I love reading books about nutrition and diet. If you check out my reading list on Goodreads you will see tons of health books: Brain Maker, The China Study, The Bulletproof Diet, Grain Brain, Sugar Crush, etc. As I get older, I want to be the best version of myself and minimize future health issues as much as possible. I understand that not everything is in my control, but I can control what I put into my body so I like to read up on the different studies and opinions.
I have tried a lot of different eating plans in the name of health. I did a 3-day juice cleanse, which was a total freaking nightmare… and a 5-day detox, which was a life-changer. I have been watching my sugar intake ever since that cleanse which permanently rid me of my lower back pain. The 5-day detox didn’t have any dairy, but it was only for 5 days. I have read over and over again all the reasons why you should cut out dairy, but I have never been able to bring myself to do it.
Cheese and I are CLOSE, people. Like besties for life. However, I figured I owed it to myself to at least give it a try for a month. I wanted to see if it would help clear up my skin (I have more skin issues now than I ever did as a teen, go figure!) and I also read that cutting out dairy could help get rid of undereye circles and you guys know I was down with that.
10 things I learned by going dairy-free for one month:
- I eat a LOT of dairy. Like a lot, a lot. I didn’t realize this until I decided to cut it out. Half & half in my coffee, Siggi’s yogurt as a snack and tons of cheese. Since I don’t eat meat, cheese makes up the ‘savory’ element of a lot of my foods. (something I never paid much attention to before)
- Dairy is in EVERYTHING. Dairy is all over the freaking place. Besides the obvious, it is used in many baked goods. My Kind bars had milk in the chocolate drizzle it uses and Perfect Bars use milk powder. Since I am running around for work a lot, I like to keep these bars in my bag. I switched them out for vegan Lara bars and chia bars.
- Going out to eat is impossible. Besides ordering a salad without cheese, it was really hard to order items at restaurants. I didn’t want to be obsessive about this, especially during client lunches. There is no way to know if a splash of milk or cream was used in a sauce. Another tough one, butter! Restaurants throw that stuff in everything and sometimes it just wasn’t as obvious as I thought it would be.
- I felt like a pain in the ass. I had a number of family events during this month, and while I didn’t say anything at first, my changed eating habit became pretty obvious to those who know me. (I am the first one to devour a cheese plate) Everyone was asking me WHY I was trying this and I got a lot of, “Well you already don’t eat meat so what DO you eat?”
- There are some really good dairy replacements. I hate almond milk in my coffee, but I decided to try Califa Farms Better Half coffee creamer. It is half coconut cream and half almond milk and it is SO good. Like, I am not going back to half & half good. They have a no sugar version and one that has 1 gram per serving. Both are great. Another new food item I am now obsessed with is Kite Hill chive almond milk spread. This is so amazing, I put it on everything now.
- However, there are some things that you just can’t live without. Parmesan cheese, for example. I am surprised by how much I missed parm on my zoodles, sprinkled on top of soup, etc. The dairy-free parm replacements just didn’t cut it for me. Another big one I missed was sour cream. Again, no replacement for that one fit the bill.
- I was exhausted. I don’t know if cutting out dairy had anything to do with this, but the entire month I did this I felt tired. Noticeably tired. I have no idea why this was, but I know how I felt.
- I am apparently pretty dairy-tolerant. I am saying this because I didn’t notice ONE change after cutting out dairy for a month. I didn’t lose weight, my skin didn’t look clearer and the bags under my eyes… still there.
- I could NEVER do this permanently. Doing this confirmed what I basically already knew, I could never live a life without dairy. I know lots of people do it and are happy with it, but to me it felt like torture.
- I am still glad I did it. It was interesting to see how much dairy I had been eating. By doing this little experiment I am now more aware of it and want to eat a more healthy balance of dairy. I am going to stick to using the dairy-free creamer and will pay more attention to how much dairy I am eating. I was also really proud of myself for being able to stick with it. It also proved to me for the millionth time that my husband is awesome. He fully supported me and cooked dairy-free dinners for the month. I am always trying all sorts of craziness and he always has my back, no matter what I do.
Have you ever tried going completely dairy-free? Do you already live a dairy-free lifestyle? I would love to hear some of your favorite recipes and substitutions, since I am going to try to eat a bit less dairy from here on out.
It sounds like you learned a lot about your eating habits through this! I know I could never go without dairy, I love cheese and yogurt too much.
