I feel alone

[Katerina]

Hello :)

I am new here, I found this forum because I was looking for anyone with intolerances like me [gluten, dairy, chocolate, citrus].

I am lucky in that I am not severely allergic but the constant food planning and searching for things to eat wears me out. I don't really know anyone with intolerances like me, and I don't like telling people at work because they either belittle me, or constantly make a fuss about it.

I finally decided to look for a forum like this because yesterday I thought I had enough g-f bread to last me for the week but when I went to make sandwiches for work, my last loaf had gone mouldy and I was left with no sandwiches and nowhere to buy more [it was 9pm!] :angry:

Sorry if this sounds depressing but I am really fed up. I'm usually a jolly person, honest!

Hope to 'speak' to someone on here soon :)

[Copper]

Welcome to the site.

I have many intolerances but the trickiest to deal with when eating out is dairy and to a lesser extent soya. My eldest daughter also has many intolerances which include dairy, gluten and wheat.

It is annoying having to plan everything. I never go to town without a snack in case my shopping takes longer than expected.

My daughter makes her own bread. She freezes it then takes out enough for 2 days. She says that way the bread does not get too dry. Have you got a freezer? If you have you could keep some bread in there so you never run out.

People who do not have intolerances have no idea how hard it is to eat out. Over the last few years I have found that more people have heard of intolerances, so things are improving slowly.

[Katerina]

Hello Copper

Thank you for the welcome. Its nice to 'speak' to someone who understands. I too always take food everywhere 'just in case'. I also have fluctuating blood sugar levels which is another reason for taking food with me as obviously I can't buy much from a 'normal' shop. I know you understand all this.

I'm dreading my little daughter getting food sensitivities. She got some little hives when she ate some hazel nut butter so the doctor said not to give her any nut products til she's 3. It was probably silly to give her it, but my mum said 'oh she'll be fine'! Mum has always been super healthy with no allergies, so I don't know where I came from!

My husband suggested putting bread in the freezer, i don't know why I didn't think of it before... duh!

I rarely eat out because it is too difficult and expensive, but at the moment I rely on supermarket Free From bread for work, which is the main difficulty- if I didn't have to work, my life would be easier ;)

[Copper]

My daughter makes her bread from a mix which does not contain yeast (another of her intolerances). You mix it and then bake in the oven. When she comes home and I have to make it, I put the whole lot into my bread maker on a gluten setting and let it get on with it. :lol2:

I don't eat out often either. We meet up with friends in December and eat out. I always organise this so I can give the chef twenty questions :lol2: One of my friends is coeliac so that is another twenty questions. Last year we went to a pub in Sturminster Marshall and the food was great and not expensive. The chef is still there so we are going there again this year.

We meet up with another set of friends in the summer and take turns to organise it. A couple of the friends are also dairy intolerant but they annoyed me this year as they told the owner of the pub that a little would not hurt them! I insisted that my food had to be dairy free. I dread to think what will happen next year as the friend organising it does not understand about intolerances.

I think that eating out is too stressful. I have not found a pudding that I can eat in any of these places and I love puddings :(

[Katerina]

Yes, I was told to avoid yeast, but I found trying to avoid gluten AND yeast too difficult, so I eat commercially made G-F breads. Probably not the best thing to eat, but I don't like cooking, or food really, so I was overjoyed when I found the supermarkets have jumped on the bandwagon of Free From.

My mum has a bread maker, she intends to make me some GF bread when she has time. What brand does your daughter buy? I am also sensitive to corn which unfortunately seems to make up most of the bread mixes you can buy :( The supermarket ready made bread is tapioca and rice flour, which is convenient.

I ate out last Sunday for a family celebration and I've now decided I will take my own flask of gravy to meals :lol2: I really could not be bothered to ask the waitress if the gravy they were serving had gluten or dairy in, and receive a blank look or the inevitable 'yes it contains both.' So I had roast chicken and potatoes without gravy, which was chewy! So my gravy and I will go to meals and if the staff question me, I shall explain and hope for the best...!

Better go now, my daughter needs attention :)

[cnc]

Welcome to the site, sorry you feel so alone :)

It is a pain I know and I'm only allergic to milk, but I have other problems that make eating a nightmare, let alone eating out!!

I'm a big fan of freezing bread as well, it makes everything so much easier for me, and it's okay as long as I remember to replace it at some point!!

I think it's easier in some ways to be allergic because people at least take it seriously, although some get a bit scared that you might die in their restaurant, but they're usually more flexible over letting you take your own food with you.

I hope you like it here, and soon feel less alone:)

[Copper]

My daughter uses Orgran easy bake bread mix (white). It does contain maize starch and dextrose from maize.

I guess that is another bread mix you can't use then.

[Katerina]

Hi CNC, thanks for the welcome :) None of my friends in 'real life' have allergy/sensitivity problems so it is nice to talk to people who know how irritating it is. I read that if you have problems with the staff when you are eating out e.g. they won't tell you clearly the ingredients or they dismiss you in some way, tell them that if you eat something you shouldn't, you will be immediately and violently sick everywhere [even though it probably would not happen], and that should frighten them so much that they would do anything to avoid that. :lol: I am naughty!

Yes, Copper it is annoying about Orgran, but I suppose some day a non corn mix will come along :rolleyes:

[jill]

Hi Katerina, you need not feel alone again. We are all here to help each other. It is difficult but it does get easier once you know what you can and can't eat. Like Copper, eating out isn't one of my favourite past times. I have just chosen my Christmas lunch for our works do. Melon to start - Turkey - then fruit salad. Not very exciting in comparison to all of the other starters and deserts. But as long as i'm not ill that is all that matters. I have a lactose intolerance which isn't as bad as some people with allergies or multiple intolerances but it has certainly made me suffer in the past.

[cnc]

I read that if you have problems with the staff when you are eating out e.g. they won't tell you clearly the ingredients or they dismiss you in some way, tell them that if you eat something you shouldn't, you will be immediately and violently sick everywhere [even though it probably would not happen], and that should frighten them so much that they would do anything to avoid that. :lol: I am naughty!


The risk of this (despite the fact it may happen if I'm involved!!) is that some places won't take the risk of serving you, they're so scared of being sued these days, which is sad.

I've discovered since being in a wheelchair that people are less surprised when I say I'm allergic to milk, not sure how they link, but people seem to have a morbid fear of offending people in chairs, which I find rather amusing, but I'm a bit twisted like that :lol2::lol2:

We're all friendly here, so you won't need to feel alone again :)

[Katerina]

Hi Jill

I think your Christmas meal sounds lovely, it is nice when you get to choose beforehand. I get annoyed when people say 'be more adventurous, have this or that' and you have to explain that you can't. Some colleagues were saying the other day to me 'go on, have just a bit of this pizza/ whatever it was' and I got fed up and said 'no, that would make me very ill'. They didn't seem to take it seriously. But at least I can eat chips, so I had a plate of those, and said 'its so lucky I don't put weight on, isn't it?' which annoyed them :lol2:

I suppose you are right, CNC/Claire about the people being scared of being sued. I've never had the guts to say I'd be sick, but I wish I had.

Well I don't feel so lonely anymore, thank you everyone :)

[rebecca c]

Hi and welcome Katerina. I have lots of intolerences too and have considered myself gluten intolerant for a while now, however last week I made a small mistake myself and had a strong reaction so I now know I've got to be even more careful.

