Milk-free Monday: the rules!

The concept is pretty simple: if you can't ditch the dairy full time, try and do it one day a week:

"I pledge not to eat any products containing dairy products - on a Monday!"

When Monday rolls around, simply substitute your usual portions of milk, cheese, yoghurt or any products containing those ingredients for dairy-free alternatives, or avoid meals that normally contain dairy altogether. So it's not just about milk - it's about anything containing it.

Is that it? Are there any exceptions to the rules?

It's really up to you, and will largely depend on your motivations for taking part. At first, you might want to cut out the more obvious items, as listed above. But you can take it to another level by excluding anything that lists these products as ingredients. This is where it gets harder, as several 'staple' products such as bread will often include milk derivatives.

Similarly, if someone offers you something with dairy in it and you don't want to turn them down, it's up to you if you want to take it. If you're milk-reducing for ethical reasons, your refusal in this instance is not going to make a world of difference; they've already bought it - so don't feel guilty about accepting that piece of milk chocolate. If you're dairy reducing for a health kick you might want to pass on the offer, and why not also take the opportunity to tell them all about MFM?

Where can I chat to others about Milk Free Monday?

Last but not least, don't forget to spread the word on Twitter, using the hashtag #milkfreemonday or tweeting at our @MilkFreeMonday account. It's a great way to share tips and support on your dairy-free quest.

Why MFM is doable for most people:

• On a Monday, many of us our less likely to go out to dinner or meet up with friends (depending on your social calendar, of course!), so this should make the pledge a little easier to approach.  
• You've also got the whole weekend to buy in all those MFM essentials like soya/rice milk, plenty of fresh fruit and veg etc.
• It's only one day a week, so if you really want that cheese, it will still be in the fridge tomorrow

Hope to see you taking part next Monday!

Milk-free Monday - a first attempt

Before going ahead and making milk-free Monday "a thing", I thought I'd give it a little trial run with no fanfare, just to see how realistic a prospect it was likely to be. As this date fell on a Bank Holiday, I suspect I faced far greater challenges than I would on a normal working day - not least because I had planned to attend the Real Food Festival on London's South Bank!

Things got off to a surprisingly good start - not least because I hadn't decided to go ahead with the challenge until lunch time. By this point I'd already had my breakfast, which consisted of marmite on toast with vegan margarine, black coffee and some juice. So I was off to a flying start without even trying (we'd bought the vegan marge a week earlier, simply because it was on offer).
                                           
As expected, things got a lot tougher once I arrived at the foodies' festival. I managed to avoid sampling any cheese, but when we chanced upon a sizzling veggie burger stand, most of my resolve went out of the window: it wasn't clear if all or any of the burgers were dairy free, and I did not want to make a fuss and ask. So I based my choice on guesswork, and ordered a very delicious curried chickpea burger which seemed pretty milk-free to me. Having managed to track down the ingredients online I can now confirm they don't have any dairy (although they do contain eggs). One step at a time!

Curried chickpea burger from Greta's Wholefoods - dairy free!

Later, I fancied an ice-lolly, so decided to try out some home-made frozen treats being sold by the river. I settled on a water ice variety, and felt pleased with my choice. But on reaching the stand I was informed that this particular lolly was sold out, and I'd have to pick another. The remaining lollies all had very creative but not particularly informative names, so without knowing the ingredients of any, settled on one called '50s orange'. This turned out to be a milky lolly with a white chocolate coating: utterly scrummy, but my first definite fail of the day.

I learned quite a lot about dairy-free living on this one excursion: firstly that it's really not catered for very well in gastronomic circles, secondly that I'll have to get used to 'making a fuss' if I want to ensure I cut it out for even single days at at time and finally, that it's a steep learning curve to be able to order confidently without knowing the ingredients in a dish before you do. As a veggie you get used to dishes that have meat or fish vs those that don't (eggs Benedict, eggs florantine etc) but doing this with dairy is more of a challenge.

handmade lollies - not all dairy free.

After failing on the lolly front I didn't bother to try having a dairy free dinner: I was having mezze which included a bit of halloumi (but was otherwise all vegetable dips and salad). Not a cow's milk cheese, but a cheese nonetheless! I'll be looking into whether the origin of milk makes any difference at a later date.

Overall then, could have been better - but could have been a lot worse considering it was a last minute decision! I've now picked up some ingredients so I can be better prepared in future, and am having another dry-run today.

Welcome dairy reducers!

I've started this blog mainly as a personal project, with the ultimate aim of cutting back on the amount of dairy I eat; an idea that's been nagging at me for a long time. 

As a long-term vegetarian (I stopped eating meat and fish at the age of eight) I'm often called upon to defend my dietary choices. Animal welfare is not the only reason I stopped eating meat, but as I've got older and discovered more about the meat industry it's become a much bigger deal, and that inevitably leads to questions about how to square these concerns with eating dairy products. I'm sure we've all heard the arguments on either side and I don't need to go into detail on them here.

