Now Dairy Free As Well?

[lynxigirl]

I know it's common for celiacs to have dairy issues, especially right after dx. I have gluten-free since april 1 and still have severe abdominal pain. I have been VERY strict on my diet and so my dr now wants me to uliminate dairy. the gluten-free diet didn't freak me out but this is! I am not a milk drinker, but nearly everything I cook has some form of dairy in it and days I am rushed or don't have any energy or hurt (fibro is a problem as well), cheese and crackers are a staple. Blue diamond hazelnut crackers and some yummy spreadable cheese and I'm good. I'm stumped. She is going to do a abdominal scan on Thursday and then maybe refer me on to a gastrointerologist depending on what she sees or doesn't see. For now though, I don't know what to eat. I've ate tuna with miracle whip and apple cinnamon chex with nothing.....that's it for 3 days. I'm sick of eating, going gluten-free was not a big deal although more costly than could be afforded, I got that figured out, but now with this......those of you who are dairy free as well, WHAT DO YOU EAT???????????????????

[sa1937]

Going gluten-free doesn't necessarily have to be expensive...it's when we get into the specialty gluten-free prepared foods that gets expensive. Many of us had to give up dairy products for awhile after diagnosis due to lactose intolerance and I hear you...I craved dairy products something terrible. Giving up gluten was far easier than giving up dairy.

Do you cook? If you're rushed for time, a crock pot is a valuable addition to your kitchen. I ate lots of fresh fruits, veggies, meats and fish, eggs, rice, etc. I was able to use Lactaid milk on cereal and then after about 9 months, I added in hard cheeses that contain very little, if any, lactose. Now I'm able to have dairy products without a problem. If you're also casein intolerant, that's a whole new ballgame and you may not be able to eat dairy products.

Can you have peanut butter? It would be good on those crackers or rice cakes in lieu of cheese.

I'm sure others will chime in and give you a lot more ideas.

[june27]

I completely understand what you are going through!

I am also a big fan of cheese - never met a cheese I didn't like, and cheese was often my go-to snack (which sometimes turned into dinner).

Last December I started seeing a naturopathic doctor for my allergies. As part of the process she did a food senstivitity test, and then a Celiac panel. In February I started my new diet: no gluten, dairy, yeast, alcohol...

After 2 months, I was able to introduce yeast back with no issues - which was great!

Unfortunately, dairy made my allergies go into over-drive so I am still dairy free. I am hoping to do another challenge soon, but am being patient thinking the longer I wait, the better my chances of being ready for it...

I am still not drinking on a regular basis, but will allow myself to cheat here on special occasions.

Most of the dairy items have good alternatives (milk, ice cream, yogurt, kefir, butter). I have not tried any cheese alternatives, because they just don't look that good to me. I find that as long as I have good foods to eat, I miss the cheese less.

Some good snacks:

- nuts and seeds: I often make a mixture of raw almonds, pepitas, sunflower seeds. They are good alone or with a piece of fruit.

- nut butter and fruit (apple, banana) or crackers

- more of a meal replacement - I started making choc-chip pancakes to bring with me when I am doing something athletic. I use "1-2-3 gluten" free pancakes with "enjoy life" choc chips. My latest addition is to make peanut butter sandwiches with these - they are awesome!!

- lara bars. these are basically fruit and nuts, with no fillers. easy to grab and go

Hang in there! For the most part, I do not find myself craving cheese, but there are times that I do wish that I could have some...

[GF Lover]

Hi Lexigirl.

I also realized after a month or so that milk is a problem. I just stick to my whole foods diet. I eat alot of salads. For my salads I use a spring mix of greens, a hard boiled egg, (I make hard boiled eggs a bunch at a time for salads and for snacks) meat that I've already cubed, lots of sunflower seeds, cherry tomatoes, and a Dairy free dressing made from a scratch. I also get like a whole ham, whole turkey, and slice some of it up and cube some of it (like in the salad). You can use those small corn tortillas as a base for a sandwich, instead of bread. When you have all your meat ready to go it takes no time to fix a small or large meal. You can have eggs, ham and potatoes for breakfast or dinner. A salad anytime. Keep some beef and fish on hand too. For fruit and Vegies, if you don't want to sit down and eat them three times a day, then juice them. It is quick and yummy. I also put a scoop of protein powder in it for nutrition. If you make enough for two, you can put some in a cold bottle or whatever and have it for a snack a few hours later but I wouldn't try to keep it for more than four hours. I also get the instant white or brown rice in the cups. You can add anything to that. For snacks I have raisins, craisins, popcorn, lays chips, there's lots of stuff. If you keep it simple and use your freezer, it's not that hard. If you want smoothie recipes, I have a bunch, vegies or fruit, and it's easy to just throw stuff in once you know the key things for taste to add.

I promise, it's not hard. Good luck to you.

[love2travel]

A lot of dairy bothers me as well except for aged cheeses. I drink lactose-free milk and find that cream, sour cream and yogurt bother me very little - they contain less lactose. Goat cheese also contains less lactose.

I went dairy free for six months and then re-introduced it back into my diet. No issues for almost a year then just started to have problems again (but I must reiterate I have been having lots of fresh cheese).