I find a few people to be sensitive and understanding and many people ask lots of questions and I know this way they will educate themselves but it can be wearing. I often feel in lots of areas of my life I am leading the way and I am now getting very tired of it. I also feel self conscious explaining myself in restaraunts especially as I am very aware that many people disregard or are rude about people with intolerences.

Someone I ate out with recently made a huge fuss when i was desperately trying to be a bit discrete. I was very angry with her and embarassed.

I was a veggie for a long time since I was 12 (until I had to expand my diet becuase of my intolerences) and for many years people were pretty fowl to me about that but it became widely accepted eventually.

I guess I would appreciate a quiet and supportive understanding. But it would be so nice to be confident eating out but I actually get less confident. never mind I am hoping to go to Terre a Terre with my sister next weekend and they are always brilliant.

[jill]

My work colleagues have been rather irritaing at times but some of them have seen me be ill so they are now used to it. One of my birthdays was the worse as somebody bought 2 cakes which they thought i would be ok with but I wasn't as they had yoghurt in them. Not much fun standing watching everyone tuck in to your birthday cake. I'm used to it now and it doesn't bother me as much. We have loads of goodies at work around christmas - tins of chocolates etc but I always give them a miss - i have plenty at home I can tuck into without pigging out at work. A moment of pleasure with milk chocolate isn't worth the agony and being ill afterwards.

[Katerina]

Hi Rebecca, thanks for the welcome :)

I agree with so much you said. I am so sick of people questioning me about my intolerances, I have decided to just say 'I'm intolerant to dairy, gluten etc. But I really don't like to talk about it, I find it depressing because I'd love to be normal, so that's how it is.' I keep it all secret at work so no one's asked me about it yet [I haven't been there long], so hopefully I'll have the guts to say that. It annoys me though- people are so sensitive and tactful about other problems [disabilities etc], but I often feel like they are suspicious of me and think I'm making it up or something!?! :rolleyes: My colleagues sometimes question me about my symptoms in front of my students, and I really don't want to go into talking about diarrhoea in front of teenagers! :rolleyes:

I also have really struggled with low energy levels since I was in my 20s and I think people think I'm trying to get out of things e.g. walking long distances. I think a lot of it was caused because I never had enough to eat and often just used to avoid eating because there was nothing suitable around.

I really like films and I was just thinking, maybe I should make a film with a food intolerant hero/heroine and open people's eyes to the situation. I have a friend who is disabled and a film student, I'm sure he would be up for that. We could have a disabled character and a food intolerant character as the main heroes, couldn't we? :lol2:

[cnc]

We could have a disabled character and a food intolerant character as the main heroes, couldn't we? :lol2:
I'll do both for the price of one :D:D I'm very glamorous, I come with a whole range of gadgets :)

It would be great to have people understand that you're not just being fussy- I really don't understand why 'celebs' think it's fun to restrict their diets.
I'm currently rather grumpy as there are no dairy free advent calendars left, I'm not amused!!

I'm sorry your colleagues are so insensitive towards your problems, some people need to learn respect for other people. If they want to talk to you about it fine, but find an appropriate time and place.

[azubah]

I also have really struggled with low energy levels since I was in my 20s and I think people think I'm trying to get out of things e.g. walking long distances.

Does anyone know if low energy levels and food intolerance are related?
I have always been tired since my teens, and need an abnormal amount of sleep, and wonder if my milk intolerance could be a factor. My 80 year old Mom is sometimes more lively than me!

[jill]

I have always liked my sleep and can drop off virtually anywhere. I thought it would have improved when I discovered I had an underactive thyroid, but the medication hasn't seemed to help. Don't know whether it is down to intolerance, or the fact that I do too much then when I sit down I just drop off - usually when i'm watching something on TV.

[Copper]

I read somewhere that intolerances make you tired. I hope that I have now identified all my intolerances but I am still tired!

Mind you hot flushes at night and clog dancing mice in the loft don't help :mad:

[Trina]

Hi there! I have just joined and would just like to say there is a lot of us out there!!! i am dairy intolarant. Don't feel alone i know its hard but there are lots u can eat and enjoy out there. i have suffered for years with IBS and working things out founds that food was the cause lol was healthy if i didn't eat but u have to eat, so i watched what i was eating and felt better, somehow i was still feeling tired and lathargic and then i realised went to hossy had bloods done " nothing wrong" well that was it i new it was still food, this was driving me crazy so two weeks ago cut out dairy completely and wow all pain gone feel like a new women and no dairy, but i know what to eat, i have been fine as long as i don't eat the DAIRY. There are loads of sites dairy free try the PURE site have a look! it's got all recipes there, i have soya and pure butter and yogurts there's loads, i am ok with bread as long as i use pure. Cath :)Hello :)

I am new here, I found this forum because I was looking for anyone with intolerances like me [gluten, dairy, chocolate, citrus].

I am lucky in that I am not severely allergic but the constant food planning and searching for things to eat wears me out. I don't really know anyone with intolerances like me, and I don't like telling people at work because they either belittle me, or constantly make a fuss about it.

I finally decided to look for a forum like this because yesterday I thought I had enough g-f bread to last me for the week but when I went to make sandwiches for work, my last loaf had gone mouldy and I was left with no sandwiches and nowhere to buy more [it was 9pm!] :angry:

Sorry if this sounds depressing but I am really fed up. I'm usually a jolly person, honest!

Hope to 'speak' to someone on here soon :)

[Trina]

Hi sorry missed a few things out! don't let anyone belittle you as just think about it you will be alot healthier than them, there is a standing joke with my family they call me a weirdo they only joke of course but sometimes it got me down not any more. My doctor said as long as i get calcium i am ok. I also have orol allergy syndrome that was getting to me as when i ate a biscuit my lips would itch and swell and would get a false cold this is an alergy so have to be carefull. So if you put a serch in dairy free you will see differant sites come up. I made a dairy free choc cake it was lovely and my son took half home LOL Can't have anything for my self he said that was lovely mum Ha Ha. So go have a look, and there are more things comming to the shops all the time. Good luck. T

[Katerina]

Hi everyone, sorry I did not reply earlier. I like to write stories, it helps me to unwind and feel like I'm getting my feelings out, so I've been doing that lately.

To be honest, its not the dairy intolerance that is the main problem with me, its the gluten one. I couldn't find a decent gluten intolerance message board, they are all wrapped up with coeliac disease and as I haven't been diagnosed coeliac, I'm 'not allowed to join' :rolleyes:

The thing that has saved me [with not being able to eat gluten] was when Tesco/ Sainsbury and all the other supermarkets started making their own Free From bread... thank God! I can buy it during my normal shopping, I don't have to hunt round for it and its easy to make sandwiches for lunch to take to work. I have a brilliant organic farm who deliver to me but that is only weekly.

But anyway, before the supermarkets jumped on the bandwagon, my main carbohydrate was rice cakes, basically... not very nice or filling and I was always starving. I am really not into cooking and making everything from scratch, having done it for so long, but AT LAST there is an easy and accessible supply of carbohydrates from the supermarket.

I have considered being tested for coeliac disease, but that would involve [as you probably know] eating gluten for a lengthy amount of time, and I am not prepared to put myself through that again.

Anyway, re: the hero with intolerances/ disabilties. I think I should arrange a screen test for you at once, CNC. Please ensure your gadgets are working at full speed :lol2:

[rebecca c]

I think the link on the coeliac website to a chatroom is a chatroom for gluten free people too.

I think I may be coeliac too with dermititus herptiformis, I have had one biopsy for coeliac but my dietician said it is not a reliable negative result as I should of eaten gluten for longer. the chatroom also suggests you should have biopsies from 6 sites not one. My sister is coeliac which increases the chances I am.

