Liora Maddox never expected a simple food sensitivity test to change the way her family ate. “When my daughter’s results came back showing a strong reaction to dairy, I panicked a little,” she says. “Cheese was practically a food group in our house.”
At first, she tried to make two versions of every dinner—one with dairy, one without. But the juggling act didn’t last long. “It was exhausting,” she says. “And honestly, no one was happy.”
So Liora made a bold decision: no more dairy for anyone at the table. But rather than make it feel like a sacrifice, she took it as a creative challenge. “I wanted dinner to feel exciting, not restricted,” she says.
She began experimenting with sauces made from soaked cashews, creamy pasta using cauliflower puree, and pizza nights with nut-based cheese or flavorful pesto. She didn’t try to copy dairy—she just focused on making things delicious.
To her surprise, the family adapted quickly. Even her husband, a lifelong mac-and-cheese lover, started looking forward to the new recipes. “It became something fun we were doing together, not something we were losing,” she shares.
Today, dairy-free dinners are the norm in the Maddox household—and no one’s asking for cheese back. “We eat better, feel better, and dinner’s still the best part of the day,” Liora smiles.