I love dairy too! ha! I never thought I would be able to do it for a whole month, but once I got past the first week I really just wanted to see if it would make a difference for me. (which it didnt, thankfully since I love cheese!)
So I’m half. I completely cut milk out of my diet about 10 years ago and it cleared up so many skin and health issues. However, I still eat a ton of cheese! 🙂
I dont drink any milk, but I did cut out half and half in my coffee during all this and I am going to stick with the coconut/almond milk combo from here on out. I was really hoping this would help with my skin issues, but I didnt notice any changes, such a bummer!
I love this. After watching the What the Health documentary a month ago, I’ve gone completely vegetarian. I’m trying to eat a more plant-based diet, but cutting dairy is HARD. Almost impossible. I’ve learned to cut what I can, and not deprive myself if I want cheese or a baked good. I’ve learned to love coconut milk in my coffee. That almond milk spread sounds intriguing, where did you find it?
I have been wanting to watch that, but I dont have netflix. I am def going to eat much less dairy now that I realize how much of it I was eating. They have the Kite Hill spread at Whole Foods, Luckys Market and publix. I bet Fresh market has it too but I never go there. 🙂
Going dairy free would probably be so hard for me, so I think it’s awesome that you were actually able to it!
Going dairy-free is really tough! I went vegan for the first three months of the year and you’re right, it’s nearly impossible to eat out. I will say that I actually felt so much better! I didn’t have acid reflux anymore and while I wouldn’t say I felt really energized, I felt less exhausted at the end of the day and found it a little easier to get out of bed in the mornings. Good luck if you try it again!
I’ve been working on cutting out cow’s milk from my diet. I started getting almond milk and it’s much better. I haven’t noticed any physical changes yet, but I am not cutting all dairy. I love cheese wayyyy too much for that!
Wow I was pretty surprised by the results – no change in diet and more tired? I guess these means I don’t have to give up dairy! Hallelujah! I have always been pretty dairy tolerant, like you. So I imagine that I’d have the same results.
Sounds challenging, I wouldn’t be able to do this lol thanks for sharing!
Yeah, I wouldnt want to do it again! ha! Thanks for stopping by!
What a brave experiment! Thanks for being so honest – now I know I don’t have to cut out dairy from my life! 🙂 I’m also a cheese girl so this would be extremely tough for me. I’ve actually switched permanently to almond milk though because I like the taste of it better than cow’s milk!
Jenn
http://www.honeydewblog.com
Haha! I am happy I saved you the torture! But I was a little surprised that I didn’t notice ANY difference. Oh well, at least I tried!
there are so few really great susitutions for dairy, but if you can commit to giving it up, it really can make a huge difference in your diet.
This was such an interesting post! It’s funny how all of our bodies are different. I can do a little bit of dairy but I expect a stomach ache when I do!
I know! Like I was definitely expecting to notice a big difference, especially once I started realizing how much of it I ate. But nope. Nothing. I was relieved and frustrated all at the same time! ha!
I have been vegan for 18 years and don’t miss dairy one bit. I am also gluten free. The only time I have a hard time at restaurants is breakfast because the options are usually a fruit bowl and potatoes. That just doesn’t last. As far as the other meals of the day, I find it pretty easy to find vegan food, but then I eat a lot of Indian, Mexican, and Thai food. They always have great vegan options.
I didnt think to check out those places, great tip!! I think it is awesome that you have been vegan that long!
I recently did a month without dairy too and came to some of the same conclusions— specifically that I could not do this long term and that I am dairy tolerant. Yay!
I was so scared that I would feel amazing and have to give it up for good! ha!
Loved reading this! Going dairy free was not a choice and was extremely hard. Like you said, it is in everything. Both kids severely allergic and had to cut it out completely when breast feeding, but after I went back to some dairy for myself. Just recently I too decided to cut it out completely, just easier with no cross contamination in my house. It gets easier with time, but I do miss cheese. The only good cheese substitute is daiya (but only when melted). Nada Moo is our favorite dairy free ice cream.
Awww. thanks for reading and commenting Kristen! Yes, I would definitely be able to do it if it was for my kids, so I totally understand your reasoning. I will have to check out Daiya since I do want to cut back on my dairy from here on out. (after realizing how much I eat!) I hope all is well with you and the fam!!)
