i mentioned this in passing in another blog post, but i recently started a dairy-free diet. for the first month and a half, jackson cried a lot. not extreme, but maybe just a little more than what's normal for a newborn. we tried everything. [and spent a lot of money trying everything!] after some research, i finally decided to try going dairy-free in hopes that maybe this was the problem.
within three days, it was like he was a different baby! i couldn't believe it. this doesn't necessarily mean that jackson has a dairy intolerance. some babies just have a hard time breaking down a protein in cow's milk. i will re-introduce a little bit of dairy when he is about six months old to see how he handles it. in most cases, a baby's digestive system has matured, so they can tolerate cow's milk.
in all honesty, it really hasn't been that hard to go dairy-free. once i learned what i can and can't eat, it was fairly easy. i also learned:
- there is dairy in everything! it was a little disheartening at first because i wondered if all i could eat was air. but i have a cheat sheet that is always with me so i can scan the ingredients label.
- while i miss a lot of my favorites [cheese + cake] - nothing matters that much when i see how much happier jackson is.
- i plan to continue a healthier lifestyle. i've always been able to eat whatever i want and not really see the effects. but having great metabolism doesn't mean that what i'm putting in my body is good for me. while i'm not giving up all the things, i am going to find a happy medium. i don't want to fill up on foods that are full of sugar and such, but you best believe when someone has a birthday, i will eat cake to celebrate!
i actually really enjoy this new diet. here are a few of my favorite treats:
coco whip. oh, mylanta. i've hated cool whip/whipped cream for as long as i can remember. but this stuff? it's like manna from heaven! i piled it on angel food cake [i had no idea it was dairy-free!] with strawberries.
just ranch. it tastes just like regular ranch. so good!
non-dairy burrito. i pretty much live off these burritos. it's filled with beans + rice. i dip them in the ranch, too!
cashew milk ice cream + coconut milk ice cream. definitely my favorite treat! that snickerdoodle ice cream alllllllmost rivals my favorite ice cream ever. i will still eat these even after i can eat dairy again.
coffee made with almond milk. it's no secret that i have a love affair with coffee. at first, i was bummed that i had to give up lattes, but then i realized i could still drink them + substitute it with almond or coconut milk. this almond milk coffee is super delicious, too! [i'm drinking some as i type this blog post actually.]
coconut water. actually i love coconut eeeeeeverthing! confession time: up until this dairy-free diet, i thought i hated coconut. turns out it's just the texture of coconut, but the flavor? obsessed. coconut milk, coconut water, coconut ice cream - gimme all the coconut-flavored foods!
just ranch. it tastes just like regular ranch. so good!
non-dairy burrito. i pretty much live off these burritos. it's filled with beans + rice. i dip them in the ranch, too!
cashew milk ice cream + coconut milk ice cream. definitely my favorite treat! that snickerdoodle ice cream alllllllmost rivals my favorite ice cream ever. i will still eat these even after i can eat dairy again.
coffee made with almond milk. it's no secret that i have a love affair with coffee. at first, i was bummed that i had to give up lattes, but then i realized i could still drink them + substitute it with almond or coconut milk. this almond milk coffee is super delicious, too! [i'm drinking some as i type this blog post actually.]
coconut water. actually i love coconut eeeeeeverthing! confession time: up until this dairy-free diet, i thought i hated coconut. turns out it's just the texture of coconut, but the flavor? obsessed. coconut milk, coconut water, coconut ice cream - gimme all the coconut-flavored foods!
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