CUTTING OUT DAIRY

by in Eat & Drink, Health & Wellbeing, Lifestyle 20

A few weeks ago I had no other choice than to cut out dairy. When I was younger I was lactose intolerant and unfortunately it has come back again..

This post is more of a chatty one about my experience so far. About three weeks ago I was having horrible pains in the tummy, the runs and all that glamorous stuff that comes with an upset stomach. I was convinced that I had gastro however it wasn’t consistent so I decided to take notice of what it was I was eating. After a few days of hell I realised that, after weeks of not having milk in my porridge I’d reintroduced it again and was paying for it.

At that moment I cut the milk out and continued on with my week however I was still getting an upset stomach so I cut out feta (I’m still mourning over that) and ricotta. Slowly but surely I cut everything out that had even a little bit of dairy in it. Thankfully I’m now upset-stomach free and don’t have to stress about horrible pains after eating but it hasn’t been easy.

I LOVE feta, ricotta and pretty much any sort of cheese. Since adapting the change I’ve had such a hard time making lunches or cooking meals dairy-free. It seems all my favourite meals have some sort of dairy in it so it’s a real struggle. Don’t even get me started on not having a chocolate treat or ice cream.

Why am I telling you all this? No it’s not just to whinge about how I can binge eat my favourite foods. I just don’t want anyone to feel like I did - like it’s abnormal to have some sort of a reaction or intolerance too food. I also wanted to make it clear that cutting out a food group is freaking hard and for anyone who has or is struggling with it also - you’re definitely not alone! I don’t know how people just make up one day and become a vegan! Kudos if you have.

The main reason I wanted to post about it here on MTA is because you’re my friends and I need any sort of help or advice you have too offer. If you’re a dairy-free person I’d love to hear from you about alternatives, recipes, books - anything that could help me because right now I’m craving feta..

I’ll be checking the comments section regularly so please leave any sort of help below!

Original image via Mother Earth Living

*please remember I’m only speaking on behalf of my personal experience. If you have any sort of questions or concerns regarding your own diet please consult your GP!

Sarah About Sarah
I'm a retail manager by day and a blogger by night aiming to bring you the newest beauty, fashion and lifestyle news. More Than Adored was created to help beauty lovers, like myself, make informed decisions when it comes to buying new goodies.

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Sarah

I'm a retail manager by day and a blogger by night aiming to bring you the newest beauty, fashion and lifestyle news. More Than Adored was created to help beauty lovers, like myself, make informed decisions when it comes to buying new goodies.

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  • Fortunately I’m not intolerant and I can’t imagine how it would be to pass a day without chocolate, I have a serious addiction. I really hope you find good advice and I’m sure you’ll find new favorite foods without any sort of dairy! You’re strong :) xx

    Mary Bloomy

  • Georgia

    So sad to hear that.. :/ I’m with a quite upset stomach myself too..and i have to tell you that it was veeery difficult for me as well!! i can completely understand you but it’s a matter of habit.. :) I remember my first time tasting some alternatives such as almond milk or tofu(absolutely hate the last still)and it was not very pleasant..but i got used to it in the end! :)

    • I think it’s just getting used to the change.. Especially since I’m a huge lover of feta and cheese in general. Thanks so much for the encouragement though :D xo

  • This seems to be the main reason people cut out dairy, and I can imagine how hard it would be! I don’t really have any tips, but I imagine it will get easier over time.

    nueyork.blogspot.com

    • It’s slowly getting easier! Fingers crossed I’ll be a pro soon :) xo

  • Stefanie Meier

    I try to live dairy free as well so loved reading this post actually, lovely post as always

    Stefanie | Casualllyawkward | Bloglovin

  • I feel your pain Sarah! I’ve been dairy free for about a year now since finding out that I’m allergic. At first I really struggled - dairy is one of my favourite food groups! I’m a total cheese lover too and I’ve found that sheep and goat cheese make really great alternatives. The taste is a bit different, but I got used to it quickly. They’re pretty easy to find in the deli section of Coles or Woolies and health food shops usually have a selection too. I’ve also fallen in love with Meredith Dairy sheep milk yoghurt - it’s tangy but delicious with fresh fruit!

    Hope this helps you out a bit! Trust me, it gets easier :) x

    Cloudy Coconut

    • Thank you so much for the suggestions Loren! I’m definitely going to check out those bits. I can’t have goats cheese as it has a similar amount of lactose in comparison to normal cheese (SUCKS!) but I’m going to look into those sheep milk yoghurt xo

  • Are you completely dairy free or just lactose free? One of my friends had to take out a lot of things from her diet, one including lactose. She says she can have hard cheeses and the zamil (??) milk.

    • It’s lactose that makes me sick but I’ve cut out all dairy as most as lactose in. I am super sensitivity too it as well so it’s hard for me to even eat anything with tiniest amount :( x

  • Can totally relate with you on this! Though I wasnt lactose intolerant up until last year. Since then Ive pretty much replaced milk with almond milk for cereal (sanitarium almond milk is the best one imo, all the other almond milks on the shelves tastes too bland for me) and as for icecream, I just eat sorbet icecream. I know I can still have little amounts of dairy everyday but too much in one day is when the pains start to kick in

    • I bought the Sanitarium Almond Milk on your recommendation and love it! Thanks so much lovely xo

  • Hope you’ll find dairy-free choc & ice cream!

    • Oh same! I haven’t yet but I haven’t looked too hard ;P

  • I spent a few months this year not eating any dairy, I have since started eating a little greek yoghurt and feta again. I recommend coconut yoghurt, almond milk in coffee and use avocado instead of cheese in salads etc. Good luck! X

    Laura | Breton & Blush

    • Thanks for the suggestions Laura :) xo

  • Oh my gosh Sarah! It’s weird how much I can relate to this! I used to be lactose-intolerant when I was a wee babe and couldn’t have ice-cream. Now that I’m older, it’s the strangest thing, but I can have little amounts of dairy. Like a bit of ice-cream, or a bit of cheese in things is fine. But on some days, if I have milk with my cereal, I get stomach pains and the runs. Ugh. I now use soy/almond milk with my cereal and have cut out cheese and ice cream (for the most part), but I totally know how hard it is, because CHEESE and ICE-CREAM and are my FAVE.FOODS.EVER. Waah.

    Sheri | Behind The Frames

    • Oh my gosh Sheri I only just read your comment and it’s so weird how similar we are! It’s been super tough because like you, I LOVE cheese but I’m slowly getting better at it. I find it hard when I’m eating out the most! xo

  • Cue Khan

    Hi Sarah I just came across this post and I know exactly how you feel.
    I was diagnosed with intolerance in the summer and since then it’s been a real struggle to find good alternatives. My attempt to cut dairy out completely isn’t exactly going well but I have found some good brands that are dairy free.
    Sorry I’ve just come across this post randomly so I don’t know where you’re from but I live in England and I found a couple of brands that are really great
    Swedish Glace do soya ice cream that is just amazing! Like tastes even better than normal ice cream!!
    Alpro have these new Cremoso yogurts that don’t taste like soya and are almost the same as standard fruit yoghurts
    For chocolate I found a brand called Ohso who do dark chocolate full of probiotics so it’s dairy free and full of good bacteria

    Other snacks I found are the Clif range. They do protein bars that are good alternatives to chocolate etc.

    I hope this helps and Id love it if you could send me some suggestions for lunch ideas. I have no idea what to eat at work :( lol