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Thursday, April 4, 2013

Dairy is the Devil!

I am participating in the Blogging From A-Z Challenge.  Each day in April (except Sunday), I will post topic themes that begin with the letters of the alphabet, from A-Z.  Today's letter is D.

During last year's challenge, for the letter Q, I wrote about quitting dairy. Whether you're curious or not, I'm going to share an update to this saga in my boring little life.

Last April I decided to test my theory that I could be lactose intolerant.  I gave up all dairy for 2 weeks to see if I would notice any change.  I figured if I didn't notice any change, I'd have to see a doctor to find out what the hell was going on with my guts.  Thankfully, my little experiment confirmed that it was the dairy causing me the "discomfort".  (And when I say it was all my discomfort, I really mean it was partly mine and partly my family's b/c they had to live with me & that was NOT a pleasant olfactory experience.)

After being entirely dairy-free for 2 weeks, I allowed myself some food with dairy in it.  I figured if I just ate dairy in moderation, it would be fine.  I was wrong.  Once again, I went back to complete lactose abstinence.  Until October.

In October our little fam went to Disneyland to celebrate our daughter's 10th birthday.  Before we left, I decided to buy some Lactaid b/c I didn't want to waste my time worrying about what I was eating during vacation.  The first few days, the Lactaid was wonderful.  It kept the bloated, crampy tummy at bay.  It was not, however, effective enough to spare the people around me the joy of being crop dusted by a green cloud of stench.  (Thank goodness I'll never cross paths with those people ever again.  And if I did, I'd be none the wiser.)  Still, the smell factor was not enough to deter me from taking my Lactaid and indulging in Dole Whips, pretzels w/ cheese, and all other manner of dairy-laden foods.

Unfortunately, after a solid week of my over-the-counter crutch, it seemed to stop working as well.  I started noticing the rest of the side effects coming back in full force. When we returned from vacation,  I talked to a friend who is also lactose intolerant and he confirmed what I suspected: taking Lactaid regularly will cause you to build up a tolerance.  My carefree days of cheese eating were over.  *cue sad & dramatic orchestral music*

Alas, I survived the crushing disappointment of being forced back into a life of label checking, cheese-passing, and almond milk substituting.  I know I'm making it sound awful, but it's actually not bad.  In fact, I feel good.  The only time my dietary restrictions become a challenge is when we're eating at friends' houses or during major food-oriented holidays.  Even then, I can usually find plenty to eat that won't send me directly to the bathroom.  (Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I now have the added side-effect of copious pooping when I eat dairy.  Awesome!)  

I haven't been overly adventurous when it comes to finding non-dairy versions of the foods I love.  Mainly I just skip anything with cheese or milk and substitute almond milk when I can.  I have made a few happy discoveries.  For instance: canned coconut milk whipped into a cream is AMAZING as a whip cream alternative.  Also, there are plenty of options for me in the frozen treat section.  Tofutti Cuties are one of my favorite sweet treats.  They are little ice cream-esque sandwiches, but they are made with tofu instead of cream.  I know, it sounds totally gross, but trust me: the mint chocolate cuties are DELICIOUS!!  Even before my little lactose discovery, a friend gave me one & I was in love.  Another friend has recommended I try a soy cheese that she said was good enough to use on pizza.  Most non-dairy cheese tastes pretty rough and is nowhere near good enough to be used as a primary ingredient.  I'm very excited to try to make homemade pizza w/ this new cheese b/c damn, do I miss pizza with cheese on it!!  (Although, I get the Papa Murphy's Chicken Bacon Artichoke deLite pizza w/out the sauce and cheese & it's pretty freakin' tasty.)  

A big problem I've discovered is that healthy food costs quite a bit more than "regular" food.  That has played a huge part in why I haven't tried more vegan products and have opted to just skip the foods that contain milk products.  Dairy free shit ain't for po' folk, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. 

28 comments:

  1. You are really brave, I could not give up dairy products!

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    1. I didn't think I could b/c I LOVE LOVE LOVE cheese, but it's been surprisingly easy. It helps that my body naturally punishes me when I eat it, otherwise I wouldn't be able to stop myself.

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  2. Ooh, I dont think I could live without cheese!

