
Last Spring I tweaked my workout and typical 80/20 whole food diet by increasing protein and doing some different strength workouts. I started adding whey protein to my morning smoothies and it DID NOT sit well with me. Over the course of a few weeks I started having digestion problems, bloating, and weight gain. ARGH!! This is the exact opposite of what I was hoping to achieve! I quickly stopped the whey protein, but it did little to resolve the bloating, digestive issues, or weight gain. About that time I did the Spring Challenge through Barre 3. It was an intense month of diet and exercise and it did help resolve a few issues, but over that month and into the Summer I just couldn’t get back to where I was. Through that experience I got hooked up with a very experienced and very popular nutritionist at Replenish PDX.
Fast forward to this fall and I have finally just had my first appointment! This whole time - spring, summer, and early fall I haven’t been able to lose the weight I gained. It’s been super frustrating. I also truthfully have been in a bit of denial. As a homeschool shut in, my afternoon Nespresso latte is seriously something I really really REALLY look forward to. I have been white knuckle clinging to dairy for over a year now. PLEASE DON’T TAKE MY DAIRY! I didn’t want to think or believe that I had any allergy issues.
I’m tough.
I’m not sensitive to things.
I’m fine.
Yeah… well, I think you can figure out how this is gonna go.
One of the first things we decided to do what eliminate dairy from my diet for at least 3 weeks. No milk, no half & half, no cheese, NO BUTTER, no ice cream- you get it.
Well…. what happened? Has it been worth it? Are there any good alternatives?
I have had IMMEDIATE results, such that it has been completely worth it. This former dairy addict has seen the light.
The stomach bloat went away.
My digestive issues are gone.
I have lost weight.
My skin has been breakout free.
I’m still very much in the honeymoon phase. I won’t wrap up my 3 week trial until next week so the final results aren’t in yet. I didn’t realize that it actually takes up to 2-3 weeks for dairy to completely leave your system. I have tried to be perfect, but you never know for sure if you are getting butter in your food at a restaurant or even sneaky dairy protein in packaged foods.
If you are thinking about going dairy free be ready for it. Don’t start it with a half assed attempt. You probably won’t see results. I’ve done this in varying degrees many times before. Find alternatives that you can live with- full fat sugar free coconut milk, homemade almond milk, etc. These things work for me.
I’ve also mixed up some of the supplements I’m taking along with drinking less coffee and much more water. I do believe the success is a combination of all.of.these.things.
And, this bread recipe has helped. It really has nothing to do with dairy, but DANG it’s nice to have a crunchy piece of bread. I’ve not gone officially gluten free but I do try really hard to avoid packaged foods and I try not to eat bread on a regular basis either. I LOVE it. Believe me in a dream world I would live on bread & cheese and be teeny tiny skinny.
My nutrionist gave me this recipe and it’s totally satisfying when you just need that piece of toast or crunchy bread along side a meal.

Basic Chickpea Socca
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp coconut oil, ghee, or olive oil
1 cup chickpea flour
1 cup water
1⁄2 tsp sea salt
Directions:
Heat oven to 425 degrees. While the oven is preheating put a cast iron pan in the oven. Meanwhile, whisk together the chickpea flour water and salt. Once the oven has reached 425 and the cast iron is hot put the 2 Tbsp of oil in the pan. Once the pan and oil are heated, remove the pan from the oven and pour the batter into the pan. Bake the socca for 25 to 30 minutes. Socca is best enjoyed right from the oven but you can reheat it in the toaster or toaster oven. This also makes a great pizza crust!
You can also add a bit more water for a thinner batter and cook it in a skillet like a crepe or pancake.
If you’ve never seen chickpea flour before don’t worry it’s out there and it’s relatively inexpensive compared to say almond flour! Bob’s Red Mill is a common brand and it’s available at Whole Foods, New Seasons, and Natural Grocers.
