As we all know, leaving a healthy lifestyle is a full-time commitment that takes lots of diligence, experimentation and commitment. Making dramatic adjustments to your diet and daily routines can feel daunting, especially if you feel like you have to give up things you love—like French fries or sleeping in.
When New York Times best-selling cookbook author and lifestyle entrepreneur Ayesha Curry decided to make the switch to dairy free eating, it didn’t come easy at first. Known for her feel-good comfort food recipes, Curry—who’s also wife to NBA star Stephen Curry—found cooking without cheese to be a challenge. “I was having the hardest time getting on-board and being comfortable with being dairy-free, because I couldn’t find the right cheese, and I I love cheese,” Curry tells ESSENCE. Determined to keep her favorite recipes in rotation, Curry turned to cheese alternatives, which led to her new partnership with So Delicious Dairy Free, who just released a new line of cheese alternatives. Curry tried their new So Delicious Dairy Free Cheese Alternatives and says they were an instant “game changer” when it was time to cook. As part of their partnership, Curry has remixed her popular cookbook recipes for Chicken Parm Burger, the Ultimate Grilled Cheese Sandwich and a Butternut Squash Cheesy Mac with Edamame using the dairy free line.
Curry says her entire family—her husband and their three small kids, Riley, Ryan and Canon—got on board with the switch, but she understands that’s not always the case when you’re changing things up at home. Her best advice if you’re trying to get your own loved ones to let go of the cheese? “Just do it,” insists Curry. Don’t tell them, just make the switch first. “Put it on the table and watch everyone in shock when you make the announcement once the plates are empty.”
Curry’s youngest, son Canon, 2, was actually the inspiration for her decision to go diary-free. “He just had some intolerances and allergies and him going more plant-based instead of having dairy has made a difference for him with asthma and eczema,” Curry tells ESSENCE. Then she started to notice the benefits. “I started to see a shift in my skin and acne, and my gut health, and just feeling lighter. I noticed a huge shift and didn’t really realize until I switched over how much dairy I was intaking. You don’t really realize until you make the switch and what a difference it makes.” Keeping those results up made sticking to their new diet an easy decision for Curry and her family.
For an easy dinner tonight, try Curry’s remixed recipe for her Chicken Parm Burgers using So Delicious Mozzarella Style Shreds here. (It’s a 15-minute prep and 15-minute cook time.)