Yes, I am the Dairy Queen! (BLOG #25)

YES! I AM THE DAIRY ????‍☠️ QUEEN

I often get questions about dairy–what to do, what not to do. And I also get my fair (unfair?) share of resistance.

So, here’s a roadmap for those of you who aren’t sure about the “rules” of our Protocol regarding dairy and dairy substitutes.

Let me begin by saying that I was a big fan of dairy until five years ago when my skin blew up into a flare that affected 90% of my body. I had to make the hard decision to eliminate dairy from my diet. It came down to: did I want to consume dairy or did I want clear skin? I chose the latter.

Here’s how I handled it:

I’ve never worried about small amounts of dairy in finished products such as cookies, cakes, etc.

Butter is not an issue. You can eat butter. Hurrah! I choose grass fed.

Milk or cheese, even lactose-free, is not o.k.

Yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese, heavy cream, well, all dairy products are out. Yes, sorry, that includes ice cream.

All dairy substitute beverages (almond milk, rice milk, oat milk, etc.) have calcium. Check the % on the side of the container. Don’t buy any with more than 30% calcium per serving. (if you are in the U.S., the % can be as high as 47% or more–avoid these!)

Also, understand that the % is based on serving size. This can be found at the top of the information on the side of the container. So, if it says that the calcium is 30% per serving of one cup, it will double if you drink two cups.

You can lower the amount of calcium in dairy substitute beverages by not vigorously shaking the container. Calcium tends to sink to the bottom. A gentle shake is o.k., otherwise you’ll end up drinking mostly water.

The FDA (U.S.) has some weird rules–e.g., allowing companies to say that there is 0% calcium in heavy cream. It’s NOT true. But if the calcium content is low enough they can put 0% on the container. Sneaky ????

Strange but true, Coca Cola has a patent which includes calcium lactate in their formula. I now avoid Coke.

I have made all manner of recipes that call for milk by switching to almond milk or soy creamer or mixing coconut milk with almond milk, etc. Coconut milk can be too coconutty so I dilute it with other substitutes.

Eating out can be tricky. I used to despise people who were a pain in the ass when ordering at a restaurant. Now I’m one of them. Sigh.

Mexican food (one of my favorites) is particularly frustrating as they put cheese in almost everything. So, I’m a real pain in Mexican restaurants. Lo siento.

Now, here’s where my experience (inner bitch?), of dealing with psoriasis sufferers from all over the world, comes into play. There’s no way around the no-dairy rule. Period. It’s actually easier to just throw in the towel and give up the poison ????‍☠️

By holding on to “only one” of your favorite dairy products you either slow down your healing or don’t heal at all. It’s up to you.

I just passed my 5 year anniversary ???????????????????? of being 99% psoriasis ???? I ate some dairy-free sorbet. Ha ha.

Hope this little bloggit answers any questions re: dairy and also hope you are all doing well and that your skin is improving with the Protocol.

Much love,

Dakota, Lucky and Charlie

My almond milk 30% calcium per 1 cup serving