New & need help

[floliketheriver]

Hi everyone
Glad to know there is a forum for us dairy free peep.

I would like to introduce myself & a little about myself. I am Irmgard 38yr old mum who lives in the UK.

I have suffered since i was about 19 & only diagnosed as IBS when I was 20 then last yr I kept bleeding, the bloating got worse & I looked 6 months pregnant.

I was initially told I was to put up with it, until I had been rushed into hospital x2 in a few months, I ended up having 3 minor ops on my bowe & outside of.

Since then I have had a hysterectomy (sept 2002), been suffereing oseteoarthritis ((1986) and other probs.

Just last week I got my results back saying I was flat lactose and have to go on a dairy free & lactose free diet.

I have been doin my best since march 22 this yr to stick to it until i see a dietician in 6 weeks. But I still have problems. I know also dairy sets off my sinuses which I cannot see thru my eyes and have chronic pains in my head, eyes & face.

Back to the diet I went to the local DSS tp go from income support to incapacity benefit & have been told I cannot claim for special foods. In just a few items a day excluding breakfast dinner & tea, it costs £4 which amounts to £28 week.

I find this disgusting and I have lost in weight 1½stone since march., but still suffering, only 2day I have been in bed all day due to chronic pains in eyes & face and also cramps in my stomach. which I think was due to something from KFC whilst i was on a day out sunday.

Can anyone shed any light on whats best/not best & can I get help for any of this food??

I go to Sainsburys which have a great selection now and Asda have a few but mostly it kills when i am out. As summer is approaching I cannot live on Jacket potatoes & salads anymore lol..

Thank you all for readiing this & hope to get some help & make some great mates with whom can be understanding with what i am going thru & vice versa.

My email is theirm@ntlworld.com

[jill]

Hello Irmgard

I've just discovered this website and have found such alot of valuable info. You certainly seem to be having a rough time.

I'm nearly 36 (next week) and have also suffered since my late teens. After a couple of years I was diagnosed with IBS and was virtually told to go away and live with it. After several years of suffering, being told it was all in the mind I have discoved from my own exclusion diet that it is dairy foods that are the problem. I have had a lactose intolerance test but am still waiting for the results. ( that is another story)

It took me years to find a doctor who would actually listen. The times I walked out on a doctor in floods of tears with frustration as they wouldn't listen are numerous. There is no wonder they said it was stress. I suppose it can play a part but the difference to my insides since I have eliminated dairy has been amazing. I only wish I had discovered soya and the internet (for research) years ago.

I'm intending to make a trip to Sainsburys tomorrow to stock up on lots of goodies. We don't have one where we live so I have to travel about 30 miles - (not that far when you read some of the forum items). Last time I discoved some snack bars (bit like Flapjack) from Ok (can't remember the full name).

Like you say, most things are costly. I've just discoved Morrisons do there own Soya Milk (1 litre 69p) so am going to try that when I've finished my provamel. Why have they stopped doing it in 500ml cartons (I can't find them anyway).

I'm trying to loose a bit of weight (I've lost a stone so far) so find being dairy free quite good as I'm not tempted by fattening cakes and chocolate, as I now know they make me ill.

Since being dairy free, and trying to loose some weight (I'm following Weight Watchers principles) I cook alot more fresh food than I have before and eat less processed food, but as we all know there are so many restrictions. Reading labels makes shopping so much longer but I'm sure we'll all get sorted eventually( just wish it hadn't took me 15+ years), especially now most large supermarkets are stocking Free From ranges

I hope you get sorted out soon

Jill

[floliketheriver]

Hi Jill

OMG!!

YOU ARE ME..

I read your reply intensely and I am in tears here.. this is just unreal..

everything you wrote is just soo... theres no words for it.

what can I say?

Provamel do a rice milk which is nice, I can't have soya now as found still bloating etc. (sell in Asda)

With my other probs i get backache easy and travel is getting more difficult, after 30 mins i have 2 stop and walk, sittin ..walking..standing..sometimes 15mins can get to be a problem.

I have bought a coolbox for my car so traveling for foods of such is now ok.

