Clear the way...Habits can be hard to break

Habits can be hard to break  

If someone did a motion study of me, it would reveal that I am a creature of habit.

Habits can be a good thing.  Life is more efficient- I know exactly what to buy at the grocery store. It's freeing- I don't have to spend much time thinking through all the infinite minutia of life. However, every once in a while it is good to examine whether my habits are helping me to be the best healthy me, or not. That is my aim with going dairy-free this Lent... to find out what's best for me. In doing so, I am totally messing with well worn patterns of daily life.  Sometimes changing things up can feel like a long overdue breath of fresh air.  Other times it can feel disruptive, foreign, time consuming, and draining.

When it comes to eating habits, it's super easy to get stuck in a rut and not even realize it. To get out of that deeply grooved rut requires some creative behavior modification tricks.  Getting myself off of dairy foods hasn't been easy.  First, I had to deal with the lure of those yummy foods so beloved to this Wisconsin cheese-head.  I have been on a mission to discover what to eat or drink in place of them.  I will spare the details for now and get straight to the "take-away's" I discovered about trying to cut out foods I was hooked on.

1. Have a very specific goal

My goal is "no dairy during Lent".  A specific time frame reassures me that this isn't forever.  I can decide after 6 weeks whether to continue with it or not.  I established from the beginning where the line will be drawn.  No cow-based milk in my coffee or in my post-exercise protein drink.  No ice cream.  No cheese. 

 

2.  Know the reason why

In the face of temptation, it helps to ask myself, "WHY am I doing this?" (What's motivating me?)  It is easier to say NO to something when I have a bigger YES calling me.  My bigger YES is my health.  Specifically being able to answer the question-  does dairy-free eating help my digestion, bloating, and general health of mind & body?  Knowing the reason why strengthens my ability to make the behavior change.

3.  Change my thoughts

As our thoughts go, so our actions follow.  It's like a chain reaction.

• First, there's a trigger.  For example, John (with the best of intentions) buys a carton of my favorite flavor of ice cream (French salted caramel) for our family Sunday dessert night.
• Second, I automatically think: "I would LOVE to eat a bowl of this ice cream; John bought it just for me; what will it hurt?  I'll just start back on dairy-free tomorrow."
• Lastly, those particular thoughts could lead me to cave in and eat the ice cream.

Blazing new trails...

To break the chain that would lead to me eating the ice cream, I must interrupt with a more helpful thought that's going to give me a different behavior outcome.  I insert a "but" statement that goes like this: "I will really enjoy eating my favorite ice cream, BUT doing so will mess up my experiment to determine how my body reacts to dairy-free."  The amazing thing is that by changing our thoughts time and time again, we are actually retraining our brain. Scientists say we have the ability to make new neural pathways.  With practice, we are literally changing the make-up of our brain.  It's kind of like forging a new path through dense forest.  The more I take the new path, the easier it becomes to take this route over time. 

4.  Take baby steps that are doable

I was dreading life without cheese-smothered pizza.  After all, what's pizza without cheese?  The big test came on home-made pizza night, a once-a-week affair in our family.  I've seen a few creative ideas for cheese-free pizza. I have toyed with the idea of making a dairy-free, wheat-free "paleo" pizza (http://paleodietlifestyle.com/paleo-pizza/). But I had been procrastinating with putting it on the menu because it felt too overwhelming to try something new.  All I had in me was the ability to take one small step to adjust our usual pizza to make it cheese-free.  So, I sautéed whatever veggies were on hand (onions, red & yellow peppers, mushrooms).  Next, I piled the veggies along with some sliced olives & arugula greens onto the cheese-free half of one of the pizzas.  The result: the flavor was out of this world!  John tasted the pizza and thought I had fallen off my dairy-free experiment. He didn't even realize this delicious, veggie-laden pizza was cheese-free!  One small step, and voila!

5.  It's OK to put my health first

In the busyness of life, it's common (especially for women) to fall into the trap of taking care of everyone else...except themselves.   Important note to self:  When I take care of myself, I am better able to take care of those around me (think oxygen mask on an airplane).  Getting adequate nutrition is important to me.  So I spent some time experimenting with cow's milk replacement along with researching the nutritional aspect of dairy versus non-dairy eating.  After trying different non-milk ways to make a protein drink, I was a bit dismayed with the results.  But I pushed on.  I then reached my most exciting discovery.  Unsweetened almond milk is delicious and most satisfying whirred in the Vitamix with 1/2 frozen banana, a few ice cubes and a scoop of chocolate protein powder.  I was thrilled to learn that one cup of almond milk provides more calcium than what I was getting through all the dairy products I had previously been consuming in one day (with far less fat and carbohydrates).  Doing something for me helped me find a cow's milk alternative that is delicious and nutritious for my body.

6. Clear out, if possible, the temptations

I poured my carton of lactose-free whole milk down the drain so I wouldn't be tempted to use it in my coffee.  I'm surprised by my dislike for black coffee given that I drank it black for many years.  It is almost not worth drinking.  I miss the creamy smoothness.  So far, the best "cream" I've found in place of whole lactose-free milk is a dairy free coconut milk beverage.  It will have to do for three more weeks. But who's counting?

Reflecting on the past few weeks, experimenting with a dairy-free diet has not been easy.  The good news is that my dairy-free path is becoming more well-trodden.  Perhaps the brain neurons are forming new pathways. I feel more confident that I will be able to keep my resolve to be dairy-free through Lent.  Is it worth it?  It doesn't always feel like it in the moment, but I repeatedly tell myself it will be in the long run. These new habits are not an end.  Rather they are the means to an end.  They will help me to determine what feels best, what is best for my body and health.

Moving forward, I will continue to break old habits to help clear the way and make room for goodness.  My next focus for the month of March will be "Bring on the Fruits & Vegetables!"