Eliminating dairy testimonies?

[jlpumkin]

Going back to eliminating dairy. I was really good about it when the littles were babies. But it was so obvious we needed to. Now it is equally obvious but not so pressing as the dairy sensitivity symptoms aren't as in our face - ie no colic-y baby, nasty diapers, etc. But it's still important... I know this... we are instead dealing with constipation which is equally horrible.. but I'm just dredding this just a bit.

Anyone have a pep talk in their pocket of the wonderful life changing results your family has enjoyed by releasing dairy from your lives? I sure could use some

[kjbrown92]

No more "growing pains", no more bedwetting, no more stomachaches, no more tantrums... need more?

[stephienoodle]

Less mucous/post nasal drip & less affected by seasonal/environmental allergens.

[jlpumkin]

Wow.. I guess by pep talk I was looking for something more like: I know it's hard. We struggled too. But in 2 weeks it was soo worth it! At least that's the peptalk I remember giving when we did it the first time. We've been blessed I guess in that we haven't encountered any of those other problems.

[kjbrown92]

Okay. It's hard. It's a struggle. But it's really not so bad anymore. We got used to it. And sooooo worth it. We do a lot of substituting so that the kids don't feel deprived, and there's a lot of reading of ingredients labels, but the difference is amazing, so definitely worth it.

[jlpumkin]

What do you substitute with? Last time I didn't do much substituting - just all out avoidance. But now she has a taste for say ... cheese or milk and I just think that's going to be a fight.

[kjbrown92]

We do rice milk. I use coconut milk in baking and in smoothies. We make ricotta out of pine nuts for a baked ziti type thing or on pizza. We make coconut milk yogurt. I've made fondue for DS to dip fruit in (cocoa, agave, coconut milk, vanilla). I make scalloped potatoes with a white sauce.

[babycarrier]

You can do it. We are only a week in and I can't believe the difference in my son - and I didn't think his symptoms were only in relation to the dairy but maybe exacerabated by the dairy. I think this is why it took me so long to cut it out for him. I had limited his dairy but not avoided things like crackers or bread -didn't think about it (or realize how small of an amount could affect him). But family members took him for ice cream or got him milkshakes and I didn't say he couldn't have it.

I posted a long post here last Sunday and the next day he got a severe hive reaction. This went on for three days where they would clear up and then come back after dairy exposure (crackers I thought were dairy free). I wished I had trusted my gut before it got to hives.

Reading in the allergy forum here, Feeding Your Allergic Child, and a trip to whole foods especially to look for some "treats" like crackers and ice cream during our transition and while I find recipes and work it into our meal planning has helped our whole family as ds gets to feel better rather than give something up.

In one week there have been no more hives, no grow pains, no stomachaches, circles under eyes are virtually gone.

You can do it.

[Raene]

When my daughter was a baby she had bad eczema. I eliminated the dairy from my diet and she cleared up right away. Later I reintroduced dairy to her, thinking she might have outgrown the sensitivity. She was constantly constipated, whether she'd had a lot or only a few slices of cheese.

Because I now feel strongly that dairy is unnatural for humans in general, neither of us have any. When I met my partner, he ate tons of dairy. And had a lot of health problems. I convinced him to give up dairy for a while to see if he felt better.

He no longer needs asthma medication on a daily basis. He no longer gets sinus infections. He used to take antibiotics several times a year for sinus infections and hasn't taken them at ALL since quitting dairy.

He LOVES dairy and he's one of those people who would've said "NO WAY will I stop eating cheese" but now he's a big believer and he knows it's worth it for his health.

[maxwill129]

My babe is only 4 weeks old. We started eliminating dairy at the end of this first week. I can't tell you the change we've seen in him. He is a comletely different baby already. I think it will be hard, but well worth it.

[Alyantavid]

It is hard at first. Its so overwhelming in the beginning but it really does get easier. Now, 1 1/2 years later, its was easier. We just have to make sure no one else gives him anything.

We don't have ear infections, constant colds and doc visits, ezcema or unhappy baby.

There are lots of subs you can use. It was harder on my older son to go dairy free but my younger one was very easy. And he knows now to ask before he eats anything given to him by someone other than dh or I.

[jlpumkin]

Raene - My experience with littles is very similar. To include the reintroduction thinking it would be ok.

Thanks for the pep talks ladies! I'm going on a quest to build my recipe stockpile for fabulous dairy free meals. We can do this!! Probably starting next week after I can get to the store...

[kjbrown92]

There are a lot of recipes that don't require dairy that also don't need special ingredients....
roast chicken with gravy and boiled potatoes or rice
beef burgundy over rice
chicken mirabella
chicken marsala
pork and saurkraut
spaghetti and meatballs
to name a few.
I have lots of recipes on my blog.