Veggitarian with a Dairy Allergy

"I think if I was allergic to dairy, I'd kill myself." - Micheal Scott

Wow, that's a bit dramatic, but I honestly said the same thing when I realised that I was probably allergic to Diary.
I grew up thinking that some pizza places were just worse than others, and that I got sick a lot.
My parents, nor I, ever considered I could be allergic to Diary.

According to Web MD - Lactose intolerance is common in adults – about 30 million Americans have it by age 20. 

It wasnt until I was 18 when I made the connection between what I ate and how I felt. Naesous, constant trips to the bathroom...

I tried enzyme supplements, which worked at first, until it made it worse. I needed to listen to my body, I was NOT able to eat this. At that point 1 piece of milk chocolate gave me flu-like symptoms for 2 days just after 30 minutes. After that, I stopped consuming dairy completely.

Many people think that milk is Diary, and that's all there is to it. It's hard to go to a restaurant and explain that butter is also contains dairy amoung other everyday ingredients. Employees are confused and you become "that costumer".

JUST TO NAME A FEW:

• Butter and butter fat
• Cheese, including cottage cheese and cheese sauces
• Cream, including sour cream
• Custard
• Dressing
• Milk Chocolates
• Milk, including buttermilk, powdered milk, and evaporated milk
• Yogurt
• Ice cream
• Pudding

Before I knew it, I was learning how to cook at home and on a whole new level that I never expected. Eating things I'd never tried before, and learning that I could live without dairy or pain for that matter.

With the Vegan lifestyle emerging in the USA, it has become increasingly easier to find dairy free products. I learned how to make my own sour cream from cachews, and how to add Nutritional Yeast to get a cheesy nutty flavor to my food.

I lost about 40 lbs in just under 6 months. My skin also improved.
But I still experienced naesous symptoms.
If I was going to improve my health. I knew I couldn't keep eating grocery store beef and chicken every day.

So the next step was dropping meat from my diet. As an animal lover and environmental activist, I was all for it.

In my experience it was easy to stop eating meat. Just like with dairy, my home cooking improved and I learned to eat many new things to keep my Iron, Red Blood Cell Count, and Protein in place.

I also learned how to grow my own food, and got garden fresh veggies every week.

After it all was said and done, it's been 1 full year, and I feel great! Honestly in the best shape of my life. Diet alone didn't fix this, it was an overall lifestyle change to cook home meals, exercise, meditate, and take care of my body.

And today's lunch:
Veggie Chicken Nuggets, Spinach, and Plums