7 Day No-Dairy Challenge

 Welcome!  This is your quick survival guide for the week!  Thank you participating and please text me or contact me via Facebook if you need ANYTHING!

A few things to know:

1. You will NEVER find a vegan cheese at the grocery store that tastes exactly like cheese. So please keep an open mind.  When I began my dairy free life, it was out of necessity.  My first purchase of Daiya brand cheeze shreds (not a fan of any of their products) was not only disappointing, it was down right disgusting.  Since then, I’ve had some amazing artisan nut cheeses at local veggie restaurants that inspired me to buy a book and begin making my own!

Here is the best sliced soy cheese I’ve found.  The kids really like it and my two little ones don’t like much!  You can buy it at Wal-mart and it melts well over medium heat.  Give it a little longer than regular cheese to melt.

2. For me, cheese was definitely the hardest thing about being dairy-free. It was actually the rich creaminess that I missed, not necessarily the taste.  So…some of the recipes that I have included, use things like creamy cashew sauces, rich avocado garlic sauces, and I’ve even included a Vegan Alfredo (my favorite)!

3. A word about Carrageenan: Carrageenan is commonly used to thicken and emulsify non-dairy based products.  If you suffer from any digestive/intestinal issues please avoid all products with Carrageenan in them.  There is a very strong link in the literature about the ingredient and gastrointestinal disease in lab animals, including ulcerative colitis, intestinal lesions, and colon cancer.  So please avoid it.

Here is a link for products that DO NOT contain Carrageenan.  Also, most “So Delicious” creamers are now Carrageenan free.

http://sodeliciousdairyfree.com/files/so-delicious-carrageenan-free.pdf

4. You may feel kinda crappy. It is not uncommon to have withdrawal and detoxification symptoms when you remove any kind of food from your diet.  Dairy is particularly nasty because the casein protein binds to the same “opiod” receptor sites in the brain as heroin and other narcotics.  So when people say they are addicted to “ice cream, cheese, etc.,” they probably are.   You may have headaches, fatigue, mood swings, or what I commonly refer to as “The Bitch is Back”.   It will pass, hopefully leaving you more energetic and clear thinking! That is why I want you drinking water.  A LOT of water.

5. We will start every morning with a glass of “ROOM TEMP” water with ½ of a squeezed lemon, and a pinch of fine ground sea salt. Water helps move things through your system.  When you detoxify, water is your friend.   So please stay hydrated throughout the day.  This is very important.

FUN FACT:  When your body loses just 2% of it’s hydration you begin to feel tired.   In the morning I drink 20oz of water, I have a smoothie for breakfast, and then a cup of coffee.  I am super hydrated in the morning.  But…by the afternoon I’ve slowed my water consumption, and I begin feeling tired.  So, I drink about 8-12 oz of water, and then BOOM, I’m fine!

6. One final note. I would encourage you to write down how you feel.  What do you notice on day one?  Is it any different on day five?  Measure yourself, weigh yourself, so you have some kind of baseline.  My hope is that some of you will want to continue, making it a 14-day, or even a 21-day challenge!

GOOD LUCK!  Remember you are NOT denying yourself anything.  You are GAINING health benefits, learning some new things, and hopefully changing the way you think about food and health!