose-Free or Daiya

bread, toast, sweet, grilled cheese sandwich, pastry, cake, honey, butter
Christin Urso

I absolutely love cheese. It's possibly my favorite food, yet it kills my stomach. However, Boar's Head Deli makes a fantastic lactose-free cheddar cheese. This sliced cheddar cheese is perfect for comforting grilled cheese alongside a bowl of warm tomato soup. Not only does it melt for grilled cheese, it melts perfectly mixed into pasta and almond milk for delicious macaroni and cheese.

pizza, cheese, crust, pie, lasagna, pepperoni, sauce
Mackenzie Barth

However if you're looking for a vegan cheese, look no further. Daiya has you covered for shredded and sliced cheese that melts perfectly into grilled cheese. They also make a gluten-free, vegan frozen pizza for those nights you don't want to cook.