The gluten-free diet gets better with time. Trite, I know, but true. Same with dairy free. It is likely you will be able to re-introduce it in time.

As far as spreads go, I love to make chutneys to spread on crackers. How about hummus? You can vary it like crazy - one of my favourites is roasted red pepper. Sundried tomatoes are nice, too, and so easy to make (and cheaper). I also make a lovely jalapeno apricot jelly that is luscious on crackers. There are tons and tons of dips and spreads to use that do not contain dairy.

[GlutenFreeAustinite]

I was dairy free for quite a while when I first went gluten-free back in 2010. I was able to tolerate things like butter and heavy whipping cream, but actual milk/cheese/ice cream/other dairy gave me huge problems. I gradually was able to add it back in after being strictly gluten free, so maybe you can too. Just take it easy...it's really common for those newly-diagnosed to have to be casein/dairy-free too.

Coconut milk is a really good alternative. You can buy it in a can (wouldn't recommend drinking it from the can, but it's great for smoothies or cooking) or in a container. So is almond milk....they even make a chocolate flavor. And you can find both coconut and almond milk ice cream. They also make alternative cheeses (usually from soy or almond milk) but they often have casein so it's important to know whether you are casein or lactose intolerant. I personally never cared for them.

Goat's milk is also good. It does have a flavor that can only be described as "goaty" but if you can get beyond that, it works well. I will say that goat's milk ice cream is fantastic.

Soy is another option, but I wouldn't recommend it. I'm mildly allergic, and I know processed soy can really mess people up anyway, so I avoid it.

If it's just lactose, they do make lactose free yogurts, milk, etc.

Price-wise, the alternative stuff is a bit more expensive, yes, though not really bad if you use them sparingly. With the exception of the goat milk, they don't go bad as quickly though. Watch the Blue Diamond crackers, as I know one variety has butter in it. My whole family went largely dairy-free when I did, and we didn't notice a huge difference in grocery bills from it. A lot of the gluten-free products are dairy-free as well.

[tarnalberry]

fruits (this week we've had oranges, bananas, mango, cantaloupe, peaches, apples, raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries)

veggies (this week we've had carrots, celery, potatoes, spinach, lettuce, bell pepper, onion, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, and sugar snap peas)

eggs

meats (this week we've had steak, chicken, and salmon)

beans/legumes (this week we've had lentils, black beans, kidney beans, and garbanzo beans)

gluten-free grains (this week we've had corn, quinoa, rice and oats (because I can tolerate gluten-free oats))

nuts/seeds (this week we've had peanuts, almonds, and pumpkin seeds)

I think gluten and dairy free throws us for a loop only because we have a diet that relies on so few ingredients. think about it - out of all the edible, "single ingredient" foods out there, eliminating all gluten and dairy eliminates *five* (wheat, barley, rye, oats, milk). Out of the HUNDREDS (if not thousands) of things we can eat. But we think everything has to have cheese on it, or everything has to be creamy, or everything has to have bread on it... yada yada yada.

What do you normally eat and what are you willing to eat? We can start from there to give you more ideas!

[june27]

A lot of dairy bothers me as well except for aged cheeses. I drink lactose-free milk and find that cream, sour cream and yogurt bother me very little - they contain less lactose. Goat cheese also contains less lactose.

I went dairy free for six months and then re-introduced it back into my diet. No issues for almost a year then just started to have problems again (but I must reiterate I have been having lots of fresh cheese).

The gluten-free diet gets better with time. Trite, I know, but true. Same with dairy free. It is likely you will be able to re-introduce it in time.

As far as spreads go, I love to make chutneys to spread on crackers. How about hummus? You can vary it like crazy - one of my favourites is roasted red pepper. Sundried tomatoes are nice, too, and so easy to make (and cheaper). I also make a lovely jalapeno apricot jelly that is luscious on crackers. There are tons and tons of dips and spreads to use that do not contain dairy.

I love hummus as well, but I hadn't thought of making chutneys. What a great idea! Do you have any good recipes (or recipe sites) that you could share?

[love2travel]

I love hummus as well, but I hadn't thought of making chutneys. What a great idea! Do you have any good recipes (or recipe sites) that you could share?

Sure! One of my favourites is nectarine and caramelized onion but I cannot recall what book it's from (I have 500!). How about Bacon and Bourbon Jam to start?

Open Original Shared Link

[Bubba's Mom]

I use So Delicious vanilla flavored cconut milk on cereal. For a butter/margarine substitute I use Earth Balance soy/dairy free blend.

I use a good quality coconut oil (Nutivia) in cooking and on cooked veggies instead of butter. I love it on cooked broccoli especially. It's a super healthy fat to add to your diet. I buy it online because it's so convenient that way.

I always have a pan of gluten-free Rice Krispy treats on hand..made with the coconut oil. My non-gluten-free family likes them better than the original recipe.

I have even more restrictions than you..gluten, soy, dairy, corn, yeast, MSG, peanuts..but I manage. Try some of the dairy replacements.

Focus on what you can have..and go from there.