In August, I listened to a podcast by Dr Chatterjee about gut health. In it, he discussed how a bad gut can lead to joint problems and that things like dairy can impact that.
Now, I LOVE dairy; cheese is my favourite thing in the world and I can’t live without chocolate. But I decided that I’d take the advice of the two doctors and for a month cut out dairy completely before slowly reintroducing it into my diet.
I saw it as a last resort attempt to get some pain relief. I haven’t been on any medication for 3 months, all my scans and blood tests are coming back okay but I’m still in pain. Add to that, my next hospital appointment is in JANUARY!!!
So, I’m taking it into my own hands. And, naively, I thought going dairy free would be a walk in the park.
The Experience of being dairy free
Fun fact for you, dairy seems to be in EVERYTHING. I was shocked at some of the things I found it in; crackers, certain flavours of crisps, certain soups!
There’s so many foods I foods I forgot were dairy as well because you just don’t think about it! Pastry was one of those and THANK GOD for Gregg’s vegan sausage rolls ?
It also turns out that cheese withdrawal symptoms are REAL. I actually cried over cheese. That was about 2 weeks in and the novelty of being
All I wanted was a cheese and chutney sandwich and dairy free cheese was not the one.
Another BIG thing I noticed was that not many places do dairy free cake near me. As soon as I went to a big city, there were vegan cake options most places but the countryside doesn’t have quite as many options!
I have to say, although it was a lot tougher than I expected, after the first week and a half, I really got into it. It’s crazy how many things have dairy in BUT so many places are doing vegan options which made it easier.
I also found I was baking more, which is always a good thing, and there are so many good recipes out there. If you’re a cookie lover like me, check out this recipe for dairy-free cookies!
The best (and worst) dairy alternatives
Okay, lets get real. There are SO MANY dairy free alternatives and versions of things. I’ve tried a few and some were amazing, some not so.
It’s safe to say that the biggest winner is Oatly barista style oat milk. I actually prefer my oat milk lattes to normal ones and this is a real winner. ASDA’s own oat milk is a pretty good (cheaper) alternative if you’re just wanting a dash of milk or something to cook with.
Turns out me and soya milk don’t get on. Having it in drinks makes me feel sick and I just don’t like the taste! And I’m not the biggest nut milk fan so oat all the way for me!
Now, lets get onto cheese. I haven’t found any AMAZING ones but I know they’re out there as I’ve had it when I’m out.
ASDA’s cheddar cheese is okay though but that’s the only decent one I’ve tried so far. If you have ANY recommendations, leave them in the comments below!!
I was really disappointed with Sainsbury’s cheeses – they just tasted like plastic and the smell was awful.
I started making cakes at home so I had something sweet to snack on and I have to say, it was easy to find some good vegan and dairy free cakes (although I did feel like dairy week on the Bake Off was mocking me!).
There’s some good dairy free chocolate out there too. I love dark chocolate so a lot of the time I just went for that. Hotel Chocolate are really helpful and have some delicious dairy free chocolates, hot chocolates and ice cream. If you’re looking for chocolate buttons, Tesco’s free from ones are to die for.
As for ice cream, I haven’t tried many dairy free ice creams yet. I can vouch that the Vegan magnum is just as good as a normal magnum though! I’ve also had a lot of people recommend Ben and Jerry’s too which I’m definitely going to go and try.
Did the change in diet actually help
Okay, now for the big one. Did the change help at all?
It’s hard to tell but I think it did. I seemed to have more energy and less pain days. I didn’t struggle to get out of bed as much and my back didn’t constantly hurt.
I’ve been trying to reintroduce diary back into my diet and straight away my skin broke out and I’ve had more fatigue.
BUT a big thing I realised was as I stopped having dairy, my sugar consumption went down. I wasn’t having cake as much when we were out and less snacks on a night (which is my downfall).
I’m definitely carrying on with the dairy-free life BUT I am still having cheese (in much smaller quantities) as I haven’t found anything to replace it and I love cheese!
Have you tried going dairy-free or changing your diet to help your health? How haven you found it?
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