Anyway like you I cant face weeks of illness and horrible procedure so I guess I have to call myself gluten intolerant not coeliac and DH

Since stopping absolutely all gluten even minute traces my stomach got better and better and my face got slowly better with no big flare ups. My energy levels have also gone up and I dont need a daytime sleep anymore (this is great). I made a mistake last week and my face came straight up and my tummy got bad again.

I think intolerances can make you lethargic it is definitely a symptom of coeliac but it is also a symptom of having depression or feeling down.

[cnc]

It's such a shame they won't let you join that's a bit elitist of them really!! My brother can't have wheat, so it's great fun when I go home as there ends up being a cupboard full of various free from items. People keep suggesting that I take wheat out of my diet, but I like bread too much, and cooking a dairy free, soft food diet is bad enough for my carers let alone adding in more complications!!

The only plus side I guess with getting the positive coeliac test would be you'd get your bread and other things on prescription.

Unfortunately I have a face definitely designed for radio, so think I'd only scare people off!!

Lethargy and fatigue can be signs of a number of illnesses, and it is something you should consider talking to your doctor about especially if you have some other things that aren't quite right.

[Katerina]

Truly, the only time I've been taken seriously about my intolerances by doctors is when I was pregnant. I was so exhausted, ill and unable to eat due to either sickness or intolerance to various foods, I hardly ate anything. The doctors and midwives were extremely concerned, I had to have fortnightly scans to check on the size of my baby. They put me in the care of a dietician who helped a bit.

The good news is, my baby was a normal size and has always been extremely healthy [so far]. I think this is due to the almost 100% organic food diet I had been eating for years before I got pregnant.:)

So really I just manage everything myself and have had appointments with ION therapists etc. to give me advice.

[rebecca c]

I try to keep a balance between managing things myself and going to the doctor for a bit or support and essentials as well as help with the conditions for which I do have a diagnosis.

I have rarely found doctors I find easy to deal with but I have found enough not to give up all hope.

It must be frustrating for them too because they think all they can offer me is medicine which I often have to stop taking because the side effects are as bad (or worse) as the original problem. The thing is they fail to realise they could also help me with thorough investigations as I would love to have more of a diagnosis and also moral support is helpful.

[Katerina]

I think the good thing is, more and more people are understanding intolerances/ allergies now because so many more people are getting them. Decades ago, when I told people I couldn't eat chocolate and cheese, they almost fell down in shock :lol2: but now most people say 'ah yes, I have a cousin/aunt/ mum/ friend/ bank manager who can't eat that.' And so we get more help. So that gives me hope.

I bet eventually, there will be a massive discovery by some scientist/doctor which solves the problem of food intolerances/ allergies, and we will all be 'mended' :lol2:

[rebecca c]

Cant wait for the day

[jill]

Me too.

(Apparently that is too short to be submitted so I have to add some more characters) i'll add a couple of these aswell :xmas::xmas::xmas::xmas::xmas::xmas:.

[Katerina]

Or maybe it will be discovered that we are all mutants with superpowers who can do amazing things. It could happen ;)

[theboyfromxtown]

Hello

I am new here and my name is John. I was diagnosed with IBS some years ago as I suffer with repeated loo visits. I now have high blood pressure, take daily strong 60mg anti depression tablets and this week I start statins for cholesterol -even though I don`t eat a lot of cheese or dairy products. Perhaps worse than all that, I`m a man and men don`t generally handle bowel matters very well.

How did you all find out what was making you ill? The doctors at Barts in London admitted to me that spending hours in the loo is not life threatening, so they are unable to help me to any great extent; it was even suggested that I see a counsellor because it was stress that was causing me to spend hours in the loo! But they don`t seem to understand that having to spend hours in the loo and not being able to go out of my home, is what is causing my stress.

I feel like I am wasting my life, by looking forward to the day when I suffer no more. When I admitted this to my mum, it broke her heart and I promised her I would try and see if there was anything on the internet that might help. Over the years, I`ve paid private fees for a colonoscopy, seen dieticians and the like but I am still none the better. I still cant routinely go out of my house without first obtaining "bowel" clearance and even that is no guarantee. Intolerances do not seem to always happen immediately and the time delay doesn`t help me to identify the problem.

How do you start to find out more on what your intolerances are. I have done the "metal stick in foot" thing but I am told it is unreliable and I should ignore it. My GP sent me to UCH in Euston for a milk/lactose test the other week but then moaned at me cos the hospital didn`t test me properly, so I gotta go back again. But its an ordeal to get out of the house and I know that I am gonna have an accident when I do go. How do you all cope with it all?

[jill]

Hi John and welcome. Before I worked out that it was dairy that was causing the problem, I was very much like you, not wanting to go anywhere, particularly on my own in case I needed to go the toilet and I would be ill. Even a trip to the local supermarket was becoming a chore. Then i worked out that it was possibly dairy that was causing the problem - cream had been a no no for a longtime so I eventually began to see a link. My big break through was because I needed a letter from my doctor asking if I could be located near to a toilet when I sat an Open University exam. For the first time in 15 years somebody actually sat and listened, didn't dismiss it as being IBS and all in the mind, and he didn't suggest antidepressants which had been suggested by a GP some years prior. I eventually, after changing hospitals, found another consultant who did a lactose intolerance test, but by the time I got the results 2 years later(hospital blunder) I had worked out it was dairy that was my problem. If you think dairy is your problem then you should start to feel better if you stop it or reduce it from your diet, and your confidence will start to improve as you realise that you are not going to be ill or have an accident when you go out. It is difficult - I know - ive been there. If you start a food diary then you may start to see a pattern. If you need any advice on alternative foods then we are here to help.

Good luck and keep in touch so we know how you are getting on.

[Trina]

Hi there John! i have been suffering from IBS for approx 20 years and was terrible, so i know how you feel. This is a good site for advise, i found it by accident we all have a problem here and will try to help you!!!. I used to suffer badly with my IBS and it got to the stage where i thought right well lets see whats causing it! i was under the hospital they couldn't find anything i am sure they thought it was all in my head, well it wasn't!!! my problem was the foods, i realised over a period of time that i was intolarent to dairy as when i ate cream or chocolate "etc" i would wake in the night being sick and the rest as you know! so i kepted a diary wrote every thing down no matter what it was even if i ate a nut i wrote it, well it didn't take long to realise that this was my problem also i noticed after eating certain foods i would sneeze and my sinuses would flare up! well also suffered with them too but did not realise food would cause this, how wrong could i be!!! well let me tell you since i have cut out the dairy foods i feel very healthy i can't believe the change my Ibs is 96% under control and my sinuses have cleared up, at first i thought no this isn't true just a lul but no it isn't so i went to my GP who has been my GP for years he said i had a oral allergy syndrome and he said the best way to see if you have an intolarence or allergy is to keep a diary and process of alimination as it can cost the nhs to much to send for allergy test, well what a load of rubbish you get treated better if you were an alcoholic or took drugs. Well john i feel great now been off dairy for nearly 2 months now and what a transformation, and don't forget you can eat something say in the morning and it won't affect you till night time so as i say keep a diary and you will see if you have a problem look back to what you had that day.
I can't believe in the change in me since i cut dairy out and i won't be going back to it never. Good luck and don't forget ask anything.:)

[cnc]

Hi and welcome, sorry to hear that you're suffering so much.

