Did you know that this stuff is almost as addictive as crack? I didn't. Not until yesterday. Cheese was my pal. It was my best mate. It made sure I kept up with all the fat requirements of my macros. It was the "li'l extra" to fill out a meal. When I wasn't reaching for the dark chocolate, of course.
So when Hubby announced that we would be going without dairy for a bit, including all the delicious cheeses, I was a bit like:
"Not even Wenslydale?" (© Aardman Studios)
But yeah. Cheese, even though it helped my pale, pale ancestors survive the harsh winters, it's off the menu for thirty days because it could plausibly be causing me and mine some minor intestinal upset. I guess my melanin-deficient ancestors weighed intestinal distress against death by starvation and tucked into the cheese.
I guess we don't need it any more, but I sure as heck want it. Fortunately, there's yeast flakes that mimic the cheesy taste whilst also doing your innards a solid. So I'm told. Future food experiments, bar the couple I'm holding in reserve, will be cheese-less. And cream-less.
I am allowed "small" amounts of butter, but since that isn't quantified, I'll be cooking things in Ghee. Which is allowed on account of the fact that it's just the fats, ma'am.
When cooking for myself, I like that buttery flavour. Just about everything else will be using coconut oil and other coconut byproducts. Where I can't make almond byproducts work for me somehow.
After the thirty days, we bring back the dairy products a bit at a time. First we try the organic, pasture-raised dairy. Then the mainstream dairy. IF all is well, then it wasn't the culprit and we try something else.
#1 on my little list is pure cream. Without it, my smoothies taste super-gross.
( Picture © Can Stock Photo / profotokris