After weeks of randomly getting sick and not being able to figure out why, I decided to try something a little different. I cut out dairy, wondering if I might not be lactose intolerant suddenly.
Turns out I was right.
Once I cut back on milk, my problems vanished pretty much instantly. This wouldn't be such a big deal for the most part, except that I am a shameless coffee addict, and I have always, always always had my coffee with whole milk. At Starbucks, my favorite drink is a cafe misto, which is coffee and steamed milk.
But no longer.
Now I just get plain black coffee, until I can find something else that's dairy free. Let me tell you how to drink coffee black. You have to ease into it. I'm still not quite there yet. At first I mixed coconut milk with whole milk, then I switched out the whole for half and half, and now I just put a teeny amount of coconut milk, with a little sugar and sometimes vanilla.
Now you may ask... what about other dairy products?! Well, none of them are as bad as milk (it has do with a specific thing called Lactose, milk has more of it), but I do have to cut back on cheese and ice cream and such a little bit. Ice cream's not bad since I've never been a big fan, but cheese???
CHEESE I TELL YOU IS IN EVERYTHING EVER MADE.
EVER.
I work near a Whole Foods (natural grocery store) and I go there a lot to get my lunch. Last week I went, and without thinking bought a snack and spaghetti stars. Both, it turned out, had cheese. I didn't even think about it until I was walking back. I'd been avoiding getting anything heavy with dairy, only to wind up with three things (counting tea with a little milk) that had it.
Noodles and company?
My family came home last night with dishes that were ALL cheese.
And when I went to the grocery the other night, I bought a reese's cup and goldfish. I knew the Goldfish would have cheese, but I didn't think it would be a big deal until I looked at the list of ingredients and realized... Reeses have milk. I'd done it again.
You know what else has cheese?!
Pizza...
Chipotle burritos the way I've always gotten them...
Every dish my parents make...
But. I'm not complaining. I can still eat cheese. I say this only to highlight the pervasiveness of cheese. I never noticed how much I consume until I started paying attention. I used to even eat it with my chips and salsa, one of my favorite snacks.
So llamas, the next time you drink a tall glass of milk, or slurp up your cereal... or dump obscene amounts of creamer into your deliciously wonderful cup of coffee, think of me.
2 comments:
Solution: Coffeemate creamer, French Vanilla, powdered. Stuff it into your bag next time you go to Starbucks. It's lactose free and amazing. They also have different flavors besides French Vanilla. I'll tell you right now, I don't think you will ever get used to Starbucks black coffee. It happens to be dees-gusting and way too bitter for anyone's good.
Also, soy chai latte. Soy, hence the milk free. It's amazing, and you feel really earthy and vegan like perhaps you should be wearing a grass skirt.
Most people in the world are lactose and tolerant, and if they aren't, they will most likely develop it before they die.
Milk, a derivative of a COW, meant for COW babies, is not meant for the human digestion system. It's that simple. So now that you know you're lactose and tolerant, you will be infinitely more healthy, if you don't already have healthy skin, your skin will look ten times healthier, and you'll always feel better.
:)
Hmm, that stuff is REALLY unhealthy too, but I'll keep that in mind. Maybe I can find a healthy version. I'm sure there's alternatives out there. The blackness of the coffee I've been drinking hasn't totally killed me yet. It's sort of interesting being able to really taste the different flavors of coffee.
I do love chai lattes... not sure about grass skirts though... my legs are a little hairy for that.
I have felt better since I quit! I'm sure it's a mix, of dairy not being terribly healthy, and me not being able to digest it properly. It's funny, I've always scoffed that we can't drink cow's milk... but now it all makes more sense than I'd like. :P
Post a Comment