I developed an intolerance about a year ago. It definitely gets easier to avoid it. But still sucks haha. I take Lactaid before I eat dairy but even then I go it sparingly and have learned things I can't eat now matter how many pills I take.
Look for vegan replacements and experiment with different kinds of milk (I like vanilla oatmilk)
I only get dairy from protein powder. It’s intermittently never loved me back. Dairy is absent from many cultures and they do just fine. It’s only western culture that obsess about dairy and that was largely due to a push from the lobbyists for the cattle industry - “cheese, glorious cheese...” was a push when meat sales were declining.
It’s amazing how much of what we eat is driven by marketing.
You’ll get to a point where certain things (milk, cereal w milk, cream, soft cheese) are totally out of your diet. And good hard cheeses, pizza, etc still are worth a lactaid pill
If you need substitution advice, just ask. Been hardcore lactose intolerant for 10 yrs
Yup! I'd probably suggest looking into plant-based milk alternatives (hemp milk, coconut milk, etc.). This may be able to help fight your cravings you are having, and hemp milk is very simple (just need hemp hearts + water blended up and you're done).
I encourage everyone to stay away from dairy products, since I think the emphasis on us to have dairy/milk is a huge scam lol. The vast majority of dairy products have cows in terrible living conditions (they are eating and standing in their poop), cows that are being injected with a TON of antibiotics, questionable practices surrounding what the cow is actually consuming, etc.
All of this (and more) is then being ingested by the dairy consumer. The inputs create the output...
In addition to finding dairy alternatives that I like, I’ve found it helpful to incorporate more cuisines that don’t use much dairy to begin with—for me that’s been Asian and Middle Eastern cuisines as there are lot of those options near me. Makes it much easier when ordering from restaurants and I don’t miss the cheese/dairy when it was never an ingredient in the first place.
Yes! I found that some ‘conditioning’ is required. For example I usually order burgers without cheese and drink coffee black. Those habits take time to break and build. When it comes to pasta/pizza dishes I have it every now and then but really try to limit how much. I use “vegan” ceasar dressing which is pretty good with nutritional yeast, if I make it at home I add an anchovy. Just some thoughts.
I’ve been dairy free for 1.5 years. It’s ok. I was a cheese lover big time, but when it hurts it hurts. After a year I could sometimes eat 1 little piece of cheese with no consequences. Oat milk is the closest substitute, and I use it for coffee, and I like oat milk ice cream.
I have been dairy-free for 11 months (developed an intolerance). I was worried the quality of my coffee would dramatically decrease. Thankfully that has not been the case! Full fat oat milk (oatly or the Califia barista blend) are my favorites. The added fat (sunflower oil is typical) gives the creamer the same texture as half and half. I avoid almond milk as I find it too watery. If cooking, I use soy milk. Dairy-free cheese has been a disappointment, so I don’t bother. It has been a lot of label reading, but it has been worth it!
It can be very difficult! Dairy is included in so many foods. Of course it is easy to order things without cheese and use dairy-free milks, but even things labeled as dairy-free can have some dairy snuck in there (looking at you, Trader Joe’s dairy-free shredded cheese). And forget about going to a new restaurant- finding food without butter or milk is difficult unless one is fortunate enough to live in a city with vegan restaurants.
Dairy free for 10 years, it’s tough but if it’s for your health, it’s worth it. I put coconut milk in my coffee, and generally avoid all fake dairy products since they taste funny and make me feel a little off. I miss cheeseburgers and pizza, but not being sick is worth it. Cutting out butter is harder, you got to experiment with recipes. Lately I’ve gotten into duck fat, closest thing I can find to butter.
The consistency of this when added to coffee tastes exactly like half and half. I buy it from HEB; would not recommend getting it from Amazon as I’ve seen mixed reviews regarding freshness
I developed an intolerance about a year ago. It definitely gets easier to avoid it. But still sucks haha.
I take Lactaid before I eat dairy but even then I go it sparingly and have learned things I can't eat now matter how many pills I take.
