I love dairy...but my body doesn't!

I love dairy… but my body doesn’t!  I grew up loving milk and cheese and for a long time I dealt with some not-so-sexy side effects like gas, bloating, stomach aches, and low energy – yuck!   

Then about a year ago I decide to cut back on my dairy intake dramatically and the result?  I feel great!  By reducing my dairy consumption I found out that not only did my stomach feel better but I was also in a better mood.  I didn’t want to believe it, but eating so much cheese and yogurt was making me cranky!

I still love cheese and I’ll eat it occasionally – we all have to cut loose sometimes! – but the truth is my love affair with dairy is over and guess what?  I really don’t miss it!

If you have any of these symptoms I listed above, maybe its time for you to bid adieu to the cream cheese, too! 

Giving up what you love isn’t easy – but instead of looking at it as giving up dairy, look at it as gaining… something even better! Something that’s just as satisfying and yummy…and nutritious too!

Let me share what I did to help kick the dairy habit:

1.  I use almond milk instead of cream in my coffee and it’s delicious.  I even make my own – almonds and water, who needs the store?  It’s fewer calories than regular milk, there’s no cholesterol or saturated fat plus it’s high in healthy fats (they’re those great omega fatty acids that we usually can only find in fish!). It’s loaded with vitamin E and antioxidants that keeps our skin glowing and gorgeous and looking years younger!

2.  I use avocado instead of cheese spreads.  You know avocados – they go into all that guacamole we love to eat while we’re inhaling Margaritas!  Who knew we could spread avocados on bagels and they’d taste better than when we use cream cheese?  And if you want it to be even healthier, spread some avocado on whole grain toast – it’s super tasty and filling (and loaded with phtyo nutrients and healthy fats, but you won’t care because it’s so divine!)

3. I substitute my cheese plate for interesting spreads.  Avoiding cheese was probably the hardest for me – but now, instead of putting a slab of cheddar on a cracker, I go for some non-dairy spreads like hummus or pesto or olive tapenade:  all creamy, scrumptious and – you know me by now – healthy, too!

4.  Next – I toss that container of ice cream aside and grab a frozen banana or a cup of fruit sorbet.  Both are sweet and delicious with a big bonus:  they won’t affect our digestive systems!

5.  And when I bake, I try substituting coconut oil for butter in my recipes.  I find that coconut oil is not only great for digestion, it increases metabolism and provides energy and endurance.  Plus it helps regulate blood sugar and increases our resistance to viruses and bacteria that can cause illnesses.

Am I convincing you?  I’m only sharing what worked for me but I’m sure at least some of these will work for you, too!  You can try them out cafeteria-style and see how it goes, but I promise you:  you will feel better if you even check out one or two of my steps.  Good luck – and let me know how you’re doing, I’d love to hear from you.