About six years ago, I went through a protocol called an elimination diet to get to the root of why I wasn’t feeling my best. I wanted to get off medications and not be bothered by recurring health issues.
Through that process, I discovered that dairy products and gluten-containing foods were triggers for years of congestion, bloating, gas, skin problems, indigestion, and sore throats. Like most of you, I loved cheese, ice cream, yogurt, and other dairy products. Finding out that they were one of the root causes of my health issues was upsetting. Before finding out about these issues, I was even considering yogurt making at home but unfortunately I won’t be able to benefit from doing this activity anymore which is sad as I think I would’ve enjoyed doing it.
Ever since then, I’ve been on a quest to find alternatives to foods I used to love but could no longer eat if I wanted to feel my best. My journey led me to find this dairy-free option I’m sharing with you today.
Like many people, I took yogurt to work nearly every day as part of my lunch or for an afternoon snack. I had bought into the media hype that yogurt was a health food. I wasn’t paying attention to all of the sugar and other processed ingredients that were making their way into my daily snack. A few years ago, an organization called the Cornucopia Institute came out with a ranking system of yogurts, placing my top two brands – Dannon and Yoplait – at the bottom of the list of 129 brands.
Once I realized yogurt was contributing to my health issues and saw how little nutritional value most brands contained, I cut it out. I was frustrated that I couldn’t find a replacement for the smooth and creamy texture and dessert-like taste only yogurt seemed to have. For years, I didn’t eat it. None of the dairy-free options on the market were very appealing. They were full of processed ingredients; had weird, gelatinous consistencies; or just didn’t taste very good. I had all but given up on finding a replacement.
That’s when I found this.
https://youtu.be/J0-4ipFMtQk
Meet, Forager Project Yogurt
Fortunately, just over two years ago, I came upon the company Forager Project after seeing their line of nut milks (i.e., almond, cashew, etc.) at a grocery store in San Diego. I had the opportunity to try their products at the Natural Products Expo and became a fan.
Then, this past September when I was at the expo, I was stoked to find out they had added a new product to their line – dairy-free yogurt.
What I love about this yogurt is that it has the texture and creaminess of the yogurt I used to eat.
It’s an upgrade, too, because instead of using artificial flavors and colors, Forager uses ingredients like turmeric (to make the lemon yogurt yellow) and beet juice to make the strawberry yogurt pink. They’re also organic, not genetically modified, and the plain, unsweetened yogurt (perfect in smoothies and sauces!) contains only two grams of sugar per serving, which is the lowest I’ve seen on the market.
Instead of cow’s milk, cashews are the base of Forager’s yogurts. I’ve used cashews to make dairy-free cheese dips, cheesecake, and even caramel dipping sauce, so I had a feeling a cashew-based yogurt would be equally delicious and creamy. And it is! They have plain, lemon, blueberry, vanilla and strawberry flavors, which are some of the most popular and familiar. The vanilla version contains real vanilla bean that you can see instead of artificial vanilla flavor.
I love Forager’s brand promise on the side of the yogurt container:
I love what they stand for and appreciate and value how much TLC they put into their products with a focus on quality, sustainability and taste.
Want to learn how to make your own dairy-free yogurt, check out this video from Kitchfix!
Where to Find Forager Project Products
To find a store near you that carries Forager’s products, use this search feature on their website. Availability will be expanding, but you should already be able to find them at your local Whole Foods, Safeway (soon!) and other independent retailers.
While you’re at it, pick up a bag of their tasty vegetable chips pictured below! You can find these at Whole Foods and MOMs Organic Market, or use their search link above to find them near you.
One thing I appreciate about Forager is that they constantly assess customer feedback and have already incorporated that feedback in the new and improved version of their chips. Both Bill and I tried all three and are fans! 🙂
Disclosure: I received free product in exchange for writing this review. All opinions are my own and maintaining the integrity of all content on this site is of utmost importance to me. I only promote brands and products I actually use and want to take some of the guesswork out of that for you, so I will never promote products I don’t love and use myself! ?
Is information like this helpful to you? Would you like to see more reviews of products to help guide your shopping decisions? Let me know in the comments below!