The Dairy Dilemma

I made a big deal back in July about giving up dairy. GFBF and I are both a little lactose intolerant, he moreso than me, so we both cut back significantly … for about a month. Since then, we’ve gone back to regular ice cream on ice cream Saturdays (because really, who could afford 2 pints of coconut milk ice cream a week?! So good, but so expensive). We both eat a little cheese every now and again, and I eat tons of goat’s milk cheese, which doesn’t bother my tummy at all. And lately, I’ve started eating a lot of yogurt.

To be totally honest, my main reason for eating yogurt is that it’s easy. If I don’t eat breakfast, I’m hungry all day. And I like getting a good dose of protein and fat in the morning, so while eggs are a great option, most mornings the only thing I feel compelled to make as I’m running out the door to work is coffee. But I can manage throwing a little yogurt into a tupperware with some ground flax and nut butter.

I’ve consoled myself on my new dairy uptake with the standard “it’s a good source of calcium!” While I do believe that’s true, I know that my body has a harder time digesting dairy than bone broths, leafy greens, and tahini – which are all high in calcium, too.

And the other consolation is that I always buy full fat dairy. Yes, I know that it’s high in saturated fat, but I feel better when I eat plenty of fat. Skim milk, and yogurt made from skim milk, is much more processed than the full fat version, and actually contains more lactose. Why? Well, milk has fat, protein, and sugar (lactose). Take out the fat, and all that’s left is protein and sugar. Oh, and water.

Dairy might not be a perfect choice, but I’m not convinced that non-dairy alternatives are much better. Coconut milk I can get behind as it’s pretty minimally processed, and I’ve been eating it in Thai curries for years. I buy almond milk as well – the boxed stuff from the grocery store may not be perfect, but I know it’s just almonds ground up in water, and I could theoretically make it myself. Rice milk I no longer drink because I avoid grains whenever I can help it, but I used to love it as it’s the sweetest non-dairy milk I’ve had.

And then there’s soy milk. The more I learn about how soy milk is made, the more it concerns me – like almond milk, it can be made by grinding up soy beans in water, but how commercial soy milk is made has words like “high temperature processing,” “bleaching,” and “acid washing.” Gross. But until Starbucks offers other non-dairy milks, I’m still drinking it.

So the point I’m getting to is that plenty of my food choices are less than ideal, but better than the alternative. Yogurt for breakfast may not be the best choice for me, but it’s better than no breakfast.

Also, a couple of blog-related notes – the gf-gf has had some technical difficulties this week. If you came over to read but couldn’t, I apologize! Everything should be running smoothly now.
And for those of you who are email subscribers, you might have noticed that you haven’t gotten an update from me for a couple of months, and magically got one again today! Sorry for any confusion. Please bear with me while I get the subscriptions going smoothly again. You can always send me an email if you have any issues or if you wish to unsubscribe.