I took on the #BeatTheBloat Lactofree challenge to see if going lactose-free would help deflate my bloat. This consisted of 7 days’ worth of recipes, specially designed by Lucy Jones, a dietician.
Probably one of my favourite meals – lactofree porridge with homemade rhubarb compote and juicy dates.
Now, one thing I would say is that it’s quite hard to cook 21 meals – that’s 3 a day for 7 days – and if you’re working or out in the evening, time rather than ingredients, is an issue. This preps me nicely for my confession that over the weekend during this challenge, I totally fell off the lactose-free wagon. I went away and had dinner with friends and it was a dairy-fest; there was cheese, there was sour cream and yes, it was fajitas. And boy was it good.
Having said that, I hadn’t actually missed dairy. But I’m not really one to pass it up. Interestingly enough, within minutes of chowing down on my first fajita, I developed stomach ache. But, as I normally do in such situations, I ignored it and carried on fighting the boys for food.
Tofu in a smoothie? It’s actually rather delicious.
The next day I did some thinking – during the first couple of days of going lactofree, the dull stomach ache and puffy belly went. It came back after the fajitas. Hmm, maybe there was something in this whole thing after all…
I hopped immediately back on the lactofree wagon and made myself a delicious lactofree porridge with homemade rhubarb compote (here I have another confession to make – I haven’t been following the meal plan in strict order. Sorry. But what I have been doing is trying everything. Even tofu smoothies. Oh yeah.) From here, meals such as stuffed trout, tuna nicoise and steak with polenta chips followed.
And it did make a difference. I sadly pushed my Total Greek Yoghurt to the back of the fridge (out of sight, out of mind) yet I felt better for it.
Could this be a whole new level of eating for Eliza? Not quite, I scoffed a macaroni cheese the other day. With extra cheese. Did I bloat? Hell yeah.*
Mmm. Steak.
Have you tried Lactofree?
You can buy Lactofree milk from most supermarkets – it’s still milk but without the lactose so is great for those who love the taste of milk. And it comes in whole and semi-skimmed.
Could you be lactose intolerant? Take Lactofree’s test here.
*In all seriousness, it has made me realise that I need to listen to my body more – I always get a funny tummy after having dairy so why I aren’t I doing anything about it? Well I am, I’m reducing the quantity I eat and looking at lactose-free alternatives.
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