Haha! You said it exactly: addicted to cheese ... it literally is as far as your brain is concerned. Like any addiction, the only way to get past it is to not eat it. I've tried to eat it from time to time (sometimes when served feta or goat cheese on a salad) and always end up with a roiling stomach. That's enough of a deterrent to avoiding it now, for me.

That being said, we all have our vices and if cheese is what rocks your world, who am I to tell you to give it up?

How can I argue with that? I don't know what I have to prove but I think somehow going dairy-free might make a difference in my skin and my weight loss. I figure that after 30 days without dairy, I can add it back in and see if it makes my stomach upset, my brain foggy, or anything like that.

Argh! Amy, you're right about the bacon but what if the bacon comes from a family farm where all of the cows, pigs, chickens, etc are organically fed and pastured? The bacon doesn't have any preservatives, additives, etc and as such, tastes like it came from a farm. Is that bacon still banned?

I'm going to have to check my Whole30 book and see just what I'm getting myself into before I can fully commit. It's been over 6 months since I tried it so I need a refresher before I dash into it.

As for eating only raw, whole fat cheese, I don't have that option. I live in Albuquerque, NM which is not known for it's farmlands, although there are farms in Corrales and other outerlying areas around Albuquerque. Raw dairy is not obtainable unless through a cow share where part of the cow is purchased (incredibly expensive with 3 growing kids). That being said, I buy my cheese from Sunflower Farmer's Market and try to get organic and pasture-fed animal cheeses with limited pasteurization.