Dairy Free Diary

My husband and I decided as a family to go dairy free.  He wanted to just for a healthier diet. I on the other hand wanted to see if it would help with our allergies.  My daughters and I suffer from many allergies from eczema to seasonal allergies.  There's nothing worst than watching your child break out in red spots and not knowing why. For the last 5 years we have been getting rid of all toxins in our life and honestly it has helped out tremendously.  But its not enough. 

I teetered with the idea a few times but never actually went through with it. Everything changed when we saw the 2010 documentary called "Fat sick & Nearly Dead. It's about two men whose bodies have been trashed by steroids, obesity and illness, document their rigorous healing path in a bid to regain their health.  Joe Cross was such a inspiration that even my husband wanted to give it a whirl.

It started off with buying a juicer. Then it turned into lets cut dairy out completely. My brain didn't comprehend this at all.  What? No sour cream? No cream cheese? WTF!!!!! Yes that is what my brain was telling me.  How will I survive this? 

I sat down with my daughters and explained to them that I will no longer be purchasing any dairy products but as they ran out I would replace them with a dairy alliterative if it was possible.  2 out of 4 girls were okay with this. So as time went by they started to go through all the dairy and I replaced them with healthy options. Cheese was the last to go because I had a bit in the freezer still.  So far so good.

Here is a run down of the pro's so far:

There are lots of dairy free options!

Most the time we don't even miss the dairy or look for the alternative. 

I feel very healthy mentally & physically.

I have lost 4 pounds.

My allergies are not so intense.

My energy has gone up. 

We eat healthier because I cook from scratch & don't eat processed foods.

Good Karma Flax vanilla mlk is our kids favorite.

So Delicious Coconut products rock!

Coconut milk creamer is the only option that taste like dairy creamer. Hands down! 

I'm able to find dairy free products at Grocery Outlet.

Cons:

We don't eat soy and soy is in just about every dairy free item. 

Old habits get in the way.

Dairy is in just about everything so read labels!

Sometimes you just have to stop eating your favorite food because there is no tasty alternative. 

I miss my sour cream.

I miss my cream cheese.

Did I mention I miss my sour cream?

So far I only had one set back. After one week my eczema on my hands went away completely. I was so stoked! Until I went to a baby shower and they had lots of food.  Lots of dairy ridden food. Three days later my hands were dry, rough and raw again. My gosh it was painful.  Only thing different I had was the dairy that prior weekend. Lesson learned! Its been 2 weeks and my hands are finally back to normal. Damn you dairy! 

Stay tuned for more dairy free diary and enjoy our journey to a dairy free lifestyle.

Good thing I'm not alone! There are others going dairy free and loving it.  The Healthful mama shares her journey as well here.