A food diary is a good idea, try it first on your current diet, I know you said you currently couldn't see a pattern but I believe it's sometimes easier to spot these things when you actually have them written down. Unfortunately there is no easy test for intolerances, even tests for allergies are a complicated matter. There are specialist allergy clinics that do exist, however, I don't know how many IBS problems are intolerance or allergy related. Just out of interest have you ever tried including an anti-histamine in to your medication (don't do this without telling your doctor though), as if things improved like that it could indicate that it was allergy related rather than intolerance. Allergies are generally taken a bit more seriously, and would give you a bit more of a leg to stand on so to speak.
One of the next steps might be to look at what the most common intolerances are; usually, wheat, gluten, yeast, and dairy.
Why do they think it's a problem with dairy? Have they done a coeliac test? Sorry this isn't very coherent, trying to do six hundred things at once, as usual!! Only eliminate one at a time, and preferably with the advice of at least your GP preferably a dietician. You may discover that it takes a while for things to settle down, I think it's meant to be about 4 weeks without each one before you make a decision. If it's a combination of things you may only find a partial reduction with certain items. It's not going to be clear cut but it's the best you can do I'm afraid.

As for me, a GP decided my peak flow wasn't good enough and suggested I tried removing milk from my diet and over a few days it increased massively and I was told never to have milk again, then they tested me and discovered that I was lactose intolerant as well, so that was the end of that really!!

Hope you settle in well here.

[theboyfromxtown]

Hello again

I am overwhelmed to have received more than one response almost instantly; thank you all for showing such kindness to a fellow human being. I am humbled.

It was my dietician who suggested that my favourite food might be responsible for me being too "regular" and that I should eliminate it from my diet. It was hard, real hard but I DID notice after several months that I wasn`t quite as bad as I once had been. I then started to have garlic and coffee enemas and I found them to be beneficial too. However, gradually, I started to resume the semi-skimmed milk in tea and the "regularity" slowly returned. When I think about it now, I guess I was stupid to think it was anything other than milk but since it was a slow return to old habits, it didn`t register with me.

Can I ask about bread? Does bread have any milk content in it - I am told no but I am not so sure. I had a cheese sandwich and some currant bread on Monday and I suffered badly for 2 days but was it only the cheese or the bread too? Surfing the internet, I discovered that clear fluid in the toilet bowl is a clear indication of a milk or lactose intolerance - not sure what the difference between the two is.

Could you good people help me with a suggested diet which I might use as my basis for future meals?

Breakfast - Weetabix or porridge with soya milk/water, herbal tea

Main meal - a plain meat or fish dish, steamed vegetables, beef gravy, rice, ebly or pasta, herbal tea or diluted fruit squash or soya milk mixed with water

Can I add tomatoes and lettuce and a dressing or am I going too far?

How long should I persist with this diet?

I`d appreciate any comment whatsoever.



John

[Copper]

Welcome to the site John. You have my sympathy as I too have suffered in the past. I am lactose intolerant and have a few other food intolerances too. The worst is coconut which kept me on the toilet for 12 hours :eek:

If removing dairy from your diet solves your problem then you need to keep off the dairy for life. It is not as bad as it sounds and it does get easier.

Your suggested menu sounds good to me. You can eat more things as long as you check the labels for dairy. Do be careful and check for hidden dairy in foods. I always suggest printing a list of alternative names for milk from this page on this site

http://www.dairyfreeuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=738

Take the list when you go shopping and check labels for anything on this list. You will be surprised at just how many things contain dairy or lactose or both!!! You should also be aware that many tablets contain lactose.

We can suggest alternative foods for dairy items. Some breads contain milk so check the ingredients on labels. The only margarines which do not contain dairy are Pure and Vitalite and they can be found in the chiller along with all margarines.

The only thing that I would add to Claire's list of usual allergy/intolerance culprits is egg. You should just concentrate on removing all dairy from your diet and then see how you feel after 4 weeks. Hopefully you will feel better well before the 4 weeks are up.

Let us know how you get on and do ask if you need help with food alternatives.

[jill]

Hi again John.

Milk can be found in some types of bread. It is a matter of getting used to reading food labels. Whilst staying in Belgium with my sister once I was rather ill after having some hot dogs in bread rolls. I then discovered the bread rolls had 18% milk in them. I don't think I have come across such high a % in England but as some supermarkets sell foreign foods it is always worth reading the labels. Like Copper says milk crops up in all sorts of foods.

How much you want to give up depends on your own circumstances and how well you feel. You may be able to tolerate something every couple of days but having cows milk, a lump of cheese, a yoghurt and a cream cake, and a bar of milk chocolate all in one day may just be too much - only time will tell.

If you are going dairy free then it is best to cook from scratch as many processed foods are full of milk products. There are alot of tomato based sauces available which come in jars that you could try to liven your meal up. I certainly don't go without or have plain meals.

Ask away and one of us will be able to point you in hopefully the right direction so you are feeling better soon.:)

[theboyfromxtown]

Claire, Trina, Copper and Jill

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!

Spot on about water flow.....all I will say on a public site is...I was surprised at the difference. Mum used to tell me there was always someone else worse off than me; I have finally been convinced....I wish I found this site a long time ago. It`s encouraging to know that I am not alone.

I`ve started doing what you have recommended. I have now had no bread since Monday and completely eliminated all food that MIGHT contain milk. There is a marked improvement.

I forgot to mention fruit though! Yesterday, early evening, I had a satsuma for desert at about 7:30 pm and I seemed to have no problem. However, at about 10pm, I had an apple and a pear and within 2 hours I had terrible wind (I hope you are not offended by me saying that). The fruit had been bought about a week ago. My dietician told me that pears are the "easiest" fruit to digest but he did warn me about eating fruit that had been around for a while even if stored in the fridge. (I am told to only buy bananas when they are green, before they "ferment" ie gone brown) I noticed citrus intolerances on this site but is there a difference between fruits?

John

[Copper]

It is great to hear that things have improved a lot already, John.

I don't know enough about fruit to answer your question. I have always been told by my mother that bananas should be on the green side when you buy them. I can't eat bananas as they are on my list of foods to which I am intolerant.

My mother buys pears and always ensures that they are hard. She then leaves them for a day or two at room temperature so they ripen.

I guess any fruit can start fermenting if left to go over ripe. Cold conditions should slow that process down though.

You don't have to deprive yourself of bread. In store bakery bread may well contain dairy but on the shelf wrapped bread might be dairy free. You just need to check the labels. A few months ago I discovered that Tesco bakery rye bread was dairy free and it was very nice. I actually bake my own bread in a bread maker which is why I don't know which breads are dairy free.

[theboyfromxtown]

Copper

I have a bread maker too....paid over 200 pounds for it too!!! I need to dig it out. However, I want to try this plain diet for a week and see if I can find a menu which is safe for me. I do have a small Tesco near me and I shall look for that bread, thank you for the advice. I have to say that I have not eaten any bread for a week and I seemed to have lost a lot of weight around my waist! A blessing in disguise!!!

I think I am gonna get myself two tiny exercise books - one to write all this information down and the other for a food diary. How is it best to write down my reactions to the food....good, OK and BAD?

Last year, my local Waitrose got their head office to send me a complete list of their products which did not contain dairy. Maybe Tesco do the same? I should call them to find out. I think I have more than one intolerance which is why I kind of gave that Waitrose regime up cos I didnt know how to cope with a secondary intolerance (or even more). However, it seems that others here have more than one intolerance so I shall be guided by the experience of others. I have to say that just knowing people are out there in the same boat as me, is a tremendous comfort to me and I can`t thank you enough for the replies.

