This is a bit of a different post but this has been a big change in my life and I wanted to share my honest account of going dairy free. I have complete cut out dairy products from my diet since September. I know what you're thinking, what possible possessed me to cut out cheese? I thought the same at first. However, it's definitely been a positive change in my many ways and I'm writing this to be share my experience.
Why did you decide to go dairy free?
There are several reasons, the main one being the uncomfortable feeling I felt after eating. My stomach never felt settled after any type of meal, even if I had what I felt was a healthy meal my stomach would still hurt and I was always bloated. I also wanted to lose weight but no diets seemed to be working despite the fact I was eating healthy and going to the gym regularly. Because of those reasons, I did an intolerance test and found out that I was intolerant to milk, this was when I decided that I need to cut dairy out of my diet.
What have been the biggest challenges in going dairy free?
When I first found out that I couldn't eat things like cheese and chocolate it felt like a really big deal, I am a massive foodie and thought I couldn't live without foods such as pizza and cheese. In reality, I found it a lot easier than I thought. Once you know something is bad for your body you don't get those same cravings to eat it. I can't lie, I love cheese a lot and there are times when I do crave it but my cravings have never been strong enough to give in.
One of the biggest challenges is definitely eating out, there some restaurants that do really well to cater for Dairy Free, for example Zizzi's have a dairy free menu. Unfortunately not all restaurants have as many choices and a lot of them don't display allergens on their menu's so I end up having to hassle a member of staff in order to find out exactly what is in each dish. This can make eating out a little bit awkward and leave you with little choice of what you can actually eat.
Have you noticed any changes?
Like many diets, you're not going to see results straight but three months down the line I believe I have noticed some significant changes. I feel so much lighter after any meal that I have, my stomach doesn't ache or feel funny and I don't often get that full/stodgy feeling. I am also a lot less bloated, so I just generally feel so much more comfortable after I eat.
Weight wise, I have lost a few pounds which is a good start as before I struggled to shift any weight at all. I have slacked a little bit with the gym towards the last part of the year which is also when I went dairy free so once I am back in to my gym route, I am confident I'll be able to lose more weight.
Dairy Substitutes
Through experimenting with different dairy free products, I have found some really good alternatives for milk based products. I think the fact that there are so many good alternatives now makes it a lot more easier to make the changes. I have also got a few Vegan cook books to help with making dairy free dishes, especially desserts. Lucy Watson's, Feed Me Vegan is really good for this.
Below are some of my favourite Dairy Free products, all of which can be found in supermarkets:
Koko Cononut Milk
Koko Dairy Free Yoghurt
Nature's Store Hazelnut and Coconut Spread
Sainsbury's Free From Coconut Based Soft Cheese
Vio Life Soft Cheese
Green & Blacks Raspberry and Hazelnut Dark Chocolate
Flora Freedom Coconut & Almond Butter
Please let me know if there's any products that you can recommend, especially cheese as I am yet to find any good dairy free cheese!!!
So far, I am really enjoying having a dairy free diet and will definitely be carrying this on to hopefully see further progress. I've covered the main points in this post but if there are any further questions please don't hesitate to leave those below.
Thank you X
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