I need your help with cutting out dairy

dyannajoy

Hi everyone. I just want to say I have been reading here and trying to get in step with paleo/primal for over a month now and how very very helpful this group is. Thank you!
I have gotten rid of grains and sugar and now I am working on dairy. Only becuase I have alot of sinus drainage and am hoping that will help. However dairy is my hardest to let go of. I LOVE butter and half and half and cottage cheese and sour cream and.......well can you tell that I was raised on a dairy farm :laugh:
So far I have found a substitute I hope for my coffee half and half. I found a link to a recipe here for
1 can of full fat coconut milk
2 T. coconut oil
1 egg raw
vanilla extract to taste
All blended and stored in the fridge.

So far I am liking it enough to let go of the cream. And I have done almond milk for quite awhile now so use that in my smoothies. but what about other things that you love that are paleo?

And more importantly what differences have you noticed since quitting dairy???

Thank you soooooo much for sharing your expertise. And whoever is responsible for this board. I thank you too, as we all know it is not safe to ask these questions in the general boards. Thank you ALL for being here

tsavisky

I'm on day 9 of the Whole30, which includes cutting out dairy. I've never cut out dairy in my life before! Committing to this 30 day program has really helped me stick to the Whole30 guidelines and the online support here is amazing. The only `dairy`allowed is ghee, so you can use that to replace your butter. And I use coconut milk to replace anything that I would`ve used almond milk in as almond milk is not allowed on the Whole30.

I`ve never noticed that I had any issues with dairy, but usually my stomach always hurt a little after eating, I don`t get that anymore. Not major or drastic results, but definitly noticeable for me.

http://whole9life.com/category/whole-30/

Spooky_Rach

I'm trying hard to cut down on dairy too, I'm abit addicted to it and reckon I eat it rather too frequently (despite dairy being relatively primal friendly). I'm not sure I actually have an issue with dairy, just I eat it too often and I think it may not be helping with the fat loss.

So coconut milk is my replacement for milk for the times when I'd use milk in a recipe.
I'm still eating/using butter - I refuse to give it up yet/at all .

For my coffee I've been having bulletproof coffee for the last week and I've fallen in with it. http://www.bulletproofexec.com/how-to-make-your-coffee-bulletproof-and-your-morning-too/ is the recipe for it. It is seriously good :happy:

beckkotsch

I'm also doing a Whole30 and this is my 7th day. I'd never before cut dairy out either. A couple butter substitutes are ghee or clarified butter! I've never been a huge dairy lover (besides froyo...yum!) I can tell a big difference so far with just a week in....I used to have stomach aches pretty much every night. Not one since doing this whole30!

Dragonwolf

Hi everyone. I just want to say I have been reading here and trying to get in step with paleo/primal for over a month now and how very very helpful this group is. Thank you!
I have gotten rid of grains and sugar and now I am working on dairy. Only becuase I have alot of sinus drainage and am hoping that will help. However dairy is my hardest to let go of. I LOVE butter and half and half and cottage cheese and sour cream and.......well can you tell that I was raised on a dairy farm :laugh:
So far I have found a substitute I hope for my coffee half and half. I found a link to a recipe here for
1 can of full fat coconut milk
2 T. coconut oil
1 egg raw
vanilla extract to taste
All blended and stored in the fridge.

So far I am liking it enough to let go of the cream. And I have done almond milk for quite awhile now so use that in my smoothies. but what about other things that you love that are paleo?

And more importantly what differences have you noticed since quitting dairy???

Thank you soooooo much for sharing your expertise. And whoever is responsible for this board. I thank you too, as we all know it is not safe to ask these questions in the general boards. Thank you ALL for being here

Just a side note - it might be worthwhile to try reintroducing things after a few weeks or a month or so, to see what in dairy is causing your drainage (assuming that the dairy is, in fact, the cause). I mention this because there are several parts to dairy that can cause problems, namely casein and lactose (and sometimes whey), and not all dairy products have one or more of these parts, so it's possible that it's just one aspect of it (such as the casein) that's the real culprit.

