Dairy and Wheat Free Diet

If you follow a dairy and wheat free diet due to food allergies, to lose weight or as an alternative treatment to a medical condition, you need to know what ingredients to avoid in food. Dairy and wheat products include many more categories besides milk and flour. Learn the ingredients to look for on packaged goods and what you can substitute when baking to allow you to keep your dairy- and wheat-free diet for life.

Read Labels

Closely examine the labels of all packaged food. Avoid dairy products by looking for any of the following ingredients: rennet, casein, lactalbumin, curds, lactose, whey, ghee, whey hydrosate, lactulose, casein hydrolysate and lactoglobulin.

Wheat contains gluten, so look for products marketed as "gluten free" to be certain the manufacturer did not use wheat in the production.

Make Cooking Substitutions

Substitute 1 cup of wheat flour in your baking with one of the following: 7/8 cup rice flour, 1 cup corn flour, 5/8 cup potato starch flour or 1 cup soy flour mixed with 1/4 cup potato starch flour. Do not substitute spelt or kamut as these both act the same as wheat in the body. Use an equal amount of water, soy milk or fruit juice instead of milk in cooking. Do not use goat's milk because the body reacts to it like it does cow's milk.

Get Enough Nutrients

Take a multivitamin supplement to ensure you get enough vitamins and minerals. Check the label for hidden dairy or wheat ingredients to be sure the vitamins are dairy- and wheat-free. Soy milk and broccoli add to the calcium in your diet you might miss from avoiding dairy products. Get B vitamins and zinc, both common in milk and wheat products, by increasing meat, fish, beans and dark leafy greens in your diet. Adequate fiber from vegetables, whole oats, rye and fruits replaces that of whole grain wheat products. Consult with a physician if you think you still need calcium, B vitamins, zinc and fiber supplements in your diet.