ARE YOU A CHEESE LOVER? ME TOO. CHEESE NOT SIT WITH YOU WELL? ME EITHER.If we have these two things in common, you’ll want to keep readin’...

There is a lot of controversy surrounding dairy and whether or not it is “healthy”, but we’ll save that conversation for another day. This post is meant to provide you with delicious alternatives to cheese because the fact of the matter is that roughly 75% of people lose the ability to properly digest lactose after infanthood (done breastfeeding). Naturally, this means most of us are going to have a  have a difficult time processing cheese!

I think the most important thing you can do when it comes to cheese is to evaluate your unique reaction to it (for me it's a mild stomach ache, gas, coughing up mucus the next morning, and almost instant cramps if it’s that time of the month) TMI? Oh well, you should know your body on this level too!

Now, does this mean I’m going to cut cheese out of my diet? ABSOLUTELY NOT. Call me crazy but I’m not a believer in restricting yourself from your favorite foods. HOWEVER, am I going to be a lot smarter about how I eat it? You bet your bottom I am.  

WHAT I DO INSTEAD:

1. Drastically reduce my cheese intake (went from eating it at almost every meal to a handful of times per month).

2. Pay attention to the type and quality of cheese I eat (preferably organic and full-fat from cows that are grass-fed/pasture raised).

3. Save it for meals where I can actually taste and enjoy it. There are SO many recipes that call for cheese but the 50 other ingredients overpower it and you don’t even realize it’s in there. So why bother adding it?!

4. I also like to supplement with a probiotic and rub Doterra's DigestZen essential oil blend on my stomach to help with digestion and reduce my symptoms.

5. My favorite method? Experimenting with dairy-free cheeses! This allows me to get my cheese fix much more frequently without feeling crumby. If you've every tried them though you know most "just don't cut it" when it comes to flavor and texture. So I saved you the headache of taste testing and put together a list of my favorites!

 MY FAVORITE CHEESE SUBSTITUTES:

1. Kite Hill Cream Cheese

   • I love spreading this on a sprouted bagel or english muffin and topping with sliced green olives, dipping crackers, or putting a spoonful on my Chipotle veggie bowl.

2. Follow Your Heart Parmesan

   • Obviously I’m going to say throw it on top of any and every pasta dish. I also enjoy it on my scrambled eggs. It’s just good for when you want that firmer cheese texture and salty flavor.

3. Kite Hill Ricotta

   • Crumble on top of homemade pizza and add to pasta or stuffed peppers. This one is so versatile, creamy, and delicious.

4. Heidi Ho & Siete Foods Queso

   • I heard both of these are phenomenal but have yet to try them!

5. 5 min Homemade Cheese Sauce by GOOD.

   • When you want macaroni and cheese…

   • Soak: raw cashews in boiling water for at least 5-10 min

   • Blend:

   • ½ cup raw cashews

   • ⅓ cup nutritional yeast

   • 2 cloves garlic

   • 1 tsp salt

   • 2 tsp lemon juice

   • Water to thin

6. 5 min Homemade Queso

   • When you want to dunk tortilla chips or spread over nachos.

   • Soak: raw cashews in boiling water for at least 5-10 min

   • Blend:

   • 1 cup raw cashews

   • 3 Tbsp nutritional yeast

   • ½ tsp sea salt

   • ¼ tsp garlic powder

   • ¼ tsp cumin

   • 1 chipotle pepper in adobo with a little sauce

   • Water to thin

Do you have a favorite dairy-free cheese? If so, let me know in the comments so I can give it a try! :)

♡ Renée