Confessions of a Dairy Addict...
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| Wed, 09-28-2005 - 7:38pm |
Well, I'm on Day 5 of my non-dairy experiment. I haven't cheated except once that wasn't really my fault - DH put a tiny bit of parmesan on a roasted tomato chicken dish he made. Other than that, I have completely avoided dairy. I made oatmeal raisin cookies for "the gay couple" tonight and didn't eat any because there's butter in them.
It's really not so bad, except for a few things...
Cheeseburgers are just NOT the same with soy cheese. If I stay dairy free, I'm going to have to find new ways to eat my beef.
I don't know that I'll ever get used to soymilk. I find it's not really noticeable in junky cereal (like Cinnamon Toast Crunch) but it's pretty noticeable in healthier cereals (like Kashi GoLean Crunch). My protein shake has a cementy flavor to it thanks to the soy milk and soy protein. (The soy protein I bought has fabulous macros and it has no added sugar so you can add exactly what you want.) I have been drinking my shakes, but can't truly say I'm enjoying them. (That is a WWGRD moment where you think "this is fuel, this is fuel" :P) Also - because I know someone will ask - the soymilk I'm drinking is homemade. DH makes it. It's healthier and cheaper than store-bought. I have had store-bought before and it has the same bean-y flavor that our homemade does. I probably just need to work on seasoning it a little better.
All in all, so far so good. I am planning to cheat on Saturday as it's our supper club, but aside from that, I'm going to extend this to two weeks.

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but have you had silk brand? that's the only brand of soy milk that doesn't taste bean-y.
can't help you with the soy protein, it's nasty, but so were all the other protein powders i've ever had, dairy and non=dairy.
can't help you with the burger either, but since the burger itself is probably worse for you than the slice of cheese you'd otherwise eat on it (not to mention just as bad for the environment and just as cruel to the animals involved), maybe you'd be better off just eating the burger with real cheese, but just eating the whole thing a lot less often than you used to.
Yep, I've had Silk. It honestly doesn't taste much different to me than other brands I've had.
I actually have a protein powder I really enjoy, but it's whey-based.
The ground beef I eat is the leanest you can buy and I don't feel it's bad for me. I usually eat it maybe once a week. I would just like to find another topping for it.
That's great that you've made it 5 days!
17 times!?!?!? Holy cow. I had no idea.
I've been seasoning with soymilk with splenda, salt and vanilla. I haven't found the magic combination but it's been okay.
I've only tried the one brand of soy cheese. Perhaps it's time to go try another. If you have any brands to recommend, please let me know. I imagine it's like the veggie stuff -some brands are fantastic and others are terrible. I'd just like to avoid buying the terrible ones if possible. :P
I feel fine after 5 days. I don't really notice a difference in the way I feel. I've been a little tired this week, but I think that's more due to my mental state rather than cow products not coursing through my veings. :)
some say that the best soy cheese is "follow your heart." i like veganrella and tofutti slices. is it the taste you aren't fond of or the meltability? if it's the meltability, that can be improved with different brands/cooking techniques, but if it's the taste, there is no soy cheese that tastes like real cheese in my view. they are all much more bland-tasting. which is fine in my book, because i think cheese tastes disgusting. i think the same "flavor" that makes it disgusting to me is what makes it taste good to others. it's like olives or coffee that way.
there is really no way to cut out dairy and not change your tastes - there are basically have two choices: either get used to new tastes (and if you do, you may find you don't want real cheese anymore) or stick with the old tastes and eat less. or a combo of both.
It's the flavor that bothers me... the texture is fine. I don't do too badly with bland tasting foods as I can usually spice the heck out of them. I do need at least a tiny bit more flavor with the cheese though.
Thanks for the suggestions. I'll look for those brands.
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