I am not currently at home so I have to eat what others eat. Today we had a starter of boulegar (like coucous), red peppers, egg, lemon juice. Main meal was beef with onions plus cauliflower. Desert was fresh apple puree with a little sugar (the others had ice cream/cheese and biscuits). I then had a herbal tea and ONE teeny weeny Belgium chocolate. Within 2 hours, problems started. Is it really the one chocolate that triggered a problem. I dont drink but I did have a glass of champagne to start off with - is that bad too?

All these questions....

John

[nic84]

John,

I am severely intollerant to oranges and lemons, but apples pears etc are fine for me. Presently I drink only water or apple juice, which is difficult after spending my life so far drinking pretty much only milk! Bananas are also fine for me, but I only eat them when they are green, verging onto yellow!

It is difficult, I am currently in my first week of a dairy free, egg free, wine free and
wheat free lifestyle but have discovered quite a few severe intollerances, the doctors checked me for so many - plus I found out I'm allergic to cats and dogs, so that has stopped my husband asking for a dog!

[jill]

John - so pleased that you are starting to see an improvement and that we are of help. Knowing that you are not alone in this certainly helps. Some acidic fruits react with me but I eat a banana nearly everyday and have not noticed any problems and I prefer them on the riper side. Everybody is different, and yes one chocolate, may bring on a reaction, especially if it was a rich creamy one. Afraid we all tend to have these little slip ups in the beginning but when you start to realise it is not worth the after effect then that little moment of pleasure is not really worth it.

I once read that some intolerances can take upto 4 days to have an effect so that is why it is so difficult to pin point the culprits. Don't be embarrased to talk about wind - my partner used to joke that he wished he could run our heating system off the amount that I produced - thankfully since being dairy free that has reduced tremendously.

I have had dairy free lists from Morrisons and Asda in the past and the Cafe Nero chain of coffee shops has one aswell. Alot of the big chains of coffee shops now offer soya milk.

[Copper]

John, I and my eldest daughter have a number of food intolerances. Mine were fairly easy to diagnose as I have acquired them over time. My reactions are on the same day that I eat or drink the "bad" things. My daughter got most of hers all in one go so that was hard to deal with for all of us.

I have never kept a food diary but if I did it would be along these lines -

Day, time and a complete list of everything which I eat or drink no matter how small the amount.

Then on the opposite page time and description of symptoms eg wind, bloating, trips to loo, feeling sick, sudden tiredness etc.

Hopefully a pattern will emerge.

[theboyfromxtown]

You all appear to have a wonderful sense of humour which gives me such a warm feeling of hope for the future. I laughed heartily and that was the first time in a very long time.

Like Nic84, milk was once all I drunk....clearly we used up our lifetime quota too quickly. Sorry to hear about the allergy to cats and dogs....can't you get your hubby a replica of that dog in the insurance ads so that when you want something, it will say "Ooooh YESSSS"!!!

Nic84, I'm thinking of taking out eggs too....good idea.

Jill...thank you for the warning......no more chocolates and not even teeny weeny
ones.

Copper..I am gonna do the diary just like you suggest.

You know, just hearing from you good people makes me feel good. I now feel like I might be able to work this out. Can I tell you that in the past I have spent days just laying in bed waiting for the next trip to the loo, sometimes sobbing uncontrollably asking why me why me?

I have to go for a lactose intolerance test this week at Uiniversity College hospital at Euston in London. I think I might end up DEMANDING that the nurse give me a milk sample to test my reactions....have any of you had that problem? I have those underwear liners from Boots which I know I will need on the day. But do you think I should go private and pay to have it done properly?

John

[Copper]

Your problems sound like intolerances to me. Lactose intolerance would be top of the list so go and have the test done. I don't think you need to pay out any money at this stage.

I would not rush to remove too many things from your diet all in one go, as you will not find out for sure just what is causing your problem. Just stick with dairy free for a couple of weeks and then review the situation. You can always remove another food later if you are still suffering.

[theboyfromxtown]

Copper

Good advice.......I will do exactly as you suggest. I am gearing myself up for a possible visit tomorrow or Wednesday.

I'll let you know how well o bad it goes...I doubt that I'll sleep well tonight, just thinking about it.

John

[Copper]

John, I think that you are very brave. I am sure that I would not survive a lactose intolerance test. I am so bad now that I would actually vomit, yuk.

Hopefully after a couple of weeks dairy free you will be better but if you are still ill you can look at your food diary and work out another possible intolerance. You can then remove that possible problem food from your diet for a couple of weeks.

I hope that makes sense.

[Trina]

Hi John good to see that you are feeling a bit better without the dairy! it's hard i know especially at xmas when everyone is eating the chocy's and cream ummm i am jealous but there again no i'm not! the thought of that horrible ill feeling don't want that again. But there again i didn't feel left out my husband found some dairy,gluten, wheat free choc's Wow they were lovely, and i made my own choc cake, well can't go without can you LOL Well hope everyone had a good xmas and new year. Best wishes to all x:)

[jill]

John, go to bed tonight thinking, I can cope with this, i'm on the road to getting it sorted - the test at the hospital is just a little step in the right direction. I had the lactose intolerance test done and can't remember being ill afterwards. Although i was diagnosed as being lactose intolerant.

I remember, often being in tears after a bad attack (stomach cramps, diahorrea, fainting) wondering why it was happening so you are not alone with that either.

There is no need to go without chocolate, but I think in the short term whilst you are getting yourself sorted out it maybe a good idea. We can recommend lots of alternatives when the time comes:).

[rebecca c]

John

Welcome to the site. I have a lot of problems and intolerences/sensitivities including IBS. I mainly find the dairy relates to my nose problems, my IBS was much better on a non gluten diet but my stomach is almost normal when I eat as a coeliac ( I am also hoping this may be the cause of my facial swellings but need two more months before I can be totally sure). My sister is a coeliac and she has given me tips on being coeliac. I also have problems with alcohol and keep the salicylates (a ripening agent in fruit and veg) in my diet as low as possible as these cause problems to people with my type of asthma and nose probs.

It is worth noting that dairy takes 6 weeks to clear my system and for me to notice improvements.

I hadnt been ready to explore phsycological components until recently but now I feel a bit better I have just started counselling and am hoping to do some work on my health, or at least coping with my health problems. However having been offered anti depressants when I was trying to find out what my face was doing and often having to put up with comments about my illness being stress I understand where you are coming from with your annoyance at being told its stress. As you say anybody with your problems would be extremely stressed - I would also be anxious too.

I would say my tummy is very sensitive and has always been and the only time I have had an accident I was nervous on top of the IBS - it was really horrible and so I do sympathise so much with you.

I peel my pears but it is probably worth being careful with fruit. Your tummy will take a while to recover from such prolonged problems I am sure.

Chocolate is a natural laxative. I avoid peppermint because it is high in salicylates.

So stick at the dairy free and give it a chance to work. Dont give up too many things all at once.

[theboyfromxtown]

Hi all

I took on board all of your comments and I want you to know I am very grateful. It's a huge comfort knowing that I am not the only one who is suffering. But I will say this, it's given me a new enthusiasm. I have just realised that as I type this. Normally, I'd be in bed, getting myself in a tizz.

I thought I'd been good. I'd taken the advice, kept my diet really simple, or so I thought cos this evening I had a problem. BUT I wrote the foods down so I can refer to them, so I am gonna be brutally honest and warn you that I do say when I need to use the loo.

Morning: Porridge and honey. Herbal tea

Seemed ok.

