Dairy Free Living

Last week, we started noticing blood in Norah's diapers...scary. However, I had heard that this can happen with infants and many times it means that they have a milk allergy. Luckily, N had her one month doctor appointment on Friday. They tested a couple of her diapers. Sure enough, her little body cannot break down the cow's milk in my diet. 

At first, I thought it wasn't going to be that big of a deal. I don't drink milk and I can cut out the occasional bowls of cereal I have for breakfast. Wrong. Her pediatrician suggested that I cut out the big three diary foods -- milk, cheese, and yogurt. After leaving the doctor in a somewhat sour mood, Kurt and I started talking about all of the things I can't eat now. Holy crap...I really didn't realize HOW MUCH dairy I eat until I started thinking about needing to take it out. 

My sour mood turned bitter and then I just became pissed. How in the world was I going to be able to do this?!? I've never been a good dieter. When I say I'm not going to eat certain things, I crave them even more. I pretty much told myself that this wasn't going to work and that we'd end up putting Norah on the special formula anyway. 

While I won't mind having to give her the formula if that's ultimately best for her, I've now decided I'm really going to give this a go. Not only do I want her feeling better {she's been gassy and quite unhappy the last week or so}, I realized that this could be an opportunity to think about what I'm putting in my body while trying to eat healthier. Fingers crossed, I'll loose weight too! ;) 

I know I'm not the only mom out there struggling with hearing that they are going to have to eliminate all diary from their diets. Reading the ingredient list on pretty much everything at the store makes grocery trips really fun especially when you have an infant to feed often {cue sarcasm}! {Who knew all the different code names for dairy in things?!?} So while this is all really new to me, I've decided I'm going to try to blog about this whole experience, write down what has been good and not, document delicious food, and potentially help another mom out there struggling to find ways to eat dairy free, while making her baby feel better! 

{P.S.- This whole thing seems much better when you have a supportive husband who is cutting out dairy from his diet and being so incredibly helpful finding foods and recipes! :) }

Foods I've {so far} Found That Are Good Substitutes:

*Almond Milk - So far, we've tried the Silk brand, original and vanilla flavor. The original flavor with cereal is delicious. Vanilla, not so much. I think we'll stick to the original. {Bonus, it's less calories than the vanilla!}

*SO Delicious Coconut Milk Creamer - Yum. I tried the almond milk in my morning coffee and it wasn't great. This creamer {at least the french vanilla} is delicious. 

*SO Delicious Coconut Milk ice cream - Pretty good. Definitely a good treat to have around when I'm craving ice cream. Of course, the real stuff is much better. But, I'm thankful for having this around when I'm craving a frozen treat. 

*Whole Foods Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies - Delicious! They are kinda expensive, but really I would NEVER know they aren't the real deal.

*Smart Balance Light {Extra Virgin Olive Oil} - I'm picky about my butter. While this isn't technically butter, it tastes delicious. 

*Starbucks Soy Hazelnut Latte {instead of my skinny vanilla} is a pretty good alternative. 

Things I've learned so far:

*Know all of the different ways diary can be listed in ingredients. I found this to be helpful, especially the "Know What To Avoid" section. I often look at the bottom of the ingredients to where it says, "CONTAINS." If milk or dairy is listed there, I don't even look through the ingredients. If nothing is listed, I quickly read through the list to double check. 

*Don't assume that because a product is labeled "Dairy Free" that there aren't some kind of milk product in it. Very frustrating, I know. I found something {I forget what now} at the store yesterday that was labeled dairy free, but had milk listed under the CONTAINS section on the label. 

*Look for foods that are vegan. You know you'll be safe eating these because a vegan diet does not have any diary. Even though I'm not going completely vegan, I have bought quite a few vegan products {I'll let you know how they are} and have found a bunch of vegan recipes that I'm going to try {I'll probably add meat to them.

*Use the internet. I've found a ton of information, helpful tips, and easy recipes online. I've searched Pinterest and the Whole Foods website. 

*Buy lots of fruits and veggies. Yum! 

What I'm been eating/tired so far:

*English muffins with peanut butter
*Salad
*Homemade tuna salad 
*Homemade egg salad/hardboiled eggs  
*Last night for dinner I made delicious white chicken chili and this dairy free cornbread {I used almond milk instead of soy}. 
*Chips and guac {spicy kind from Fresh Market}
*Veggie Straws
*Baked Lays (original)
*365 (Whole Foods) Sourdough Bread 

One thing that's going to be really tricky for me is not having the option of eating out at a lot of restaurants. We are suckers for eating out. I'm going to have to be really careful about what I order when I do go out. Realistically, we probably will be cooking in way more than we typically do...not really a bad thing! 

Wish me luck! I know I have a lot to learn! If you are reading because you are on a similar journey, good luck! Any helpful tips are greatly appreciated! Hopefully I'll have time to keep updating with tips, recipes, and foods I've found are helpful/delicious!