One thing I struggle with in this way of eating is dairy. Now, dairy is from animal so technically it is okay to have things like cheeses, cream, and yogurt. The problem is the amount of sugar in dairy. Heavy cream for instance has 1 gram of sugar per 2 tablespoons. Additionally, food labels are allowed to be off by up to 30% so there’s a good chance you are getting around 1.8 grams of sugar per 2 tablespoons. I know a serving of heavy cream is 1 tablespoon but who the hell uses 1 tablespoon of heavy cream for anything. If I’m breaking out the cream I’m using at least half a cup. I love it. I’ll put it in a glass tumbler and sip it like a 30-year-old scotch. This is not good because I’m getting around 20 grams of sugar a day just from the cream.
Limiting my dairy intake has been very difficult in the past year. I can load up on meats but I rarely feel satiated until I’ve had the fat I get from dairy. I still usually only eat once a day. Typically I consume around 2 lbs of meat, preferably beef, then follow it up with some full fat plain greek yogurt topped with heavy cream. Whenever I skip the yogurt and cream at the end of my one meal a day I end up getting hungry again a few hours later. Something about it encourages me to get it in my head, "You had your dairy, that's it until tomorrow." Capping off my eating for the day with a nice dose of milkfat helps me with fasting. I sometimes wonder though if it is the milkfat or the sugar that is bringing me to satiety.
Today, for instance, fired up the air fryer for the first time and made some meatballs. I used 80/20 ground beef, 3 egg yolks, and half a cup of parmesan cheese. Seasoned them with salt, pepper, little garlic powder, and a tablespoon of stone ground mustard. They were good, very good. This is the first time I've used an air fryer, and I will be using it again ...and again. After eating the meatballs I broke out my go-to greek yogurt, Fage 5% full fat. I pour about half a cup of heavy cream over the top of the yogurt. The yogurt is thick and I'm able to scrap off spoonfuls at the top which is covered with the heavy cream. The combo of flavor and smooth texture is sublime. It's a habit that brings me so much joy. Unfortunately, it also brings a rash on my leg.
Over consuming dairy will inevitably cause my eczema to flare up. Too much cream and yogurt I should say. Ideally, if I can stick to just hard cheeses I won't have that problem. If I cut out dairy completely a lot of amazing things happen. The "Lion Diet" version of the carnivore W.O.E. is the most effective and the most difficult to maintain. I've been able to do this but not for extended amounts of time. Eventually, I break down and reach for the dairy. I do look forward to the cream, yogurt, and sometimes even keto ice cream. I've developed a recipe for keto ice cream that keeps the carbs down lower than typical store-bought keto ice cream. The problem remains however, it is still just a bunch of heavy cream. This time with egg yolks, stevia, pink Himalayan salt, vanilla, and rennet. I made some yesterday that is so good it's a problem.
Occasionally I make my own greek yogurt and skyr. I have a batch of skyr incubating in the oven right now. Tomorrow morning I will pull it out of the oven and strain it through a cheesecloth. Then this vicious circle of dairy consumption will start a new. Perhaps one day I will be able to leave dairy behind. Even then I feel it will be only temporary as I will surely want to treat myself with another dose of milkfat at some point. These days that is the treat I desire most. I wish I had a source for raw milk. The closest dairy I have found that sells raw milk is still several miles away and they sell out fairly quickly. I've never had raw milk but I look forward to one day giving it a try.