I figured it was about time I discussed a certain issue that I once talked a lot about and have lately gone silent on.

(Source)

Dairy. Ohhhh, I hate it. And I love it. You might recall me saying that I did a food based detox at the beginning of this year, during which I didn’t eat gluten, meat, dairy, or refined sugar in stages for a couple weeks. I did it mainly to challenge myself to eat a plant-based diet and to see if I might be showing signs of sensitivity to any of those foods. Digestive issues have long plagued me, and doctors have not provided me with a lot of help. It was then that I discovered, much to my chagrin, that in the stage where I cut out dairy…I felt SO much better. So, out went the cow’s milk and in came the almond milk. Out went the butter and in came the Earth Balance. On the blog I started featuring lots of dairy-free recipes (along with bad pictures…sorry in advance).

Stir and Roll Biscuits w/Honey Cinnamon “Butter”

Oatmeal Coconut Drop Cookies

Scottish Shortbread Cookies

I’m still 100% happy that I made the decision to cut dairy out back then. It helped me to learn that I don’t need to rely on butter and cream to made a great tasting meal for us. I used to buy an entire pound of butter EVERY WEEK and use it all. THAT was unhealthy. But I also learned that my body can tolerate small amounts of dairy and decided after a few months of being completely dairy-free that it just wasn’t necessary, especially because Jason doesn’t really have issues digesting it. I still believe that it’s healthiest for Jason and I to keep our consumption of it to a minimum because it’s high in fat and you can get just as much calcium (or more) from other sources. Cow’s milk is designed for calves, not for people, and I believe for us it just makes sense to focus on other food groups. So I use it in small amounts at home now, and every once in a while we splurge if it’s really worth it.

Those cinnamon rolls were really worth it.

Another reason I have been able to eat dairy without problems is these little babies:

The Jarro-Dophilus probiotic supplement has done wonders for my body. When I don’t take them, I regret it every time. I didn’t have them with me in Atlanta this summer, and it made for a very uncomfortable experience. If you have ANY problems of any kind with digestion, I highly recommend this supplement. It’s a miracle.

One thing I’m loving since re-introducing dairy?

Greek yogurt is the bomb. End of story. I’ve also become re-obssesed with ice cream, as you know. A few days ago I enjoyed this glorious treat.

That is a stuffed snowball, the specialty of this small business down the road from us called Sno to Go. It involves a layer of delicious soft serve, a layer of flavored “snow”, and then more soft serve on top. It’s genius cannot be explained.

In summary, you will continue to see dairy-free recipes here on the blog and you will continue to see dairylicious recipes too. So whoever you are and whatever your eating preferences, I hope you will continue to find things that fit in to how you eat!

Thanks for reading!

-Lauren