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    1. Once in awhile I'll try to eat just a little cheese b/c I miss it so much, and that's about the time when my body has to give me a painful reminder why I can't have it. I'd say at least once every few months I do this. You'd think I'd learn my lesson. *lol*

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  3. My nutritionist had me give it up for a week. It was terrible, but she did give me some great alternatives. But I have to admit once the week was over I went right back to ice cream and cheese.

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    1. It was harder in the beginning. Now after a year, I'm used to being dairy-free. Every so often I really, really, really miss cheese, though. :)

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  4. Ugh - that's got to be tough, but when you weigh the choices between cheesy goodness & unpleasant side affects......sometimes the cheesy goodness loses out.

    At least there are alternatives available for you so you don't need to suffer.

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    1. Yeah, the cheesy goodness is no comparison for the unpleasantness. I need to find that cheese my friend told me about b/c I'm dying for some pizza w/ cheese on it. :)

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  5. I'm in the same boat, but I'm kind of glad to hear that taking Lactaid regularly will cause you to build up a tolerance, because I often forget it and then my husband snarks at me when I'm moaning about the cramps later.

    My favorite lactose replacement is soy chocolate pudding. I could eat that all day long. Other than that I pretty much avoid it all except cheese... I just can't live without real cheese, even if it leads to occasionally dutch-ovening my husband. :)

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    1. The husbands aren't big fans of the dutch oven. I've learned that from experience...and yes, it was a cheese-related incident. *lol*

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    1. Yep, it's no fun when the dairy turns on you! :)

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  7. Aside from cheese, I don't eat much dairy, nor do I use milk much so I reckon I could probably give it up easily, but you never know do you. There could be hidden things I haven't considered! Good luck with your occasional dairy diary *wink*

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    1. You would be surprised all the crazy places you find dairy. Funyuns, for example. I almost had a nervous breakdown when I realized I couldn't eat those anymore. *lol*

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  8. Replies
    1. Glad I could share some of my crazy wisdom. Thanks for reading. :)

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  9. I don't eat dairy either (or wheat) and I'm telling you I make a mean non-dairy, non-wheat baked mac and cheese with Daiya. I am still perfecting the cheese sauce but it's pretty freakin' good. I use Almond milk too! If I come across anything extra awesome...I will send it your way. Giving up the food group of cheese was sad and painful, but less sad than the green cloud you were talking about!

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    1. I'm always happy to hear recommendations for non-dairy recipes & products. There's nothing worse than taking a chance & buying something without knowing how it will taste, only to find out it tastes awful. Especially as expensive as dairy free products can be!

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  10. My mom has the same problem and has adjusted very well! In other words, she's used to it and just watches what she eats...your Disneyland story was kind of funny. :0) I appreciate your sense of humor through your "dairy ordeal."

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    1. Not having dairy sounds horrific to a lot of folks, but I've learned to adjust in the last year. It gets easier as time goes on, for sure.

      You have to have a sense of humor about stuff like this b/c the cheese deprivation may lead to bouts of insanity otherwise. :)

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  11. Gosh I can't imagine life without dairy. I love cheese and milk products too much! I have a friend who was just recently told by her doctor that she wasn't allowed dairy anymore and she's having some difficulties. I think I'll show her this article.

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    1. It's not easy at first, but it really does get easier. Pretty soon, it is just a natural thing with only occasional cravings.

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  12. I have bought soy milk for years, I can have some cheese but I hate regular milk. I read your profile and I also over think everything. Great post, I am following from blogging A to Z. I just added you on GFC.

    A MOM'S POINT OF VIEW
    http://www.AMomsPointOfView.com

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    1. Thanks for reading! I have never been a huge fan of milk, except when I'm dunking cookies in it. :)

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  13. Thanks for sharing this post with us. I can sort of relate.

    I gave up dairy on January 18, 2013. Not because I am lactose intolerant, but because everything I did to lose weight would not work. I have dropped 45 lbs since Jan 18th. I think I now know that dairy is the culprit!!

    I do miss cheese--but no longer crave it! YAY!!

    Cheers, Jenn

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  14. There was an episode of Good Eats which discussed this in an interesting way. I can't seem to find the episode clips online, but here's a page with it written out.

    http://www.goodeatsfanpage.com/Season6/Yogurt/YogurtTrans.htm

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    1. Haha! I'm going to have to find that episode b/c it sounds really interesting (and funny).

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