Tesco are now doing a dairy free range, asda do more now but you have 2 look as there not sectioned .. try vegetarian .. they do a DF bread thing petit pain or summat lol, stick in oven 3 mins..yum...

this you mention about drs well, are you not my double lol... i found not only am i suffering CHRONIC DEPRESSION, BUT ALSO CHRONIC ANXIETY.. true... who causes this...them for not believing us??? I had hysterectomy last september and I am just 38.

i have found nice Dr now, but hes locum so hope he don't move, as i was bout to leave surgery he showed up.

sent me for tests i was told didnt exist! was bout 2 spend £400 on york tests..

right, i bought i a steamer, well worth £15 ..and fresh veg, fish, even mushrooms, DF nice..cheap and healthy...

also invest in one those books lactose free dairy free diet plan..

I went to my dietician the other day after i waited months... she said i was ok as i seem to be on top of it... just got to sort out calcium now as i had tabs and feel sick with those aswell.

if buy Calcit there £7 nr for 19.

please keep in touch Jill if you want email me privately..

take care Jill, i am thinkin of you, you have really touched my heart!

Irmgard
xx

[jill]

Hi Irmgard

Jill here again, we do seem a bit of a double act.

I went shopping at Sainsburys and spent over £30. They had quite a few bits reduced- the Free from crisps (so I bought 2 packs) tried the S & V ones - very tasty. Was fortunate that one of the 6 packs actually had 9 packs in it - i guess that was a slip up on the production line.

Have you tried any of the Sainsburys free from sauces. I have and they are very good. I did chicken tikka masala the other night, my partner Paul even said it was good!

Discovered that they also do 500ml cartons of long-life milk, but I'm still going to try Morrisons brand. I have tried the Rice Drink quite recently - tasted Ok but looked abit watery. I bought the 200ml cartons as I was going away for a few days & these were an ideal size for breakfast. I bought them in Holland & Barret. About 60p for 200ml which seems expensive but they were ideal for taking away.

I also take Calcium tablets. I was having some from Morrisons but they don't have them in stock at the moment so I get Seven Seas ones from Tesco's. They are lemon flavoured and chewable - quite nice and cost £2.99 for 30.

At one time I did get quite fed up with my condition - before I knew what it was. I got to the stage where I wouldn't go anywhere far on my own and even going to the local shops was a strain. As I didn't know when I would have 'to dash'. But as I say things are so much better now. The only time I find it a real problem is eating out. Particularly when it comes to deserts. Why is everything covered in cream, custard or ice cream?

As I said it was my birthday last week. A women at work bought me two cakes, she knew that I didn't eat dairy but obviously not to what extent. One of the cakes - a plain lemon drizzle one from Marks and Spencers ended up having 28% dairy in it (butter & yogurt). I know it was a nice thought but its not easy sitting there on your birthday whilst everyone else is tucking in. The other one was a swiss roll with buttercream!. I wouldn't have minded but a month previously I had look some dairy free cake in from Morrisons - Dutch Stem Ginger - it's wicked with loads of crystalised ginger in it, and another girl said that they did another one in the same range - fruity (which I've also tried). So I was expecting them all to get that one. I suppose they didn't bother as they knew I was slimming. The cakes are made by J B Bussink.(also stocked in Sainsburys) I more often than not put a provamel vanilla or caramel desert on them and heat them in the microwave for 1 min - bit like having sponge & custard!

Well better go, I'm missing Coronation St!

Hope to here from you soon

Jill

[floliketheriver]

Hi Jill

Sainsburys do lots more than any other shop and its expensive.

I can't have those chewable ones as make me sick.. have u tried provamel deserts, they are nice, sainsburys do a custard also nice and i have a cream by the name of.. RICH'S it can be used as single or whipped, i get loads 2 make own fresh cream cakes and all peep love it, dairy free or not! if u wish i can give u recipe, cant send it 2 u as it will defrost in post lol.

i live in warring ton and travel 2 leeds 2 a jewish shop and whitefield .. asda do a range of deserts, can;t think of what called lol, they have icing on and a cherry lol .. you must invest in that book, dairy free lactose free only £7-99 buy from wh smith well worth money. i find deserts are easier to get than food, i bought coolbox and breville from asda £8.. i take 2 slices bacon and 4 pieces dairy free bread and do those for my lunch now as i had my microwave took away from me. provamel do a lovely rice milk, £1.44 last enuff for 5 days and if u make the brekky i put out on board thats also 5 days worth.

