Nell’s Top Five

Nell’s Top Five

…Things I Miss About Not Eating Dairy

Last year, I went to the doctor because I’d had the flu for weeks and was coughing so much my husband threatened a divorce since he couldn’t sleep at night because of me. When I was there, she asked about other illnesses and I told her about my severe eczema, and she said to me to quit dairy.

So I went home and googled and yes, it seemed like a lot of people with eczema got better after quitting dairy, so I gave it a go. One year later, my skin is so healthy and smooth I can hardly believe it. I don’t have any problems with my eczema anymore, and I’m much happier.

So not eating dairy is totally worth it, I’m not going back. That being said, there are some things I really, really miss. (And I know there are substitutes for a lot of these things, but here in Malaysia the dairy-substitutes are rare. Malaysians don’t eat a lot of dairy, so they don’t really need substitutes. Back in Sweden though, it’s a totally different story.)

1. Butter. Is there anything yummier than spreading butter on a warm, fresh-from-the-oven piece of bread, let it melt, and then gobble it down? I don’t think so.
2. Blue cheese. I LOVE blue cheese, I’ve loved it since I was a little kid. Seriously, how many small children do you know who eat blue cheese? Well, I did.
3. Pizza. Melted cheese is the best thing ever. I actually found a block of soy cheese in the grocery store a few months back, and I bought it and thought I’d make homemade pizza. So I did. Problem was, the darned thing didn’t melt. So I had a hard, sad crust and unmelted cheese. I’m not saying I cried…but I’m not saying I didn’t either 😀
4. Any other Italian food. Yeah, I order the food that doesn’t contain cream or the mozzarella or any other dairy bombs. But I cry inside every time I ask them to leave the parmigiano off.
5. Milk. A glass of ice cold milk and a hot cinnamon roll *sigh* (Swedes don’t eat cinnamon rolls for breakfast. We have them for fika. With nib sugar instead of icing.)

What would you miss if you had to quit dairy?