Eating Can be Pleasureable - Even Without Dairy

For five long years, I worried about every morsel of food that I ingested. I couldn't understand why I constantly suffered gastrointestinal distress. The doctors seemed to be just as confused as I was and misdiagnosed me with Irritable Bowel Syndrome one year and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) another. I even went through a colonoscopy only to be given two prescriptions that left me broke and never offered me the relief I needed to enjoy food again.

And then it happened...a friend suggested I try avoiding dairy for two weeks. I was blown away when my symptoms left almost immediately. It has been four months since I went dairy-free and I feel and look better than I have in years.

Creating a new dairy-free diet for myself has been challenging, to say the least, since lactose seems to be in practically everything! I've had to say goodbye to some of my favorite foods like coffee ice cream, cheese pizza and milk chocolate. I am happy to report, however, that through my researching I have been pleasantly surprised with the amount of dairy alternatives and dairy-free products out there.

I am hoping that this blog will be of some help to others who have recently found out they cannot or choose not to consume dairy for one reason or another. I have been busy trying out many of the dairy-free products at our grocery stores. I have also been eating out quite a bit and have many restaurant reviews for lactose-free dining in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. I encourage you to let me know about any products you've come across or restaurant reviews you would like to share - both the good and bad. Together, as a dairy-free community in the Twin Cities, we will find that eating can be pleasurable again. :)