I am currently contemplating learning to live without/replacing/moderating use of... DAIRY!

Two things going on for me right now: I keep rereading the nasty foods section in The Kind Diet regarding DAIRY. ugh.

and...

I have enough dairy products in my fridge right now to feed a family of 5. (I live with my pug... it's just me and my pug.)

I am a complete coffeehead. I have to have it every morning with half and half or I can't live. And ice cream and cheese are my joys in life.

ugghhh

Oh Kristin, to say I hear you is an understatement - LOL! But you can SO take heart - lemme tell ya, the one thing I've loved discovering is terrific dairy replacements.  And except for cheese (darn near impossible to truly replace to my mind, I'm sorry), it's FANTASTIC. Alternative milks like Almond, rice, hemp...DE-FREAKIN'-LICIOUS in just about anything - 'specially almond.  Rice Dream Ice cream, So Delicious Coconut milk-based ice creams...just that - so delicious, for real.  Trader Joe's has a Vanilla-Mango ice cream that blew my mind. Generally soy-based ice creams and milks do carry aftertaste, so I use them in recipes and in smoothie treats with whatever fruit's in season, not so much alone.

I'm even getting into almond milk in my cereal - lovely. It takes getting used to the creamier feel - I've always been a skim-milk girl. But believe me, I now use it (almond) in eeeeverything that needs or could benefit from it - including coffee...or Alicia's hot chocolate - LOL!  Good luck, you can do it and enjoy it.

So Delicious makes  coconut-milk based coffee creamers that is currently my favorite. I did NOT like the Silk brand ones at all - just too soy tasting, if that makes sense. But the So Delicious kind is pretty decent.

I have found that for me, anyway, trying to replace cheese just doesn't work. I had to give it up and just not have it or try to replace it. There are some fairly good cheese alternatives out there, but they just aren't the same, and I found that they actually made me miss cheese MORE. So I'm just learning to love the way things taste without cheese. I've slipped and had cheese a couple of times and honestly its not worth it anymore - the way I feel for two days afterward is so terrible (stomach pain, nausea, all kinds of stuff).

Thanks you guys. I appreciate your input! My feeling is that perhaps I can tackle the milk thing first, since it is so prevalent in my diet. Later I can deal with cheese. Alicia says she still has cheese from time to time and then pays for it by feeling like crap for a few days after eating it. This seems like a really natural way to let listening to your body help you make decisions. The healthier I get the less I will crave foods that make me feel awful.

Right now I have so many layers of nasty food habits, including addiction and outright denial, that I feel encouraged just to 'tune in' a bit more. My intellect tells me to go ahead and inform myself, my intuition says don't worry about the rest, don't put labels on myself which set me up for failure, just keep eating better and with more consciousness each time I can and the rest will fall into place.

I have little idea what my body says because I have many, many years of not listening to it and letting the messages in my head that scream "you know you want that ice cream!" and "I hate exercise", etc. run the show...

So, first milk, chocolate milk, half and half, and ice cream. I can think about sugar, coffee, and cheese eventually. (Get ready for SUGAR posts after I, hopefully, get off milk!)

xoxo- K

Ok, I just found out that the huge company that bought Silk is rotten and the soybeans are now from China and labelled "natural" versus organic, among other bad things.

Rats. I like the Silk creamer for my coffee.

Any suggestions???

A lot of taste is just what yu are accustomed to, once you accept that it become pretty easy t train yourself to like something else.

Dairy does have an opiate effect so those if you cut it all out at once expect some withdrawal symptoms because your body will be addicted.

I thought I could never live ithout cheese and was terrified of taking the step to become vegan but have not had any dairy for 9 months and don't miss it one little bit.  I don't use the fake cheese but do have 'cheezy foods' using vaious recipes.  Veg web is very good.  I love the cheezy bean enchiladas.  Try incorporating  some of these type of recipes into your diet and then cutting down on dairy, your health and the cows will thank you.

After being vegan for 2 weeks, I decided to take dairy back.  So far no ill feeling.  It was just so hard eating out.  I took back eggs too.  I guess now I'm a flirt.  But my vegetarian omlette this morning was so good.  I had it without cheese because I'm also trying to  lose weight

you must try this!! Ive had my cheese/meat eating friends try it and they all guessed it was cheese! http://www.wayfarefoods.com/node/5

I love the cheddar flavor with pretzels!

I've heard that the Daiya "cheeses" are really good! I haven't tried them yet, and I'm just in the process of getting a quote from veganessentials.com on what it'll cost to ship from Wisconsin to Lethbridge Alberta Canada.... Could be pretty pricy! But could be worth it! haha.... I've heard that the wayfare "cheese" spreads are delicious also.... veganessentials also carries that, so I will see what the shipping will be and decide from there....They have to ship it UPS express.... hahaha... talk about a cheese junkie!

I second the So Delicious "creamer"....my non veggie/vegan friends really love it...actually commented on how good it was...i was a total half and half user and abuser....so I would totally recommend it to add to your morning coffee...ps i haven't nor will i give up my morning coffee:( 

Kristen, you are one of the first people who took a rational response to the "I can't give up cheese" argument.  Give up everything but cheese for now.  You're awesome.  I took some time flirting too and almost 10 months later I feel great cheeseless. 

Try turtle mountain so delicious cookie dough ice cream!

Try Tempt ice cream!

Try Toffutti cuties or Rice dream ice cream cookie bars.

Make a pizza with really good ingredients and small pieces of follow your heart vegan mozzerella.  I think its awesome. 

Obviously these aren't every day foods, but you are on a brand new journey so have fun with it when you get a craving.

I just tried the "So Delicious" coconut ice cream bars that are dipped in chololate with almonds...... omg.... so good! :) Yummy!! Obviously you must like coconut somewhat.... I'm not a die hard fan of coconut or anything, but I love these bars!

One morning, my husband made our coffees.  He uses milk (skim) and I use vanilla soy.  He made the coffee, handed it to me.  I took a drink and wanted to puke!  I can't believe how rotten it tastes now just after 3weeks of this diet change.  He couldn't believe that I could tell the difference.  He figured I would love the taste and want to keep drinking it.  After I found out about the puss in our milk, it made it easy for me to switch!  I do love rice milk and coconut milk, but am not a fan of the almond milk.  Must be the brand I tried.  There are so many alternatives for everything that we eat.  I do not like the cheese alternative tho.  If I really want cheese bad enough, then I will just eat it.  BUT....I always regret it the next day!  It hurts to eat that crap!  It does not settle nicely anymore.  Even Ranch dressing.....I LOVE Ranch Dressing!  I will eat it sometimes....whenever I just feel like I'd die without it, but the next day is horrific!  lol 

Jamie -- those Daiya cheeses really are good. Hard to find though. At Whole Foods the cost is an insane $10.99 for a little tub of shredded cheese. It's about a quarter of the price (three something) at local food coop where I shop. The nice thing about Daiya is it melts well, and is good for Mexican food.

We tried the So Delicious Neopolitan ice cream sandwiches this last week and they are insanely good! I was pouty because they appear kind of small, but they are packed with flavor (and less air as it turns out). It's a flavor punch. Yum!