Try going on a dairy-free diet. I read those words sent to me by our pediatrician and felt like crying. It looked like James’ recent skin irritation may have something to do with my diet so it was time to get serious about cutting all dairy out.
Papa and I recalled Georgie having a similar skin condition when he was a couple of months old. Back then I tried to steer away from dairy and I did…but only partially. I continued to eat yoghurt and butter, taking out just the milk in my diet. This time however I was determined to go all the way.
While Georgie’s skin did eventually clear up and James’ did too, I have decided to give a dairy-free diet a go because I’ve heard it’s good for my skin too and besides, having a reason to stay away from ice cream and cakes will make it easier to shed these last kilos. And I’m all for that!
I’ve been dairy-free for just over two months now! Woohoo! And yes James’ skin has cleared up as has mine and I’ve also lost a few kilos. So I’m sticking to it for now especially since I’ve figured out alternative routes.
Here are some tips if you’re thinking of going on a dairy-free diet:
- Just do it. Go cold turkey and keep focused on the reason you’re doing it. Looking at James’ patchy red skin was enough for me.
- Stock your pantry with stuff like almond milk, coconut milk, coconut oil and dairy-free butter.
- Learn to read labels. I do this anyway which annoys papa and anyone who decides to come food shopping with me but it’s got to be done because dairy can hide under many names such as casein and whey.
- Have snacks available. My top go-to snacks are nuts which I keep in jars on my kitchen counter but lately it’s also been about popcorn, olives, fruit and nut bars and sweet cherry tomatoes.
- Pinterest is your friend. If you read this blog often you know I am a huge fan of Pinterest. There is an unlimited number of dairy-free recipes available whether it’s lunch, dinner or breakfast and most importantly sweet treats.
- Vegan inspiration. When in doubt just go vegan. There are alot of unbelievably yummy vegan recipes out there and you can’t go any healthier than that.
- Almond milk for coffee and tea. I’ve tried coconut, soya and oat milk and I reckon the best for hot beverages (if like me you drink hot tea 365 days a year) is almond milk. Plus its great in smoothies and with oats.
- Coconut oil is the perfect butter substitute when baking or cooking. It worked great with my favourite no bake peanut butter chocolate slice which i’ll be posting soon.
- Visit a health food shop. Places like Alpha Mega supermarkets are great but what you really need is to find a well-stocked health food shop. There you can find an abundance of dairy alternatives.
Did you have to eliminate something from your diet due to breastfeeding issues? What was it?
