Hi Christina,
Congrats on getting to the bottom of your hunger. Sometimes we all need to experience something for ourselves to really have it fall into place. Fortunately, now there's Zone 1-2-3 bread for those times when you'd like some bread.
About your dairy questions, I eat very little dairy and it works out fine (I'm referring to milk products, not eggs). I've been avoiding dairy for about 6 years, based one of my doctor's suggestions, because I'm a hyper-absorber of calcium...long story for another time. I don't really miss it, and if/when I want some, I'll simply have a little (usually ice cream! 
). If I use yogurt in my Zone meals, it's a spoonful or two. As for cheese, I rarely eat it and when I do, it's a little bit of grated parmesan on a Zone pizza, or a small spoonful of grated low fat cheese here and there, etc. Occasionally I'll also spread a little butter on some Zone bread. In place of milk, I use a low carbohydrate unsweetened soy milk on Zone cereal and for cooking (look for WestSoy Unsweetened Soy Milk; it comes in 4 flavors; contains 1 gram of insulin stimulating carbohydrate per cup). It wasn't difficult for me to avoid dairy. As for benefits, I don't know if you can attribute them to no dairy, or the Zone, but I'm the fittest I've ever been, and my blood labs are outstanding. My doctor was so surprised by my labs at this year's physical, he asked if another doctor had given me cholesterol med! My results are all from following the Zone diet and lifestyle. My recent blood labs reflect my switch to the ZoneFast 1-2-3 plan. You car read more about them here /Community/Forums/tabid/121/forumid/8/postid/58048/view/topic/Default.aspx