Look for vegan replacements and experiment with different kinds of milk (I like vanilla oatmilk)
Rising Star
I only get dairy from protein powder. It’s intermittently never loved me back. Dairy is absent from many cultures and they do just fine. It’s only western culture that obsess about dairy and that was largely due to a push from the lobbyists for the cattle industry - “cheese, glorious cheese...” was a push when meat sales were declining.
It’s amazing how much of what we eat is driven by marketing.
Pro
You’ll get to a point where certain things (milk, cereal w milk, cream, soft cheese) are totally out of your diet. And good hard cheeses, pizza, etc still are worth a lactaid pill
If you need substitution advice, just ask. Been hardcore lactose intolerant for 10 yrs
Yup! I'd probably suggest looking into plant-based milk alternatives (hemp milk, coconut milk, etc.). This may be able to help fight your cravings you are having, and hemp milk is very simple (just need hemp hearts + water blended up and you're done).
I encourage everyone to stay away from dairy products, since I think the emphasis on us to have dairy/milk is a huge scam lol. The vast majority of dairy products have cows in terrible living conditions (they are eating and standing in their poop), cows that are being injected with a TON of antibiotics, questionable practices surrounding what the cow is actually consuming, etc.
All of this (and more) is then being ingested by the dairy consumer. The inputs create the output...
I’ve been 100% dairy free for 18 months! My daughter is severely intolerant and I can’t have any dairy while I nurse her.
In addition to finding dairy alternatives that I like, I’ve found it helpful to incorporate more cuisines that don’t use much dairy to begin with—for me that’s been Asian and Middle Eastern cuisines as there are lot of those options near me. Makes it much easier when ordering from restaurants and I don’t miss the cheese/dairy when it was never an ingredient in the first place.
Yes! I found that some ‘conditioning’ is required. For example I usually order burgers without cheese and drink coffee black. Those habits take time to break and build. When it comes to pasta/pizza dishes I have it every now and then but really try to limit how much. I use “vegan” ceasar dressing which is pretty good with nutritional yeast, if I make it at home I add an anchovy. Just some thoughts.
I’ve been dairy free for 1.5 years. It’s ok. I was a cheese lover big time, but when it hurts it hurts. After a year I could sometimes eat 1 little piece of cheese with no consequences.
Oat milk is the closest substitute, and I use it for coffee, and I like oat milk ice cream.
I have been dairy-free for 11 months (developed an intolerance). I was worried the quality of my coffee would dramatically decrease. Thankfully that has not been the case! Full fat oat milk (oatly or the Califia barista blend) are my favorites. The added fat (sunflower oil is typical) gives the creamer the same texture as half and half. I avoid almond milk as I find it too watery. If cooking, I use soy milk. Dairy-free cheese has been a disappointment, so I don’t bother. It has been a lot of label reading, but it has been worth it!
I will definitely check that out! It sounds delicious! Thanks for the tip
How is it hard to avoid something that hurts you?
It can be very difficult! Dairy is included in so many foods. Of course it is easy to order things without cheese and use dairy-free milks, but even things labeled as dairy-free can have some dairy snuck in there (looking at you, Trader Joe’s dairy-free shredded cheese). And forget about going to a new restaurant- finding food without butter or milk is difficult unless one is fortunate enough to live in a city with vegan restaurants.
Dairy free for 10 years, it’s tough but if it’s for your health, it’s worth it. I put coconut milk in my coffee, and generally avoid all fake dairy products since they taste funny and make me feel a little off. I miss cheeseburgers and pizza, but not being sick is worth it. Cutting out butter is harder, you got to experiment with recipes. Lately I’ve gotten into duck fat, closest thing I can find to butter.
Yeah but I never ate it that much to began with.
What do you eat that’s hard to exclude from your diet?
The consistency of this when added to coffee tastes exactly like half and half. I buy it from HEB; would not recommend getting it from Amazon as I’ve seen mixed reviews regarding freshness