Christmas was amazing. Erin and I went home to Napa, and got to spend the holiday with our families. Nothing gets better than that. Warm, hearty dinners with the ones we love, fireplaces, watching your family open the gifts you got them, and getting thoughtful gifts as well. So many great things that accompany Christmas.
New Years Eve was spent at our friends' house in Corvallis. Whitney and BJ are friends of ours here, and are very fun people to hang out with. We had a great time! Jenga, girl talk/boy talk and watching the ball drop together was a perfect way to ring in the New Year.
Well, for my New Years resolution, I decided to do something that I should have done a long time ago - 2 years ago, to be exact. You see, 2 years ago I discovered that I have an allergy to dairy. It's not full-blown lactose intolerant, but my body does NOT like when I have any of that creamy goodness known as milk.
So, for this year's resolution I chose to make my diet diary-free.
I thought this would be the toughest resolution I'd ever picked. I mean, anyone who knows me, knows that I would have brie and french bread for dinner every night. Not to mention all of those amazing cheesy pastas and pizza that I would be missing out on. But ultimately, I decided that my everyday well being is much more important. Not to mention that dairy makes my jeans not fit so well - so it was a chance I was willing to take.
After much research, I have found many alternatives that I think should suffice. Obviously cheese-free pizza will NEVER be as good as a big greasy slice, but it is still pretty tasty, I must say! I tried Coconut Milk ice cream last night (So Delicious German Chocolate), and honestly it was better than regular ice cream. Better texture, doesn't melt as fast, and I still get my chocolate fix. Swoon!
I have invested in a couple of helpful recipe books:
- Going Dairy Free by Alisa Marie Fleming
- Recipes for Dairy-Free Living by Denise Jardine
- The Everyday Dairy-free Cookbook by Miller Rogers and Emily White
So far my favorite is Go Dairy Free, because it is super informative about the allergy and what substitutes are best. The writer also started a website about her dairy allergy, and has lists for what foods at fast food restaurants are dairy free, what foods have 'hidden' dairy (such a soy cheese - how sneaky!!), and what brands of these hidden dairy foods are actually dairy free. For example, most cereals contain whey, a milk bi-product. This website says that 'Barbara's Puffins', etc. are dairy free cereal. So to say the least, this woman has made going dairy free super easy. Her website is www.godairyfree.org, in case you were wondering.
I've been on the dairy free 'diet' for almost a week, and I have to admit that I've never felt better. My jeans (almost) fit again, my stomach doesn't always hurt, and I feel like the foods I'm eating now are so much more healthy - making me feel more healthy :)
I'll follow up in a couple of months and let you know how the dairy free lifestyle is, and if I'm still feeling as positive about it!
xo,
Kelsey
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