Going Dairy Free

Carson and I met with the Naturopath yesterday. It was really great having the expertise of a doctor with a balanced opinion. He really felt like a lot of our answers lies in a food sensitivity and sleep deprivation. My blood pressure was 90/50! Which explains a lot. We did blood work just in case, but we both felt that once we're all getting the rest we need and taking care of our diet concerns, our bodies should finally be able to heal. So today, Carson and I are starting an elimination diet. The first thing to eliminate is dairy and after three weeks if we are not 100% improved, we then cut out wheat and corn, and it continues on with all the allergenic foods until we find relief. Cutting out dairy seemed overwhelming. Especially if it was the culprit. How am I going to live without cheese or gasp, ice cream?

I did some research and wow are there a lot of healthy alternatives. It might actually be easy going dairy free in this modern culture. There is coconut milk ice cream...yum. Rice cheese, veggie cheese, and of course soy cheese. Plus there is a plethora of milk alternatives. Our nearby Yokes has hemp milk, almond milk, rice milk, coconut milk, and of course the ever popular soy. I can't consume soy products but with so many other options, it really isn't an issue.

With all these alternatives, I should be able to cook relatively the same meals as usual. We will be trying to make things with less dairy ingredients, but a burrito or hamburger is just not the same without cheese and it's nice to know I won't have to really sacrifice that.

The good news is we should be able to tell a difference in Carson within just a few days! Once he has digestion relief, we'll start to work on his nighttime sleep. I'm hoping that with fewer stomach aches at night, he'll also want to nurse less and I can then encourage him to night wean.

Also, lately I've been adding more beans to my diet and I had to report the outcome. I've discovered that beans really aren't the magical fruit (in the tooting sense). This hasn't been an issue. The wonderful thing is that my skin cleared up! I normally struggle with acne and I've had big time healing. I've taken fiber supplements before, but my body is reacting differently by getting it from the actual food. I bought a small crockpot just for cooking beans in. I cook small batches at a time and just snack on them or make a quick burrito for lunch. It's also a great food for Carson because he can easily pick them up with his little fingers and along with peas, he has a super nutritious snack. I used to also give him slices of cheese, so I'll be thinking up other little snacks that are quick and easy. I might post a list soon for others to get ideas from.