For example, many cheeses don't have lactose, but can have higher concentrations of casein. Butter and ghee don't have lactose or casein. Full fat cream doesn't have as much lactose or casein as milk, but might have some. Whey isolates (protein shakes) don't have casein or lactose. (Assuming high quality products for all of these, of course.)

Reintroducing things in a controlled manner would help you understand how you react to the different aspects of dairy products, which can help you make both long term and short term decisions about what to eat.

Also, check out the "natural" or "organic" section of your supermarket, they may have coconut or almond based creamers. Even if you prefer your homemade one, it might be worth knowing what's available in the event that you need something a little more convenient (or just want something different).

Fairysoul

The only thing I can think of is to just give you a sample of the menu I am starting tomorrow that should help you seee ways of cooking without dairy..
Wednesday Aug 8
Lunch: Turkey avocado roll ups, olives, cherry tom
Dinner: Grilled salmon, mixed roasted veggies
Snacks: Banana, Avocado

Thursday:
Lunch: Tuna cucumber sandwiches
Dinner: Bacon spinach stuffed chicken breast, corn salad, sweet potatoes
Snacks: Apple and peanut butter, olives and artichokes

Friday:
Lunch: Salmon salad, veggies
Dinner: Pot roast with veggies, salad
Snacks: Celery and almond butter/ pistachio’s, Beef jerky

tsavisky

The only thing I can think of is to just give you a sample of the menu I am starting tomorrow that should help you seee ways of cooking without dairy..
Wednesday Aug 8
Lunch: Turkey avocado roll ups, olives, cherry tom
Dinner: Grilled salmon, mixed roasted veggies
Snacks: Banana, Avocado

Thursday:
Lunch: Tuna cucumber sandwiches
Dinner: Bacon spinach stuffed chicken breast, corn salad, sweet potatoes
Snacks: Apple and peanut butter, olives and artichokes

Friday:
Lunch: Salmon salad, veggies
Dinner: Pot roast with veggies, salad
Snacks: Celery and almond butter/ pistachio’s, Beef jerky

Looks like a great menu for the week!!

monkeydharma

Most of your replies have been from 'Whole30' types, so I'll give you a different approach.

I've been 'primal' for over a year now. I've eliminated cow dairy from my diet - but I still use butter, yogurt and cheese occasionally. How? I use goat dairy. Better nutrient profiles, more easily digested. I don't use a lot (compared to my pre-primal days) but it's there when I have need for it.

Cut out dairy for a while - you'll rapidly see that adults have little NEED for it. But, eggs are best fried in butter. I use goat butter. Berries are best with a dollop of yogurt as a sauce. I use goat yogurt. Portabella Pizzas need some kind of cheese - and there are plenty of goat and sheeps milk cheeses available.

GalaxyDuck

I agree with monkeydharma on this one. Cut it out for your 30-60 days and then try reintroducing it to see what actually effects you. I was just as hesitant as you were to give up dairy, but in the end it did solve a number of issues for me. I know I can't do cow anything now without sinus issues, skin issues, digestion issues etc. I can do a little bit of goat cheese from time to time without any major consequences.

I tend to throw more veggies in things where I would usually use cheese before (omelettes, salads, pizzas). With enough other flavours going on, I don't miss it so much. I use coconut milk for my iced coffee and learned to drink my regular coffee black (I can drink iced coffee black too, just sometimes I want it a little creamier, you know!). I have used clarified grass-fed butter from time to time with no issues at all.

I found this the other day for sour cream made of coconut milk. I have yet to try it but you can bet it'll happen within the next week or so when I make a taco salad again!
http://www.healthylivinghowto.com/1/post/2012/08/better-than-a-dollop-of-daisy.html

dyannajoy

Thank you ALL for your great feedback and ideas. My little granddaughter acutally is on goatmilk products and I have tried the cheese etc, just can't get past the taste.......but I love the idea of cutting out all dairy and then reintroducing one by one in a month or two as I LOVE butter! And in the meantime, I will try some of your ideas with coconut milk, etc. Thank you again for sharing your wisdom with me. I truly appreciate it more than I can say. Dyanna

dyannajoy

oh yes, and the main reason I want to do this is because I have sinus issues and skin issues. I am glad to see that this has solved that problem for some of you! very encouraging!!

mehaugen

Have you tried raw dairy? If you can get it, that is. My farmer told me it doesn't make his sinuses clog up like pasteurized dairy does. For me, I cut out dairy for several months and felt great: more energetic, less digestive problems. Then I found a raw dairy in my city. I discovered raw dairy does not give me ANY issues whatsoever. I ate a bunch of pasteurized cheese this week and got constipated, which raw cheese does not do to me. I also thought that pasteurized dairy was giving me diarrhea, but then I found out I was fructose intolerant also, so it may have just been a temporary case of lactose intolerance due to having a screwed up digestive system/fructose intolerance/gluten intolerance. I've been gluten free 6 years. I take lots of probiotics now and avoid fructose. I have not tried pasteurized milk again yet, but I did drink 1/2gallon raw milk with absolutely no issues. I seriously did a happy dance to find out I am not lactose intolerant!

However, I am currently doing a low-carb autoimmune protocol, so no eggs, dairy, nightshades, sugar, nuts. Mainly my menu is some kind of meat with veg or winter squash at each meal.

I do not use coconut milk because I am fructose intolerant and have yet to add back in coconut milk to test. I gave up coffee and now drink tea blends, but I have drank black coffee for a long time. So I really don't have much of a need for a dairy-substitute at the moment! Previously I used mostly almond milk, coconut beverage, or coconut milk.

momof8munchkins

I have been dairy for over a year now.. I am lactose intolerant, casein intolerant and allergic- the triple threat. and so are a few of my kiddos. We can't handle any dairy at all unless it is raw from jersey cows-very hard to by in my area.. we even tried goats milk - it was a no go for us.Dairy was harder to give up than grain. We are used to it now though. I use to have horrible sinus issues and migraines ..I cut out milk and soft cheese.The sinus stuff was mostly gone so were the mirgaines. I could still eat butter, cream and yogurt- then started having major digestive issues to all dairy. I have noticed hardly any seasonal allergies this year, and my stomach is a lot happier.
here is what we do
coconut milk-full fat in the can in my coffee, in smoothies, to make ice cream and as a sub in recipes that calls for cream
almond milk for the kids on occasion and for milk sub in recipes
50/50 ratio of olive oil and coconut oil with butter flavor added in place of butter
bacon grease for baking
I make almond nut cheese for cheese- google vegan nut cheese- there are a ton of recipes. I start with the basic cream cheese then add different things depending on the flavor I want- salsa for nacho cheese, lemon juice, garlic and mustard for alfredo style cheese etc
I really miss sour cream and greek yogurt but have not found any subs I like.. I tried making coconut milk several times but it's really lacking IMO
I was never big on cottage cheese ..that is not a big loss to me. that is all I can think of at the moment but if you have any questions feel free pm me.

Aurelina

Years ago my paleo doc told me to give up dairy as a test, but I was never able to do it. I did raw milk, kefir, the whole dairy dance. After being on MFP and counting all my calories (yah, I'm paleo and I count calories when I want to melt fat) I learned even more about how dairy affects my appetite. I was using coconut milk/oil in my coffee some days and heavy cream on others. I sensed that heavy cream seemed to 'talk to me', "ohhhh come here, have more". I decided to give it a go to completely ditch the dairy, but I loaded myself up with a favorite, rather than counting annoying little tablespoons of coconut milk/oil for coffee I'd just assign myself the entire can for the day. And then I started counting up the days I was able to go dairy free in the notes on my diary. I kept at it and I dropped more fat off my body. I've been doing this for over a year now. Sometimes I put half a can in my coffee and use the other half to make a sugar free coconut milk gelatin/jello desert thing. What I've noticed is that on days when I don't have a can of coconut milk I find my appetite starts running my day. Now, I mostly avoid dairy except when I'm travelling. It's one of a huge constellation of changes that is has me leaner and more muscular than I was before I had kids, if ever.