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:

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).

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!!

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

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.