Lunchtime: Waitrose Chick pea and smokey bacon soup (it was so cold today). I also had some shop bought freshly cut roast beef and a little prepacked smokey salmon too. Tomato juice to drink.

Seemed ok.

Judge Judy time at 6pm: Lettuce, smoked salmon, one tomato, Brazil nuts and a couple of (oldish) walnuts. I made a dressing of olive oil, 1 (from a bottle) garlic, Colmans yellow english mustard (the sauce ended up being just blobs!). Soya milk mixed with water as a hot drink.

8pm: I was a bit greedy (a slight understatement!!) and I ate the rest of the packet of brazil nuts. Yeah, I know I was greedy cos over past 2 days I have eaten a 500 gram packet.....mind you, all at different times during the day but within 24 hours. Don't be hard on me, cos I don't eat chocolate or drink alcohol!!!

Some slight wind, but nothing too bad.

9pm: My favourite fruit.... an orange.

A short time after, I could hear my stomach gurgling and then came more, forceful wind. The type that means, time to go to the loo JUST IN CASE. All seemed Ok and although I didn't feel emptied, I WAS empty inside (don't ask!).

About 5 minutes later, I HAD to get to the loo, the wind was coming back again. Within a minute, it seemed lik eit would be fine .......but then it got nasty with intermittent (and I feel uncomfortable saying this) lumpy diarrhea.

10pm: My stomach is still churning and gurgling, I could hear it. Then it seemed to was quiet.

11.30pm: RACED to the loo and had to stay there for a while. Diarrhea.

Where do you think I went so badly wrong.

I can't think it was the lumpy dressing but I admit I did use a different mustard to before.

Being greedy with the nuts didn't help! But this diet is hard and I get hungry.

I was warned about slip-ups..and this is one of those but I am NOT gonna let it dampen this new zest you've all kindly given to me.

Please excuse if the wording is too graphic. I was not trying to offend but trying to find out what is, medically, going wrong with my body.

If I was to go to see the doctor, (besides taking ages to get an appointment) he will only blame it on stress and although there has been a bit of that today, I will never be convinced that it was stress that brought on my first slip-up on this new regime. I'd been doing so well lately.

Needless to say, I still aint gone for my lactose intolerance tomorrow, so I clearly wasn't brave after all.

John

[Copper]

I am sorry to hear that you have been ill again. It is not possible to say what has caused it as we don't have enough diary events to try and see a pattern.

Some observations and comments:-

My diet is a lot simpler than yours :lol2:

What did you make your porridge with?

In your diet yesterday were an awful lot of nuts and quite a bit of salmon. Soya was there too.

Any of the above could be the problem.

Are you sure that there was no hidden milk in anything you ate?

Don't despair and keep the food diary. Eventually we will see a pattern. The problem with intolerances is that the symptoms don't always appear straight after eating the problem food. They can appear once you go over the limit your body can tolerate. My lactose intolerance always hit me as I was going to bed, which resulted in a night of no sleep :angry:

[theboyfromxtown]

Copper

Thanks for the insight

Nothing in the porride except soya milk..only a little bit...but you migth have a good point about soya.

Being greedy with the nuts was a bit naughty....but I'll watch out

Smoked salmon.......is that likely to be a problem? Nw I would never have even guessed at that. It just shows you how much you learn from this site! WOW

I had a Waitrse "Chick peas and Smokey bacon" soup.......maybe that didn't help too.

I'm still doing the diary.....and I am listening....and that's a promise!

John

[jill]

John, when I started reading through your day, alarm bells started ringing as soon as you said walnuts. If they were oldish could it possibly have just been one that was a bit dodgy? Last year i ate rather a lot of peanuts at Christmas with not nice results (i'll spare the details:lol2:)so I have minimised my intake this year and I always stay off the walnuts because I have had some bad ones in the past. As you say its only a slip up, not sure about smoked salmon being bad - unless of course it is a bit off.

Not offended by the graphic details at all - here are a couple of smilies just for you :eat::fart::yucky:

Keep up the good work:).

[rebecca c]

It is really tough for you John and as Copper says the diary may reveal better results over weeks not just days.

What was in the Waitrose soup is my main question? can you check the ingredients?

I agree with the others as to the other things. eg nuts and soya. I think it is one in five people who are dairy intolerent are soya intolerent but the number on this site seems higher than that. I have been ill from soya in an inhaler.

[Copper]

I only mentioned the salmon as both my sisters and I are intolerant to salmon.

Like Rebecca I wondered what was in the soup.

One thing I have discovered over time is that you can be intolerant to almost any food!

John, when you write your diary you need to mention everything which includes soya milk to make your porridge. My eldest daughter has just become intolerant to soya yet she was sure she did not have much soya in her diet. She is also wheat and gluten intolerant and her free from lasagne sheets and spaghetti were made from soya! She only realised this when she bought some this week and luckily for her found that Tesco had changed the recipe and they are now made from rice.

[theboyfromxtown]

Hey all

It seems you gotta have eyes in the back of your head to keep on top of it all. Wow. But that's Ok, if I know, then I can't blame anyone if I dont check it continuously.

I chucked the Waitrose soup packet away, but I need to take even greater notice. Knuckles have been firmly hit!

I'd be a little upset if I become intolerant to soya, I love that fresh Alpro. However, I need to keep an open mind. I am definitely noting down soya milk in my diary. But I've been good since the other day. Mind you, I've still aint been to the hospital for my lactose test. So you can see I am not very brave - it's the fear of having an accident in public, like on the Underground. I organised a doctors appointment for the 16th next Friday so I gotta have it done at least 4 days before

Copper.......you say you have a simple diet. I'm interested in what do you have for a simple diet.

I'm still being a bit naughty with the brazil nuts but I am not eating so many. But I've knocked the walnuts on the head.....I dont wanna chance even one walnut being a bit "different" and giving me a hard time.

Still off the bread and I can't believe what a difference it makes to the good old waistline. It also makes your skin feel different, a bit more youthier (is there such a word!), if you know what I mean.

One last thing.....Hope I don't go on...I had an apple last night but this time I peeled it completely. MUCH BETTER. As they say in France, "Je t'embrace"

*smile*

John

[cnc]

Looks like you've been having some fun times!! Given some of the conversations I have on another site relating to medical matters you've got a long way to go before I'd even become shocked let alone offended :)

Go on be brave and have the test done, the sooner you do it the sooner you can start getting over it, but the longer you wait the more the fear grows as well.

Try not to get too worried about every thing possibly having an effect, you'll drive yourself mad and end up eating nothing, perhaps when things are a bit more stable on days when you're at home and have nothing else to do you could try one of your previously eliminated things- I know I react to more stuff when I'm in a flare up than I do on a daily basis, and this is probably true for most people, so something to bear in mind.

[rebecca c]

I agree with Claire's last post. Especially the bit about not getting anxious about all you eat. I do this a bit but try to temper it by working very hard to keep my diet balanced and varied. The dietician I saw helped with this too, especially when the improvements for a total elimination diet were not significantly better than my normal one and she was the one that thought there is a good chance I am coeliac.

I used to hate going to the doctor because I have been badly treated by many. I still get tense before going in and get worked up before I see a new one. However my chest consultant is the best, even with this this week was the first time I have been to see him in about 4 years that I didnt get tense first - shows how long it takes your subconscious to trust people AND what a huge impact the way people treat you has.

As for accidents I am in danger of shocking people too when I say when I had my accident I happened to be wearing a sanitary towel and it happened to help a lot so now I use one if I have an interview etc- are there any pads you could buy? I know its embarassing but nobody will actually know.

