Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards

For dairy, it depends on the ingredient and the recipe. If she's making a recipe where cheese is grated over it at the end, I'd suggest just trying the recipe without it. If the cheese is melted in, you can try one of the non-dairy substitutes. There are soy cheeses, rice cheeses, and almond cheeses. Some people like them fine, other people can't stand them. Keep your eyes open for Lisanatti brand cheese substitutes. I have trouble finding it but the one time I did (at Trader Joes) I thought it was the best one I've tried. Soya Kaas seems to be more widely available and it's okay.

You should be aware that a lot of the cheese substitutes contain casein to help them melt. This is a dairy protein derivative. A lot people on the Boards can tolerate it in small amounts in something like fake cheese but you might want to go cautiously - or avoid it altogether - until you're stable. There are also vegan cheeses. I've never tried it but my vegan friends like the Follow Your Heart brand.

I've watched Giada De Laurentiis make a number of recipes that use mascarpone cheese and for that I'd suggest substituting Cool Whip Light if it's a topping on a sweet dish and try substituting soy sour cream if it's part of a savory dish. Watch your fat levels if you use the soy sour cream. It's very easy to end up with a fat percent in the stratosphere.

For milk there are soy, rice, almond, and oat substitutes. For cream, Silk makes a soy creamer. I've never used it but someday...

If you check the Recipe Index there's a section on Dairy Substitutes that might give you some ideas.

As for tomatoes, there is a mock tomato sauce recipe on the Boards. I've never tried it but you can find it here: web page

Finally, sadly, there are some dishes that just don't lend themselves to substitution either because there just aren't any good substitutes or because you'd end up substituting something for everything in the dish. Watching her make those always reminds of that quote from Rita Rudner: