Eating clean means eating whole foods that are as close as possible to their natural state.
By now, you probably know this means switching from processed foods to fresh whole foods.
But what about dairy? A lot of people think that if you’re eating clean you can’t eat dairy. If cheese is your favorite food, this makes eating clean sound much too hard!
The good news is that there are a lot of ways to keep dairy in your life and still eat clean.
If you want stick with cow's milk- make it organic unsweetened cow’s milk.
You can always opt to trade in cow’s milk for a clean non-dairy milk like
- homemade cashew milk
- unsweetened almond
- unsweetened coconut milk
- rice milk
You'll probably see a lot less bloating too!
But what about dairy?
Not only can dairy be considered clean, but some dairy offers unique benefits.
These include:
Greek yogurt
Greek yogurt is a great option as long as it's unsweetened. Its high levels of protein and carbs make it so good for you and there are a lot of ways to use it.
Eat it plain, or sweeten it with honey or fruit for a snack. You can add it to smoothies, or use it to replace sour cream in almost any recipe.
Kefir
Kefir is a milk product that’s been fermented. It’s full of probiotic bacteria that gives a slight bubbly feeling when you drink it. Its taste is a little sharper and tangier than yogurt.
Adding kefir to your diet will help your immune system stay healthy and give your digestive system a boost.
Watch out for flavored kefir, which can contain as much sugar in one serving as you find in two donuts! Instead, mix plain kefir into smoothies or use it to make salad dressings.
You can even mix cut up fruit into kefir and freeze it in paper cups or molds to make creamy popsicles!
But, what about cheese?!
Cheese
If cheese is a weakness for you, your best bet is to stay away from the supermarket variety entirely.
Instead, head to your local farmer’s market, where cheese is sold by local farmers. If you look around and ask questions, you’ll find farmers whose animals have been grass-fed or raised on an organic, plant-only diet.
Make sure that the goats and cows received no hormones or antibiotic treatments. The happier and healthier the animals, the cleaner the foods that they provide.
When considering which dairy products give you the best bang for your buck, remember that dairy products like milk and butter that come from grass-fed animals are much richer in:
- omega-3 fats
- vitamin E
- beta-carotene
- CLAs (conjugated linolic acids– actually sold as a fat loss supplement)
Yes, even the fat that’s found in whole grass-fed dairy products is less harmful and more beneficial than the fat in non-grass fed milk.
Wanting to eat clean doesn’t mean that you have to give up dairy and cheese. It just means that you need to be mindful about your choices.
Yous in Health,
Danette
P.S. Please share this and let me know, are you are cheese lover? Comment below.