AIP Cheese (Dairy Free, Nut Free, Soy Free) Recipes

Let’s just say that I have a complicated relationship with the official food of my childhood home state of Wisconsin. I can eat a couple bites here and there of the good quality stuff and I feel fine, but the problem is that I love it too much to ever stop at just a couple bites… and after a couple bites, my body no longer feels fine. I’ll spare you the gory details, but will tell you my physical reaction brings meaning to the phrase “cutting the cheese”!

Turns out, I may not be alone. According to at least one medical doctor, the protein fragments in casein that our body doesn’t break down attach to opiate receptors in your brain, which is why some of us crave cheese and have a tendency to overdo it. And for a person like me who is both lactose intolerant and has an autoimmune disease that may be aggravated by the protein in dairy, that is an addiction I need to break!

Dairy and the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol (AIP)
Although some people are able to eventually reintroduce forms of dairy in their diet, it is initially eliminated on the paleo autoimmune protocol (AIP). According to Sarah Ballantyne, PhD, dairy leads to increased intestinal permeability (colloquially known as “leaky gut”), is a highly allergenic food, and is a potential gluten cross-reactor (that means that in the bodies of some people with gluten intolerance, dairy provokes the same response). There are arguments in favor of consuming dairy, provided you tolerate it and she summarizes all of that nicely in this post called The Great Dairy Debate.

Ingredients
1 pound butternut squash, peeled and cubed (frozen works great)
water
3 tablespoons avocado oil
2-4 tablespoons gelatin (use more for a firmer slicing cheese; omit for vegan)
½ cup nutritional yeast
⅓ cup tapioca starch
1½ teaspoons fine sea salt
Instructions

1. Put squash and about ½ a cup of water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover. Simmer until very soft (about 6-9 minutes).
2. Drain water and discard.
3. Transfer squash to a high powered blender, or leave in pan to use an immersion blender.
4. ……………………………….

for full instruction please see: gutsybynature.com