Have You Ever Tried a Dairy-Free Diet?

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Have You Ever Tried a Dairy-Free Diet?

January 22, 2009

I love cheese, so giving up dairy would be tough for me, but I know many people who are or have gone dairy-free. Some say it helps relieve congestion or acne, and some avoid dairy because it bothers their stomach. What about you?

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52 Comments

sparklestar 4 years 16 weeks

Everything is dairy free in my life! I feel much healthier as a result.

ellenp1214 4 years 16 weeks

i eat a half cup of yogurt on top of my oatmeal everyday, and i love cheese, but besides that i don't eat a lot of dairy. i prefer unsweetened soy milk to regular milk any day, especially in coffee! soy ice cream is also very good, but it's pricey so i tend to buy regular ice cream. soy yogurt is too sweet for me and doesn't have the same tang as the real stuff, and diary-free cheese substitutes are really gross!

Allytta 4 years 16 weeks

no and it's frightening to even think about it. i love diary.

genniboo 4 years 16 weeks

I find that reducing the dairy in my diet has helped my acne a bit, but i don't avoid it to the max: i have my naturel yoghurt and my cottagecheese (as well as milk with morning coffee) :) works well for me

kml032686 4 years 16 weeks

I've never really consumed much dairy. my mom had to cut it out of her diet when she was nursing me and never allowed me to have it as a child. in college i added cheese into my diet but gave it up completely when i graduated last may and i feel so much better without it.

wackdoodle 4 years 16 weeks

I ditched dairy for a year when I was 19 because my doctor asked my too. My sinusitis and post -nasal drip were out of control. I was oozing mucus and the dairy wasn't helping so in order to clear up the sinusitis (and deep sinus infection) and get the post-nasal drop under control to stop the excessive thick mucus -I went without dairy. After a year I and tons of antibiotics and other treatments I was cleared to resume consuming dairy. Now my doctors encourage me to consume more dairy and less soy. I'm trying but soymilk is easier to store in my fridge than a gallon of milk.

wackdoodle 4 years 16 weeks

I ditched dairy for a year when I was 19 because my doctor asked my too. My sinusitis and post -nasal drip were out of control. I was oozing mucus and the dairy wasn't helping so in order to clear up the sinusitis (and deep sinus infection) and get the post-nasal drop under control to stop the excessive thick mucus -I went without dairy.After a year I and tons of antibiotics and other treatments I was cleared to resume consuming dairy. Now my doctors encourage me to consume more dairy and less soy. I'm trying but soymilk is easier to store in my fridge than a gallon of milk.

snowbunny11 4 years 16 weeks

Animatedpunk- I am a vegetarian, and I can't tell you how hard it is to cut the cheese! (hehehe!!) I really LOVED a medium rare steak, bacon, etc. before I stopped eating meat, but it was such an easy diet change for me, I didn't miss meat at all. But giving up cheese has been so hard for me, even though it's not the healthiest, and the ethical concerns are just as strong for cutting out dairy as cutting out meat! I swear there is something as addictive as nicotine in cheese...I need a patch for it or something!

snowbunny11 4 years 16 weeks

laellelavita- I'm the same way! Vegan cheese replacements are horrible! Soy milk, soy yogurt, veganaise, Earth Balance, are all fine, but the cheese made me gag. So sad. I think I am going to try almond milk tho, since I get enough soy from tofu, yogurt and processed faux meat products. I am not going to keep cheese around the house, but I am still going to eat pizza once in a while, it's my favorite treat/junk food. I also love a good cheddar and cheese filled pastas, but I am going to try to limit it. Thank god I don't like Brie, it sounds so addictive to the people who love it! I do feel better since cutting out most dairy though, and I hope to see an improvement in my skin.

snowbunny11 4 years 16 weeks

animatedpunk 4 years 16 weeks

i love cheese way too much. I could give up meat before I could give up cheese.

animatedpunk 4 years 16 weeks

i love cheese way too much.I could give up meat before I could give up cheese.

ashopaholic 4 years 16 weeks

I ditched but came back. I don't drink milk though. And all other dairy products are consumed in moderation.

bonniebonnie 4 years 16 weeks

I'm slowly switching back to being dairy-free. I have an allergy to dairy which is my main motivation. I've substituted soy milk in as many places as I can. I am still drinking one serving of low fat organic milk a day until I can drink soy milk on it's own. It's difficult for me to drink too much soy milk because I don't like sweet things. And while it can be difficult to skip the cheese, I have found that I was consuming so many unnecessary calories by adding cheese to everything. I treat cheese like some treat sweets...only in moderation.

GlowingMoon 4 years 16 weeks

I'm on a dairy-free diet now. I replaced my daily glasses of non-fat milk with unsweetened soy milk (with calcium). I already gave up cheese years ago. So far, so good. I feel fine. My medical check-up and bone scan results were good. My only concern is that I'm slowly losing weight. Unsweetened soy milk has less calories than non-fat milk (and I happened to have increased my exercise routine, too). I want to stay at 105lbs (I'm petite). Any less weight, I think I look too small (and too young. I'm already mistaken for a high school student, and I'm approaching middle age! Not good). Oops, sorry for rambling.

GlowingMoon 4 years 16 weeks

I'm on a dairy-free diet now. I replaced my daily glasses of non-fat milk with unsweetened soy milk (with calcium). I already gave up cheese years ago.So far, so good. I feel fine. My medical check-up and bone scan results were good.My only concern is that I'm slowly losing weight. Unsweetened soy milk has less calories than non-fat milk (and I happened to have increased my exercise routine, too). I want to stay at 105lbs (I'm petite). Any less weight, I think I look too small (and too young. I'm already mistaken for a high school student, and I'm approaching middle age! Not good).Oops, sorry for rambling.

divinedebris 4 years 16 weeks

For a while when I was younger I stopped eating dairy because it was messing with my stomach and I still only have milk in my coffee and in my cereal. It was really hard to give up cheese and ice cream but I don't even eat ice cream all that much any more.

Spectra 4 years 16 weeks

I don't eat a ton of dairy, but I do eat yogurt every day and I love it too much to give it up entirely. I used to drink milk a lot when I was a kid, but I don't drink it so much anymore. Since I only get maybe one serving of dairy per day, I have to really be diligent about getting my calcium from other sources.

laellavita 4 years 16 weeks

I was vegan for about a year, but I really did miss cheese too much! Buying vegan baked goods wasn't a loss, because those tasted just as good, but vegan cheese is just plain horrible! I missed brie especially, so I have organic cheese. I don't drink milk, however - I opt for almond milk because it's a lot lighter than soy, and I like the taste better. And plus, too much soy is bad for you.

sourcherry 4 years 16 weeks

No, I couldn't live without dairy!

fitgirlFL 4 years 16 weeks

I've though of trying to give it up - to see if maybe it would help with allergies. But I am totally addicted to dairy. I love it and can't bear to think of going without it.

gaelgirl 4 years 16 weeks

calcium? please, this needs to be cleared up once & for all. the calcium in dairy is not easily processed by humans. you can get it from loads of sources. i feel much better after leaving dairy. i loved the stuff, but there are plenty of decent replacements if you look. some are nasty, but some are just as good.

gaelgirl 4 years 16 weeks

calcium? please, this needs to be cleared up once & for all. the calcium in dairy is not easily processed by humans. you can get it from loads of sources.i feel much better after leaving dairy. i loved the stuff, but there are plenty of decent replacements if you look. some are nasty, but some are just as good.