Do have the test done. Also while I think some of your improvements will happen in the next few weeks (my IBS became more managable relatively quickly )it has taken longer to fine tune things for many of us.

[theboyfromxtown]

You're both right...I should go tomorrow..get it done and out of the way. I use those underwear things from Boots when I am really worried. Fortunately, I haven't actually tested what happens when I do have an accident...and of course I am hoping I never have to.

Trouble is, despite all good intentions, I started laying into the last packet of Brazil nuts, and I strongly suspect I have overdone it. (That was cos I was watching that Dexter TV programme and I ran into the kitchen when those blood scenes came on. I know ladies dont have problems with seeing blood, but men generally do and I aint no exception!) I might still try tomorrow but I am gonna have to get over my guilt about eating too many brazils first, which I KNOW will cause repercussions.

But it is hard though......I have a market nearby and the baker makes all his produce in his home the night before.......home made soup and soda rolls, bread pudding, cakes with white chocolate... Now THAT was hard!

John

[theboyfromxtown]

Hi

I had a tough time last night...really tough..about 6:30 hrs and it came again about 11.00 and again just now at 14.30 hrs. It's real hard when it happens...you know the hard bit of knowing you gotta put the washing machine on.

Brazil nuts were definitely the problem...I think I can probably eat just a few but two handfuls is just not on.

Excuse me for posting this....somehow I feel much better by being able to tell someone who knows what it's like and can understand how rotten and unclean I feel at this very minute.

[theboyfromxtown]

It' s interesting to read back on what I previously wrote....I KNEW I would have problems with brazils so just why was I stupid to do it. I gotta get it into my thhick skull that when I have a food that my body can't process, then I must NOT eat it.

[jill]

You'll learn John ..... the hard way. But it is through this that makes us realise what the problem is.

If you want to post in the middle of the night so that it makes you feel better then go ahead. I think you may need a couple of days on a simpler diet so that you give your insides a chance to recover.

If we are talking embarrising accidents then I will share mine. I once passed out at work and came round having messed myself, good job I was wearing jeans at the time. I ended up going home in an ambulance wearing a lab coat and a nappy made out of a kitchen roll. Doctor put the faint down to labrynthitus (ear problem) but I had eaten 2 nut yoghurts for my lunch, this was before I realised that dairy was my problem. Other embarrising part of it was I had to walk through the lab with the lab coat and nappy on so I could fetch some personal belongings and the room was full of people - don't think they were aware of the extent of my accident though!

It is hard John - but it will all be worth it in the end.

[theboyfromxtown]

Jill

I'm still upset about it all. I still have strong wind which seems to indicate a problem...either being solved or starting. But surely I should have recovered by now.

Can you give me an example of a more simpler diet?

I feel for you with your experience. Like you said, it's hard.

John

[rebecca c]

for breakfast rice crispies and rice milk with some peeled fruit(avoid citrus until you feel better), lunch a salad lettuce and cold meat pehaps/ or baked potato (I put hellmans mayo on mine but only the ordinary one not a low fat one which have dairy in/ or home made soup (leek and potato soup is incredibly soothing) and dinner rice and chicken with a veg(brown rice would be better still) pudding maybe half a piece of peeled fruit. Hob nobs may be good snacks for now but they do have soya.

I dont eat cereals much as I have to have them with water which is pretty disgusting. I have fruit and brown rice for breakfast which is not exciting but does give slow release energy, is low allergy and has fibre which I find helpful.

you could add fish into the equation too.

[rebecca c]

Also you could make your own cakes and flapjacks / I use pure sunflower margarine and rice flour for cakes - cant have oats as they set me off - but as we said you shouldnt be restricting too much at once.

[theboyfromxtown]

Rebecca

I think I see what you mean. I'll try to make it simpler. I know I can eat oat porridge so I am ok with mixing it with water. I am now using oat milk. Shame that Tesco has a reduction on the Alpro soya milk.

How can I make a leek and potato soup. Is it gonna be complicated cos if it is, I'll have to ask me mum to do it.

John

[Copper]

I make my porridge with oat milk and it tastes very nice. I sprinkle sugar on the top - naughty me.

I like Heinz vegetable soup for lunch (it is in a tin). It is dairy and soya free.

Nuts appear to be a problem for you, so you have the choice of eating a few now and again and hope you are ok or not eating them at all. I know which option I would choose.

I will list my exciting food diary for a week tomorrow when I should have more time. Family crisis and housework has kept me busy today.

I hope that you feel better tomorrow.

[theboyfromxtown]

Copper

I had my porridge with oat milk today and I enjoyed it too. I still got some left so that is what I'll be having for the next few days.

Vegetable soup.....it's about the only soup I avoid cos I know it's the only one I should have.

I put the washing outside on my flat balcony to dry when it got dark so nobody could really see it. I was hoping that it would be dry enough to bring inside tonight. But I just checked and all my clothes have iced up, my dressing gown doesn't need pegs to stand up straight.

I got so hungry this evening, I peeled a carrot and ate it. It was a real big one too. What do you all eat when you get really hungry or do you do like Angie Dickenson does and just clean your teeth to take away the pang of hunger.

John

[Copper]

Breakfast

Half a grapefruit, cup of coffee made with water and a dash of oat milk. Porridge made with oat milk and alternate days toast (home made bread) with Vitalite (dairy free margarine) and either jam, lemon curd or chocolate spread (dairy free).

Lunch

Soup and bread. A slice of Warburtons fruit and orange bread with Vitalite and lemon curd. A cup of coffee. In the summer I have bread, cherry tomatoes and beetroot.

Dinner

Most of the time I have meat, potatoes and two vegetables. I do have chips twice a week. If I have room for pudding it is usually fruit and sorbet or fruit and oat cream in the summer. In the winter I make fruit crumble and have that with oat cream. Some orange juice with added calcium.

Afternoon Tea

A cup of coffee and a small piece of home made dairy free cake.
Evening

A cup of hot chocolate made with water and a dash of oat milk. A dairy free biscuit such as Tesco cheap and cheerful digestives or Bourbons.

I am also eating my way though a pile of dairy free chocolate which my youngest daughter gave me for Xmas. Most if not all contains soya lecithin so I ration it to a small amount each day and I am ok with that amount.

As you can see I have a few vices. I don't starve. I eat more vegetables than I used to.

[jill]

It is very upsetting John - I speak from experience. Here is a typical days food for me when i'm at work.

7.00 am -Breakfast - Cereal with Soya Milk. Sometimes i'll have Ready Brek made with a mixture of Soya Milk and Water. 2 minutes in the microwave and its done. I add sweetener rather than sugar.

10:45 am- Mid morning - Banana and Apple, or possibly 2 clementines, or plums.

12:30 pm - Lunch - Bread Roll with cooked meat, or tuna mixed with mayo and a little bit of salad leaves. Sometimes i'll have a boiled egg mixed with mayo or salad cream. For desert an Alpro Yogurt.

4.30pm - Snack -Cereal Bar or Flapjack. Hot chocolate - So Good do a dairy free Chocolate Milk (I sometimes add a dash of brandy but i'm trying to get out of the habit)

7.30ish - Tea - Varies - Meat & Veg & Potatoes, Salmon & Veg & Couscous. Spaghetti Bolognese & Garlic Bread, Shepherds Pie & Veg. Sweet & Sour Chicken with Noodles. Pizza. Pie & Chips & Mushy Peas. Curry & Naan Bread. Jacket Potatoe with Beans. Poached Eggs on Toast. Or if i'm being lazy and Paul is at work Toast or Tinned Soup & Bread Roll. Last night it was Kebab Meat Chips & Curry Sauce from the Chip Shop.

