It was in late October when I got a diagnosis that changed my life. I won’t lie and say I handled it well. I didn’t. I won’t lie and say I didn’t get sad and down and out, because I did. Milk Allergy. Goodbye dairy or milk products in ever form imaginable. While this in itself is not so awful, to me it was something that made me different. More different. I hated that. Having lived my whole life overweight for as long as I can remember, I did not cherish the idea of something else making me different. If you have ever been overweight, even slightly, then you know what I mean. You here comments from ever side, you meet people who have deep rooted prejudice against anyone who is fat to any degree. You are left with the impression that all you are is fat, nothing you will ever accomplish will be good enough, the person you really are, your personality, your spirit of life, your heart, nothing matters…………the only thing that people see is the fat. If you actually ordered and took every pill, drink, bar, shake, and other “fantastic weight loss supplement” friends and family tried to sell you…I am pretty sure death would be at the end of that journey, but far better to die thin than fat, that is the impression left behind. So here I am living that life and in the middle of it comes another hurdle. I guess I just didn’t want to deal with it, not emotionally, mentally, or physically. I was informed that most likely this allergy had a great deal to do with my weight. That a milk allergy results in either obesity or extreme thinness. Yet my thought was..hello why couldn’t I have got the thin part. So I was muddling through, pouting, angry, mad, that one more thing in my life made me different, made me set apart from the normal people around me. Then I realized that if I posted anything about a dairy free recipe or snack, people were commenting, people who had the allergy themselves, or had a family member with it. So I realized instead of pouting about it, I could help. So help is what I will do. A few times a month I will be sharing the latest recipes and discoveries I have made living this life of mine. For those who read my blog but do not deal with a food allergy, I apologize in advance for blogs that might not seem interesting to you………..although if your a healthy eater, you might want to still check out some of these recipes. They tend to be very healthy and great tasting.

Now for those who say “there is no such thing as a milk allergy” or “go take a pill it will make you better”, before you open your mouth, get educated about the very real world of food allergies. Do not think that because you have never heard of it, or because you don’t deal with it, then it can’t exist. When you say things like this to a person who is dealing with a complete change of life style, it actually hurts, it is frustrating, and guess what…………it makes us MAD.  A food allergy is actually as dangerous as any other allergy. Would you tell a person allergic to Bees to just go and get stung 100 times and they will get over it. No. Because they would die. So do not take it upon yourself to tell a person with food allergies to get over it………or guess what………………on a bad day………….we may tell you to get over your uneducated self…….for real.

SO now I have been living dairy free for several months. My constant stomach pain has disappeared. My energy has increased in an amazing way, and my Fibromyalgia pain has gone down 75% at least. I have started taking a Pro-biotic via doctor recommendation, to heal the damage done to my digestive tract from eating food I was actually allergic to for years. I also supplement my diet with Caltrate for calcium and other vitamins / minerals. Each day is a new learning experience…………..like don’t trust the pharmacist when he sells you a pro-biotic, he probably didn’t look at the ingredients. The main thing to remember is, you are your own first line of defense. Always, always check labels, never trust anything, and if your not sure…………..just don’t. Trust me.

Today I would like to share some great snacks that even kids would love. Many of these things can also be made gluten free for the gluten food allergy so many people have. First here is a link to a list of dairy ingredients that many people don’t realize are milk derivatives.

Ingredient List

 

Now the first thing for most food allergy people is the loss of cheese…………..I mean for real. So here is a link to a Cheesy Uncheese sauce that, while it doesn’t taste completely like cheese, can help you feel a touch more normal, with normal food or snacking options.

The Best Uncheesy Cheese Sauce

What about those kids who used to love a little ranch dressing with their fresh veggies………….well, there is a home made ranch dressing mix that rocks………and it is super cheap, super easy, has the regular ingredient version for non food allergy folks, plus the dairy free & gluten free versions………..the dairy free version is a little thin, but it is better than nothing, my kids love it and they are not dairy free. It’s loads cheaper than purchasing store made dressing, so whoop whoop for money saving. Here’s the link:

Home Made Dairy /Gluten Free Ranch Dressing

Popcorn is just a snack most anyone loves……….but most of use would like it a little healthier. Here is an amazing dairy free option.

Cheesy Dairy Free Popcorn

Fresh fruit is always a great option for a dairy free healthy snack, but sometimes shaking things up, makes it so much better. Here is a fruit salad recipe that rocks.

Heavenly Fruit Salad

What kid doesn’t love applesauce. Well, I am sure there are some, but I know most kids that like apples, love applesauce, adults too. Here ia a homemade dairy free applesauce recipe. Yummy.

Homemade Applesauce

Kids of course love ice cream, or ice cream like substances, so I discovered Luigi’s Real Italian Ice cups. Sold at Wal-Mart and other grocery chain stores. They come in a box that has Strawberry and Lemon flavors, but other flavors can be found on their website. Always remember to check each flavor for the ingredients. I can only vouch for lemon and strawberry. My kids love them, they are way cheaper than dairy free coconut ice cream, and they completely satisfy a craving for cold and sweet.

Luigi’s Italian Ice Cups

Lat but not least and shocking as all get out…………..a store bought chocolate snack that is dairy free and so very not good for you………….Oreos. Yes, that’s right. Oreo’s contain no dairy product what so ever……………not that I recommend eating them, but for a kid with a dairy allergy, these are an awesome treat on occasion.

Oreo Cookies

 

Now on to the giveaway portion of my post. I have to say the best cookbook I have found so far is this one:

Cooking For Isaiah       it is a dairy & gluten free cook book that is designed for the easy exchange of ingredients if you have one of these food allergies but not both. That is a wonderful thing. Plus who knew that savory waffle bread could be so amazing. Silvana’s recipes are family friendly, don’t require super expensive ingredients and are just down right yummolicious (no this is not a real word, it’s a Suzy G word). Here is a link to her blog:

Silvana’s Kitchen, Dairy Free & Glutten free cooking

 

So if you would like to win a copy of this awesome cookbook, leave a comment below and on Friday of next` week, I will draw a name and announce the winner in my next Dairy Free Life blog post…………….which is going to be all about make ahead food to make life easier. Whoop whoop.

Good luck and until then, stay strong. `

 

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I am a Wedding & Lifestyle photographer, Spider hater, hot tea drinker, sarcasm loving, mom of two boys, and center of my sexy hubby’s world. I truly believe there is no better job than to capture the memories of the most special times in a client’s life. I believe in passion, in love, in forever lasting romance, in hope, in joy, and in laughing until you almost pee yourself, because laughter heals the heart. I believe the glass is half full…and even if it really is half empty, I’d rather not know. I choose a smile over a frown, tears of joy over tears of sorrow, and I believe that brokenness makes your stronger, not weaker, so take the negative life may throw your way, and turn it into the stepping block you need to climb higher in life, always keep yourself at the higher level instead of lowering yourself down to the level of others.

I service all of Louisiana including, Lake Charles, Sulphur, Westlake, Carlyss, Eunice, Alexandria, Shreveport, Lafayette, New Orleans, Monroe, and  Natchitoches. Serving all of Texas including, Beaumont, Dallas, Huston, and Orange Texas. Serving Mississippi and Alabama. Destinations anywhere including, Florida, California, New York, Cancun, and other destinations abroad.  Check out my website here: http://suzygphotography.com

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