Sunday, January 13, 2013

Daiya Cheese Shreds



Appears Clean


We were so excited when this cheese first came out a couple of years ago.  We've been eating it ever since.  It's one of the only dairy free cheeses without soy. We use the cheddar style and the mozzarella style shreds.  Feingold just recently said they cannot list Daiya as approved because Daiya's supplier of the natural flavors will not disclose what ingredients they use. Feingold doesn't know if it would be stage one or stage two and whether it contains any chemicals.  I contacted Daiya and below is their response. 

Company Response:

We outsource only the highest quality ingredients that are 100% non-GMO and MSG free, and do not add MSG to our recipes. In addition, our Vegan Natural Flavors are plant based (mainly oils and essences), 100% GMO and MSG free.  The flavors are natural and do not contain many of the common allergens including soy, dairy (casein and lactose), gluten, eggs, rice, peanuts and tree nuts (expect coconut oil).

Their web site also states that they do not use any artificials or preservatives in their products.  

http://www.daiyafoods.com/our-products/cheddar 

Amy's Kitchen uses Daiya cheese in their microwavable mac-n-cheeses.  Amy's is known as a company that avoids harmful additives so I feel that Daiya is probably safe.  I have not noticed that my kids react to it.  I have heard of a few people on the GFCF board who say that they do have reactions, but others on there use it without a problem. The thought is that it may increase yeast.  

Ingredients: (for the cheddar shreds)

Filtered water, tapioca and /or arrowroot flours, non-GMO expeller pressed canola and /or non-GMO expeller pressed safflower oil, coconut oil, pea protein, salt, inactive yeast, vegan natural flavors, vegetable glycerin, xanthan gum, citric acid (for flavor), annatto, titanium dioxide 

While there's really nothing "healthy" nutrition wise in the ingredients, it's nice to have a cheese substitute.  We use this for grilled cheese, scrambled eggs, chili, and tacos.  We use the mozzarella shreds for pizza, quesadillas, and spaghetti.  Their web site has a bunch of recipes for using their cheeses.  A lot of them look really good.  I want to try some of them out. 

Make sure you freeze this.  It doesn't keep long in the fridge. 

Where to Buy:

We get these at Whole Foods or our local health food store.  You can also order a large bag online but you have to pay extra for shipping and the cold pack.

Has anyone had any issues with these?  Please leave a comment!   

4 comments:

  1. Are you saying we can use this on the feingold diet? Im confused.

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  2. I'm saying based on the information above and the fact that we do not see reactions with this cheese (nor do many others), our family chooses to use it. It's possible that it could have additives in the natural flavors. No one knows for sure and that is why Feingold cannot list it. It's up to you if you want to use it or not. Does that clear up your confusion?

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  3. not really. I want us to be on the feingold diet, but am confused whether to use there list or what you say.

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  4. Just use the Feingold shopping guide then. Have you read my post, "Why I Started This Blog?" If so, I will have to go back and try to make it more clear. Once you have been a member of Feingold for a while, you will come to understand the point of this blog and why it might be helpful. If you are new to the program, sounds like you would be more comfortable sticking to the Feingold shopping guide to make sure you are following Feingold 100%. Good luck to you.

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