My LOVE Hate Relationship with Dairy

I love icecream, yogurt, quesadillas and so many other comfort foods that are made with dairy products that quite simply hate me. Over the past 6 years I've battled stomach issues that have been incredibly frustrating ... they last 3 months, go away for 1, come back for 2, and well, you get the picture. In college I encountered one to many uncomfortable doctor exams and at the end of it all I put up the white flag and gave up on some of my faves. Needless to say, it was a sad day.
...Until I read the Kind Diet.  Alicia examines the controversy behind dairy and how it can negatively affect our bodies (she claims dairy is linked to asthma, allergies, heart disease and diabetes - check out her book for all the deets). While all of this is just dandy, I was freaking psyched to know that there are so many alternatives for people like me with love/hate relationships with dairy! I apprehensively set out to Whole Foods praying that I wouldn't be horribly disappointed with the pseudo-dairy products I set out to buy and to my disbelief I found some delish new staples. 
Here is a little recap of my purchases ...
(it's worth noting in advance for all who are just as skeptical as I was that my cheese loving hubby enjoys them all!)

DAIYA CHEESE - Cheddar Style Shreds

 

Daiya is plant-based cheese alternative and i'd personally have to give it a B-. I first had it in a wrap and there was a noticeable change in flavor ... it's also a bit pricier then other shredded cheese alternatives which is an immediate turn off for me.

 

Galaxy Nutritional Rice Shreds & Toppings

Point blank, it sounds awful but it is SO yummy - it actually tastes like cheese! My hubby and I now buy this in place of real cheese (he seriously loves it!) and it passed the quesadilla test with flying colors - melted perfectly! I give this a strong A+. I have 2 packages of the rice shreds in my fridge now.

Tofutti -  Sour Cream & Cream Cheese

The Sour Cream is seriously better then the real thing and again, it is a new staple in our house, it's an easy A ... so long Daisy Sour Cream!

As for the Cream Cheese, it was awful.  I ended up throwing out my bagel which made for a very unhappy mornng. Fail.

 

Blue Diamond Almond Breeze - Unsweetened Original Flavor

This tastes much better then soy milk and is a good source of calcium, Vitamin D, A and E. My hubby absolutely loves it ... I sometimes think the taste is a little thick but it's still pretty damn good. I give it an A-.

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If you battle GI issues like I do or just want to switch to a more cow friendly dairy alternative, I seriously recommend trying 1 item from the list above. A small change can make a huge difference in the way you feel. I am so thrilled to know I can find relief and that I don't have to sacrifice a night of stomach pain or bloat for a yummy homemade quesadilla.

I'm pretty sure you're now wondering How do you get enough calcium? 

Well, many veggies have calcium especially the green leafy ones which i've come to love (kale included) and you can find loads of calcium in different types of beans (soy included), seeds (think sesame) and nuts. I personally eat a lot of black beans, hummus (it has 60mg of calcium per 1/2 cup serving), almonds, brocoli and kale.

I hope this post has been helpful ... If you have any dairy alternatives you'd like to recommend, please let me know!

LIVE - The Kind Life

Six months ago my aunt had a stroke and to be honest it scared the heck out of me … the unpredictability of the stroke itself & her recovery was a stark reminder that life is fragile and everything can change in literally one minute. It was the first time I had experienced something like this so close to home and I saw the immediate affects it had on so many people I love. I immediately started to think about my own health and decided I needed to take control of the issues (albeit small) that i've always been faced with;  stomach/GI issues, acid reflux, ulcers, headaches and a morphed perspective of my body and eating habits. I decided that I needed to make a change, educate myself and treat my body better. 

For months I had been seriously considering eliminating meat from my diet for numerous reasons but could never commit to it or to questions I would inevitably receive from my family ... but one week after my aunt’s stroke I had my last piece of meat. For me, it was the first step to taking charge of my health and making decisions that worked for me and that I felt good about. But that was a small step ... within a few weeks of eliminating meat I was hungry all of the time and feeling incredibly deprived.  I wasn't treating my body any better so I bought The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone and couldn’t put it down. This book seriously changed my life and I highly recommend it for anyone who is even the slightest bit curious about what they are really eating and how it could be affecting your body. While the book focuses on the many benefits of eating a veggie based and vegan diet it had a much deeper affect on me; it didn’t only make me want to change what I put into my body, it educated me on my choices and the importance of good, wholesome food.  It also reminded me of the importance of living a more conscious and balanced life, which is something I felt far from. In the book, Alicia breaks down three veggie lifestyles: the flirt (this is me - tinkering on vegetarian and trying vegan alternatives), vegans (no animal products. Period) and the ‘Superhero’ (based on the principles of macrobiotics). The point of all three is to eat clean, eliminate preservatives as much as possible and to make educated decisions that work for you. 


Personally, I think the whole ‘Superhero’ thing is a little out of my league (& perhaps to many my choices seem slightly ridiculous), so for now, I am a flirt making small and educated choices that work for me and my body. I've eliminated red meat and poultry (I’m still eating fish 1-2x/week), I don’t drink cows milk and I’m starting to realize that my stomach only hurts when I have certain types of cheese or dairy so I’m on the look out for a good soy alternative. 

What I love the most about The Kind Diet is that it's really not a diet (contrary to the title); it’s a new way of life that can very well positively influence my health for years to come. So, I figure, what do I have to lose? I mean, I haven't had an acid-reflux episode since I cut out meat which is a huge feat and I have a huge appreciation for everything I cook. I have so much to learn but I’m excited about this journey, trying new clean foods and documenting my progress here. 

Want to learn more about the Kind Diet? Visit The Kind Life on-line.