In an evening i'll tend to have some chocolate. Or if i'm in diet mode possibly a meringue nest with tinned fruit and alpro custard or ice cream.

I don't drink tea and only drink coffee very occasionally. Throughout the day i just have squash diluted with water.

As you can see dairy free doesn't mean a restricted diet, you just have to get used to reading labels. As Rebecca suggests Chicken and Rice (freshly cooked) or a jacket potatoe may be something simple to have at the moment. I think red meats give me more wind than poultry so that is something to bare in mind - don't know if this is the same for other people?

Hope you are feeling a little better today John.

[cnc]

My diet is a bit random because of other problems, but it usually goes along the lines of:
Breakfast- cereal with oat milk, and a glass of fruit juice. No sugar or anything.
Lunch- Ham sandwich (although I'm hoping to change this to something like soup or jacket potato), it's actually currently another bowl of cereal, but that's a very long story, glass of smoothie, yoghurt and fruit.
Dinner- Variable, but usually something like mince in gravy with loads of mashed veg. Then fruit for dessert. I'm currently living on ready meals (which also links to the cereal diet), but that's very rare for me. I'm a big fan of pasta,and bacon in a tomato sauce and also pasta and bacon in a cheese sauce. Dairy free doesn't mean boring.
I usually have one mug of tea, generally fruit tea and then water or squash throughout the day. It does get easier when you get your confidence back.
I'm quite good at knowing which biscuits are dairy free, but I'm trying to limit my intake of those :(

[jill]

Other snack ideas could be a packet of crisps, dish of sugar free jelly. Alot of this will depend on how healthily you want to eat and whether you want to lose any weight in the process. When i am in healthy diet mode I eat a lot of sugar free jelly sometimes made in to a trifle with tinned fruit cocktail and sponge fingers. Topped off with Alpro Custard. I have made a sweet lasagne before with stewed apple, sultanas, cinamon and custard, layered with sheets of lasagne in the normal savoury way.

Another option for desert could be homemade rice pudding. Now that is something that I wish they made dairy free - tinned rice pudding that you can eat cold.

[rebecca c]

leek and potato soup - boil some pototoes, fry some onions garlic and leeks add them in with some stock (could be vegetable, chicken or meat stock I make my own but know you can buy it or get stock cubes just check ingredients) mix together blend and heat up also salt and pepper, can store in fridge or freezer.

[dede]

hello i found this site by accident im severly allergic to milk and ive had a really bad time recently as i had some hot chocolate that didnt have any dairy in there ingredients but there must have been as i had the worst attack ive ever had this has made me very nervous of food altoghter now it has taken nearly 2 weeks to get myself back ok im fed up with food does anyone else feel the same :-(

[Copper]

Welcome to the site.

That sounds like a very bad experience.

I only get fed up with food when I struggle to find something new to eat. I have a number of intolerances so finding things which don't contain dairy, onions or soya are difficult.

Coconut and banana are easy to avoid.

[theboyfromxtown]

DEDE

I only joined here at the New Year and the people here have done me proud. I was a snivelling wreck at Christmas...but I found this site and the people here have helped me tremendously by giving me some confidence. What you are going through, most have done it AND bought the "T" shirt.

You go......let it all out....

John

[theboyfromxtown]

If I could refer back to a few posts please and thank you for letting me know about the food that I think I can possibly look forward to. My diet has clearly been too restrictive and for far too long.

Today I made myself a shepherds pie with beef (mum told me it has to be lamb for a shepherds pie!) and I put in broccoli, brussels, spinach, carrots, kale and I bought some PURE and smothered a little bit on the potatoes. I used BEEF gravy (no dairy in it). I enjoyed it so much I didn't eat my desert of a (peeled only for me) apple.

I was flying along....I found some tapioca that had gone past it's sell date...Mum said it'll be alright....so I made tapicoa with SOYA milk. I don't take sugar so I wasn't putting in any sugar, so I put in some jam. Apart from the fact that I burnt the pan and a lot has stuck rock hard to the bottom, the top was really nice. I then decided to only have a few spoons because.....fan fare please

I am gonna brave my lactose intolerance test tomorrow morning. I do hope it all goes alright but hey, if it don't, it don't, and I just have to pick myself and deal with it and get on with it.

John

[Copper]

Wow I am impressed with all that cooking. I have to say that cooking and food don't really interest me that much, can't think why :lol2:

Once the lactose test is out of the way you can get back to enjoying a dairy free life. As you have discovered we eat all quite well and some of us have many intolerances.

Good luck with the test.

[rebecca c]

Welcome to the site dede. I have a few symptoms which are undiagnosed so my reaction is to get nervous of and blame food. However I seem to have found the IBS is mainly gluten with a little bit as a response to emotions. I am dairy free for my nose which is always runny or blocked.

[cnc]

Welcome to the site dede. I'm sorry to hear of your reaction. What hot chocolate was it out of interest so that we can all avoid it as well? I do hope you've contacted them and told them about it.

I hope that you regain your confidence in food soon.

I'm having strange reactions at the moment, including nose bleeds:S I can't work out whether it's just because of the level of inflammation so any kind of heat is breaking the vessels or it's actually caused by what I'm eating.

Hope the intolerance test wasn't too horrible, and you're not suffering too badly John.

[Katerina]

Hi there

I'm amazed to see my thread has got so big ;)

I've just popped in [as always, while husband wrangles daughter :lol2:]. I don't know if anyone has recommended the supermarket brands of dairy free milk etc. but I find them so so useful i.e. Tesco, Sainsburys.

I have thought for a while now that adult humans probably dont' need so much dairy milk anyway and its all about aggressive marketing from the dairy industry. Because humans are the only mammals who continue to drink milk after weaning, which when you think about it, is in fact really odd, because other mammals stop drinking milk and they don't fall apart.

Having said that, I do take calcium supplements religiously!

Hope everyone is well. I don't like to be the sort of person who registers on a site, then disappears, sorry.

[Copper]

It is good to hear from you again.

I agree that drinking milk after weaning is not natural behaviour.

I still have very little alternative milk in my diet. I just add a small amount of oat milk to my coffee and hot chocolate. I found that the milk was going off before I had time to use it. I currently have porridge for breakfast on alternate days and make it with oat milk, so that helps to use it up.

[rebecca c]

Whilst drinking milk may not be natural to us neither is living until our 70's, 80's or 90's most people are only able to do this becuase of advances in health and nutrition so I guess that is why we have to be so careful of calcium.

I am still not happy about my calcium intake but the calcium tablets made me so ill I decided my current health was important too and eat as much boney fish as possible.

I think some of my recent symptoms which I first thought were viral may be peri-menopausal which may have a big effect on whether that is going to be enough calcium especially when I am already have slight osteoporosis.

[dede]

hi thank you for being so nice, it was green and blacks hot chocolate i found the same jar that i bought in a different shop today and that 1 had milk at the top of the ingredients so i dont understand why it wasnt on the 1 ive bought ive had friends read it to to make sure i wasnt going mad, im a little happier today i got some alpro dairy free chocolate custard and its really nice.

i hope everyone is well take care lisa

[Dianne]

Hope the test went well John and that your feeling ok after it.

[rebecca c]

Lisa

May be worth ringing Green and Blacks to let them know what happened. Glad things have improved for you.