How to Save Time & Money While Eating Dairy Free
Do you spend FOREVER reading labels at the grocery store searching for dairy free or allergen-friendly foods? Stressed out about if something is safe or not?
Have you noticed your grocery bill go up since going dairy free?
There is a simple solution to save both TIME and MONEY, and (BONUS!) eat healthier, too!
The answer is something I say all the time: MORE PRODUCE, LESS PRODUCTS
This can seem like a really big transition, and it is. It’s a journey for everyone and there’s a big spectrum of what exactly this will look like for each family.
When you first go dairy free, you kind of have two options. You can:
1. Spend a ton of time and a ton of money looking for allergen-friendly substitutes
or
2. You can simplify and start to learn and enjoy and appreciate eating less packaged food and more whole foods.
First, I want to be clear that this is not about judgement. If you are eating a lot of packaged or convenience foods, it could be what you grew up on, maybe you don’t have easy access to real food, or maybe you just have no idea what real food really means and haven’t even thought about how much packaged food you eat. If you are interested and excited about how eating real food can actually feel easy and good, then I’m here to help.
Here are some of the most common things I see that mom’s struggle with when going dairy free and how eating more real food can be the solution, plus some ideas about how to shift your diet towards more real food.
SNACKS
We have this idea that snack food means packaged food and I want to step away from that.
First, it’s important to focus on making sure you and your kids are eating meals that are nourishing and filling and you are actually sitting down and eating enough at each meal. This will make you less dependent on snacks.
Snack food can just be regular food!
Some of my current favorite snacks include: smoothies, radishes & carrots with hummus or beet dip, and fruit & nuts.
TIME
Do you feel like you just don’t have the time to prepare and cook real food? So many of us have been conditioned to believe that we don’t have time to cook; it’s not worth our time. The food companies are trying to make money off of us by telling us that cooking for ourselves and our family is below us. But really, there is something so special about preparing a nourishing meal with love and enjoying it with your family?
The first step is to shift out of the mindset that cooking is below you and you don’t have time for it. It is an amazing, loving thing that you get to do.
KNOWLEDGE
Maybe you just don’t even know where to start. Maybe you just don’t even understand what the concept of real food really means.
Start small.
->Pick one meal – start having real food lunches instead of eating out or getting most of your lunch food from a package
->Pick just one food to swap out. Maybe instead of buying your family’s favorite granola bars, you find a good recipe to make at home.
->Pick one day of the week where you will eat real food. Maybe now on Fridays you will eat a real, home-cooked breakfast, or you won’t have packaged food snacks.
Just pick one thing to start and just do it. You don’t need to have it all figured out or have a timeline in your head. Simply start enjoying it and start noticing what you like about it – does it save you money, does it make you feel really good, does it just feel fun? Over time, your real food diet will organically grow and expand.
Another great place to start is 100 Days of Real Food Cookbook. Find others that are going through the journey or have gone through the journey and surround yourself with them so you can learn and be inspired.
PICKY EATERS
The first problem with saying you or your kids are picky eaters is this label becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. It will become your identity or your kid’s identity.
The first step is to decide you don’t need to be stuck there. All you need to do is decide. Decide today to label yourselves as adventurous eaters and just do it. Start trying new things. Do not let picky eating be in your way, do not use it as an excuse. If you don’t want to be a picky eater, don’t be a picky eater, start trying new things.
Find real food that you enjoy. Try preparing food in new ways and adding flavor! Herbs and spices are your friend! Canned or boiled green beans are not so appetizing, but if you sautee them with some bacon and garlic, you’ve got a side dish that’s hard to resist!
Note: being a picky eater could be a sign of a nutrient deficiency. If you feel like there’s more to it, reach out to me or find a functional medicine doctor that can order some nutrient testing for you.
You do not need to be spending more time and money just because you’ve gone dairy free. All you need to do is take these small steps to start moving away from reading labels and begin to eat more real food without labels.
What’s standing in your way? Leave it in the comments here or schedule a free clarity call with me and let’s troubleshoot!