Nevertheless, I'm coming to be far more persuaded by the arguments against dairy as an ethical dietary choice, but I am realistic about my chances of becoming a full-time vegan any time soon: this is mostly because I don't feel the world is really geared up for veganism. I'm a self-confessed foodie who will go a long way for a delicious meal, and while my vegetarian diet in no way impedes a shamelessly gastronomic lifestyle, I'm under no illusions that a vegan one would cause me some problems. Like many people with a diet that in any way veers from the norm, I'm constantly afraid of 'being different' or 'making a fuss', and will admit freely that this is a factor in my diet.

So, the conclusion I've reached is that the best I can do for now is to try and reduce my dairy intake - and that's what this blog is all about. Just as we're seeing a trend towards 'meat reduction' among omnivores who want to cut down on animal products but still get to enjoy that occasional juicy steak, I'll be finding out how many of my favourite meals I can make with non-dairy ingredients, while allowing myself the odd plate of artisan cheese or ice-cream. 

In my view, it's all about doing what you can - while recognising that it's hard for an individual to get it right all the time. To me it makes no sense to take an 'all or nothing' stance on issues like this one: doing a little for a longer time can have a much bigger impact in any sphere than doing a lot for a short space of time only to burn out and give up altogether. 

The main thing to remember about this project is that it's not a strict or prescriptive regime: it's intended as fun, and as an experiment to see if my preconceptions about ditching the dairy are accurate. I'd love other people to get involved (veggie or otherwise!) and see if you can join me in my 'milk free Mondays' and other weekly features. As a newbie to veganism, I'd also love to receive any great recipes or tips you experts can share. Please contact me if you'd like to be involved in any way! 

 Over the next few weeks I'll be looking at: 

• restaurants offering tasty meat and dairy-free options
• best replacements for milk, cheese, eggs etc
• most tasty and interesting dairy-free recipes (Pinterest will be my friend!)
• the arguments for and against a dairy-free diet
• my health, and how the experiment affects it
•  what is easiest to give up; what is hardest to give up
• Milk free Monday - can I eat only vegan foods for one day each week?

 Currently, my assessment of what will be easiest and hardest in this quest is as follows...

Hard!

• Cutting back on cheese. Cheese to me is like bacon to a committed carnivore, and I really can't get enough of the stuff. I've tried the replacements and have yet to find on that even comes close to a slice of rich Cornish Yarg or a ripe and melting brie. However, cutting down on it will do my health no harm. If you know of a good new cheese substitute (to be honest, I gave up years ago) then please do get in touch.
• Dining out. See above: I love my fine dining adventures and hate to cause a fuss. Meals out with colleagues and all but my nearest and dearest may be on hold for a bit. Another advantage here is my bank balance...
• Working lunches. Whether it's my own home-made sandwiches (I usually take cheese or quorn-based sandwiches into work to save money), I can see a dairy-free diet being very limiting. We don't have cooking facilities in the office, so a sandwich is the default option, but I suspect I'll soon tire of humous, peanut butter and salad sarnies. There are, however, some awesome ideas in this list of 50 Vegan Sandwiches from Vegan Soul Power: my only concern will be ensuring I have the ingredients fresh and available in the fridge. I've saved a lot of pocket money with my home-made lunches, and don't want to fall back into expensive habits.
• Hidden Ingredients. While I'm well versed in what 'stealth' ingredients vegetarians must avoid, I am not so highly trained in vegan detective work. Milk goes into an awful lot of foods that seem on the face of it to be dairy-free - including Quorn and pretty much all popular desserts! I'm going to try and approach this one by giving ready meals a miss wherever possible and cooking as much as I can from scratch: my regular order from Abel & Cole will be invaluable in this aim.
  
• Leather. Full disclosure: I am a professional fashion blogger who mainly writes about shoes! I am somewhat addicted to leather footwear and accessories, and have a deep appreciation of how it wears, and looks. While I can't commit to a full renouncing of leather in this project, I will instead focus on sourcing my leather products from ethical suppliers, and share some brands I love that make non-leather shoes.

Easy Peasy

• Ditching milk in coffee and tea.  Hipsters have been ordering soya lattes for yonks, so there's no reason I can't do the same. At home and in the office it's a no-brainer: I simply need to have a carton of soya or rice milk on tap, and nobody need even know I've switched. Black coffee is often preferable in the summer months
  anyway.
• Adding milk to cereals. Being a London commuter I'm not really a cereals person - mostly because I don't have time. And if I do fancy some I quite like the way they taste with soya milk. I'll need to check the ingredients on my usual breakfast bars - but am confident that at least some will be kosher!

So, as expected, there's a lot more 'hard' than 'easy' in my list - with many I'm sure I haven't even thought about! I look forward to finding out how accurately I've predicted the obstacles ahead.