Dairy refers to milk from mammals like cows, goats and sheep
It's the lactose in milk that causes digestive problems
Milk tolerant people have a genetic mutation thought to have developed thousands of years ago when farm animals were domesticated
Milk was the original superfood. It's rich in calcium, protein, vitamin D, B12 and riboflavin
Lactose content (i.e. sensitivity) reduces and quite serendipitously, deliciousness increases with:
Shortly after acknowledging our milk sensitivity, we quickly realised that there is milk in pretty much everything delicious. In our newly dairy-free home, bestie's soon-to-be ex was despairing of ever tasting joy again when I suggested mascarpone. This led to a desperate search for answers but Google, bless it's logarithmic soul, couldn't help us. Between the wide ranges, the per 100g vs per (differing) portion size vs percentage measures, not to mention the vastly contradictory information from equally 'reputable' sources, it was impossible to know whether we'd react to mascarpone or not.
Bestie took to her spreadsheets.
I like to imagine it as something like A Beautiful Mind. Several web pages open on one screen, excel on another and our chat on a third as she researched her way to salvaging our dinner that night.
And mascarpone was IN!
I've since tested her theory, seen the spreadsheet and the academic basis for her workings, but a part of me still wonders whether, or how much, it was her desperation-fuelled force of will that made it happen. Either way, we present to you
FOR EXAMPLE
Even though feta cheese has much more lactose per 100g than dark chocolate (around 4g vs 0.5g), sprinkling some feta on your salad gives you much less to deal with because you're eating a smaller serving size than a slab of chocolate.
Our favourite example is how comfortably, nay... gloriously, we tolerate the 13g of lactose per cup of milk when it is baked into a pastry. ♡
Life is better when it's creamy.
Some people believe that milk alternatives are mainly for people who "want something creamy in their hot beverage". Not true. Besides coffee: starters, mains, desserts and even cocktails are just not as delicious when you rule out any kind of milk. After trying and testing many many alternatives, we've decided that our stranded-on-a-desert-island must have replacement is Oatly Barista.
It's not the only one we like but it is without a doubt the King of milks, including dairy milk. Oatly Barista works in all milkumstances!
Me: "I'm intolerant to milk but not cheese or butter. Which meals are those?"
Waiter: *blank stare*
The cute French bakery (or Zanzibar, as a whole) has great coffee but no alternatives, and nearby Costa (or Copenhagen) does.
That tempting single cream-filled, milk chocolate-topped eclair, no matter the consequences.
There's no avoiding it. With a global herd of more than 274 million cows, animal agriculture contributes more greenhouse gases than aviation, shipping and road vehicles combined. Add to that water consumption, the widespread use of antibiotics and horrendous animal cruelty - the dairy farming situation overall really stinks (read → or listen more →).
So, whether it's a juicy steak or cheese and wine you're partial to, unless you're willing to go vegan (touted as the biggest way to reduce your environmental impact), it's hard not to feel guilty.
The easy answer is to paint a big no-go brush on the whole dairy industry. And there's certainly power in reducing market demand -the milk alternative and vegan trends together led to the closure of 1,000 UK dairy farms in 3 years →).
Perhaps its a personal bias. I was raised on the concept of milk being wholesome and healthful, sometimes straight from my dad's best friend's farm, sometimes straight from the patient and loving (to my child's mind) cow that I once got to milk myself. He only had the one cow and far from being mistreated, she was very much loved.
While the industry as a whole horrifies me, painting all farmers with the same brush is no different to any other oft-reinforced stereotype. I mean, are all blondes really dumb?
We search for, visit and personally assess farms looking for the kind of 'best-friend' farms and patient, loving and loved cows of my childhood, that make us feel nourished... Well, only after their luscious full fat milk has been fermented or aged to within an inch (or rather a gram) of its life, that is.
Walking down the milk aisle is overwhelming these days. If you're anything like me when I first abandoned dairy milk, and if you're brave enough to venture into a health food store, be prepared to want to run screaming.
In the UK, and more and more in the rest of the world too, dietary requirements are being taken seriously. This is great news for people with allergies and very clear and specific preferences, such as vegetarians, vegans, halaal, kosher and even pescatarian. It's a double-edged sword if you're in the (much bigger) group of foodies with less...
For coffee purists, black is the only way. I'm not one of those, I'm just your average coffee "snob" and I prefer mine creamy. I'm not big on breakfast so the bit of milk offers some sustenance during my also non-purist intermittent fasting (learn more →).
As with all my break ups, I found it hardest to let go of milk when I was eating out or travelling. But unlike most break ups, I never thought of it beforehand! I kept finding myself sat there, alone, staring at my black coffee wondering if it was worth it.
Eclairs were one of the hardest things for us to give up. The 4-set from Sainsbury's or Tesco was our favourite pick-me-up until we realised that they were doing a lot more than picking us up. With the single cream filling and milk chocolate topping we were getting a double dose of our dairy no's.