It’s so fascinating how all of our bodies are so different. I’ve always had a minor intolerance for dairy, but after my kids, the intolerance got pretty bad. For the past 8 months or so I’ve cut out a ton of dairy (not butter in baked goods, though 🙂 But no cheese, no cows milk, no cream, no ice cream…pretty much nothing except for baked butter in baked goods. It was life-changing for me. And I agree – it’s actually pretty tough eating out. I pretty much stick to grilled meats and salads.
I totally feel your struggle. I had to give up dairy and I know how incredibly hard it is. But it’s possible! It gets easier with time =)
I eat very little dairy but feta cheese (from sheep) is a great alternative for those who really miss cheese. I find that milk contributes to a lot of respiratory infections.
If you see that one of your children is getting a lot of colds and infections in the winter, dairy might be the culprit. Goat’s cheese is another alternative and Amazon has a lot of coconut cream alternatives that can be used to make dairy free desserts such as chocolate mousse and ice cream
I’ve HAD to go dairy-free with no choice whatsoever and a lot of changes happened. I literally related to everything you described haha
That sounds like a challenge, but I would imagine the longer you do it the more you get used to it. Maybe? ha!
My daughter is allergic to dairy so she eats completely dairy-free. and you are 100% correct. Parties are difficult, eating out is almost non-existent for us, and I have to read every food label carefully. We still keep diary products in the house and are careful about cross contamination but because of her lifestyle, the rest of us have cut way back on our intake. We’ve found some decent substitutes like Diaya mentioned in another comment so she can enjoy pizza night and have pizza similar to everyone else and there are some decent non-diary ice ‘creams’ that she loves. It’s definitely been a challenge.
Wow you must have had to learn very fast! That is great that you found substitutions that help her eat some of the same foods as everyone else!
That ending was not what I was expecting. 😉 Kicking and screaming (inside) I went dairy free two weeks ago. I’ve been gluten free for around 9 years and have ‘played’ at cutting dairy but never actually done it. I’m not a vegetarian but I don’t eat much meat and I LOOOOVVVEEEE cheese and sour cream. Your first point is so true that it’s painful. Unfortunately for me (fortunately?), going dairy free has meant pretty big GI changes for me but I’m waiting a full month before making a final decision. One thing that has helped are the TB12 meals from Purple Carrot. They’re actually really tasty (if I sound surprised, it’s because I am) and helping me get ideas for dairy free meals that taste good and are filling. The Toffuti fake sour cream (I can’t remember what they call it) was an okay substitute on tacos but it’s a shady sub for the real thing. The Daiya cream ‘cheese’ is freaking fantastic on the O’Dough’s bagels with Trader Joe’s Everything but the Bagel seasoning on top. Not fantastic without the seasoning, however. Unlike the success I’ve had over the last decade finding very good substitutes for gluten items, I’m realizing with dairy free you kind of have to truly change what you eat. I’ve been eating a lot more Asian and Mediterranean food and dreadfully miss my beloved Tex Mex. We went the other night and I just looked longingly at the cheese enchiladas and queso and sour cream. The chicken enchilada with guac was good but not as good as it would have been topped with sour cream.
I will need to check out Purple Carrot! I have never heard of them. 🙂 I am happy you noticed big changes going dairy free!!
I went Totally dairy-free for 18 months when I was 25.
Within 10 days, My skin cleared (seriously), my joints felt better (I used to sit in all sorts of bad student-like postures whilst studying) and I found that once I’d figured out the dairy alternatives (with help of my vegan friends), I could eat absolutely anything and my weight remained Constant! I think this last point hints at a healthy metabolism… for me at least.
When I started eating dairy again, I started with a giant dominos pizza… and then for the following two weeks I had the most vivid and realistic nightmares. I woke my partner screaming in my sleep even! I dreamt I was murdered!
So, I do believe that cutting dairy is a good move for us, especially since calcium is present in dark leafy green veg and much more, and our bodies are more tuned to absorbing calcium from foods we should naturally eat, than from the milk of another mammal.
I do eat dairy now, it’s true… the reason I went back was because it’s so hard to be the only one in a house not consuming it, but it does play on my mind, just like eating animals does.
You said you don’t eat meat. Are you a vegetarian? I only ask because you also said you can’t live without parmesan. Did you know true parm is not vegetarian? It has rennet in it. Apparently, there are quite a few cheeses that are not vegetarian for that reason. Thought you, and any of your veg readers might like to know.