When I first started this dairy free journey for my little guy, I thought maybe I could “cheat” a little here and there and it wouldn’t make much of a difference.  What I didn’t realize was that even the tiniest bit of dairy would send my baby into fits, and it just wasn’t the mom I wanted to be. 

I can do anything for my child, so why is this so hard?

It was easy to miss the foods that I normally enjoyed – like pizza.  But what I realized is that I didn’t love pizza as much as I loved having a happy, smiling baby.  Every time I wanted to eat a food that I knew would harm my little guy, I reminded myself of this exact thing.  That is, until it was time to go out for our anniversary.

My hubby and I celebrated our wedding day, October 16th, by going out to lunch at a local steakhouse.  I got broccoli au gratin and pecan pie with ice cream.  Before I ordered it, I announced that I would fully accept the consequences of this meal later on.  But when later on came, I wished I hadn’t made that deal.

You got it.  The peanut was inconsolable.  For hours.

It was that exact moment that I realized: As hard as it is for me to miss out on my food “favorites” it is even harder to watch my child suffer.

Here’s what I’ve learned being dairy free for two weeks:

1.  Black coffee isn’t all that bad.   I don’t know if I’ll go back to having milk or creamer in my coffee once our breastfeeding journey is over.  But I know that I can completely tolerate black coffee as long as it’s flavored coffee.
2. Dairy free doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll lose weight.  It’s been two weeks and I haven’t lost a single pound.  I don’t think I’m a good test subject for this though because it is extremely hard for me to lose weight while breastfeeding.  Maybe in a couple of weeks I’ll notice a difference, but right now it isn’t likely.
3. Eliminating dairy has been relatively easy, except for ice cream.   If someone asked me what my last meal would be, it would definitely contain some thick, creamy ice cream.  I enjoy everything about it and could easily live off of the ice cream diet.  I don’t miss any diary products as much as I miss ice cream.  There are some delicious substitutes out there, but there isn’t anything that compares to delicious creamy ice cream.  Let’s hope this desire wears off soon!
4. For my little guy, cheese makes him the most sensitive.  If I had a list of the foods I missed the most, I think cheese would be high on that list (second only to ice cream).  Whenever I eat cheese, it has almost an instant effect on him.  Butter gives him the least trouble. 
5. I can’t trust asking those in charge if something contains dairy. When I was on an airplane recently, I asked for dairy-free creamer and they brought coffee mate.  Across the top it clearly states that it contains milk.  So, word of warning: read labels.  Know what you’re eating and read the labels for yourself.

I have also been using the resources at www.godairyfree.org to help find suitable replacements for foods I enjoy.  They have the answers to just about any questions I’ve had about switching up my diet to remove dairy products.  It gives great recipes, substitutes for butter and cheese, and – get this – even resources for going to Disney World and staying away from allergens, like dairy. 

Allergies can be hereditary, ya’ll.  Since my mom has a dairy allergy and a few other food allergies, I’ve learned to pay close attention to my body and noticing how eliminating dairy products has made me feel.  This closer look at how my own body feels has led me to test out other foods as well.   I’ll be updating you throughout the course of this science experiment.

Until next time, ya’ll!