anyway must dash, got all weeks of coro 2 watch while i finish work and its 22-50 lol..arggghhhh out 4 day in mornin lol so must get cracking.

if u want any recipes off me please ask.. i have only been doin this since 8 weeks ago properly n have hunted high n low 4 stuff, the hard cheese is my next mission which i found but is never in stock.

take care Jill

speak soon

Irmgard
x

ps ,u lucky thing with crisps, my fave are cheese n onion, and try the biscuits from sainsburys...ok 4 packed lunches but expensive! i am gonna make own next week, i found in jewish shops 74p big packs and t6hey are out of this world!

[jill]

Hi Irmgard

Hows it going?

I have tried the provamel deserts, vanilla, chocolate and caramel. Sometimes i'll have 2 a day. Also sometimes have the ones that are kept in the fridge which are more like yogurts - strawberry, peach, cherry & ?. Also very nice. I haven't had the cherry bakewells or apple pies from asda, as because i'm loosing weight they have too many points in them. May be when I get to my target weight i'll have a treat as i've always liked cherry bakewells. (Only 9lb to go, i've lost 16lb since beginning of April)

Discoved this week that S&V French Fries are dairy free but alas C & O aren't.

Went to Sainsburys at Meadowhall (Sheffield) yesterday but the range isn't as good as at Doncaster. (I live in Scunthorpe, N. Lincs) I wanted to get some more jars of the Tikka Masala sauce but they didn't have any. Just the Sun Dried Tomato one and the Mushroom, White Wine & Dijon Mustard (very nice). I ought to put a bit about these in the appropraite forum, and add 'my life story'. Afraid these won't be today as I'm going to be busy starting decorating the bedroom (in this heat as well!).

I'm about to move in with my partner Paul, but there is very little storage space so new wardrobes and decorating the bedroom are a must!

When I get settled i intend doing a lot more of my own baking, just started doing my own pasta salads and potato salad as I got sick of reading the labels and i'm sure they'll work out cheaper.

Better go now, hope you get sorted with the cheese. I had some cheezly from Holland & Barret - disgusting, ended up throwing it, and that wasn't cheap either!

Jill

[floliketheriver]

Hi Jill

wow you have done well with your diet.
been 2 work past few days ever so tired, travel 70miles each way..had kip when got home.

hope all goes well 4 u with your fella and decorating eh...well that should shed few more pounds 4 u.

gonna do more bakin soon.

ahh well, nice 2 c u are ok, im not 2 bad.. few more bad hits but can't write that in here.. shall see how it goes as last time i was like this..ended up in ozzy minor op.

not tried my cheezly yet think i will chuck it in bin lol..

take it easy Jilll tek care

Irmgard
x

[Pam]

Irmgard

You might as well try the cheezly - someone must like it or they would never sell the stuff!

I found it was ok with pickle in a sandwich and I made some cheese pastries with it too (made a basic pastry and kept on folding in grated cheezly- roll, add cheese, fold, roll again etc., then roll out, cut into thin strips and bake for about 10 minutes). I'm told that you can make a cheese sauce with it too - grate it in and then you might need to use a hand blender to make sure you don't have any lumps left over. It is quite similar to a crumbly cheshire or lancashire (?) cheese but fairly strong smelling. I was always a cheddar person so it's not really my cup of tea. Just be warned - it doesn't melt! If I remember rightly it goes sort of crusty and hard when you grill it. Tofutti slices are best for cheese topping - they do melt and bubble like the real thing (shame that they taste like a stronger version of Kraft cheese slices)

Scheese is very similar to cheezly and I've also tried Biddy Merkins Vegerella which was probably more like an austrian smoked cheese in texture but much wetter and not particularly cheesy tasting. I just stick to the Toffuti cream and slices these days and I also have some Parmesano for sprinkling (available from Asda).

[floliketheriver]

Hi Pam

i will try it, im not a cheese lover or chocolate really or even ice cream but u know what they say..once u cant have it you want it.

so a little now and again as a treat wont hurt lol.

i am eatin my 3rd cottage pie as fri i made 3 tin foil sizes one. son didnt want it said he didnt like it last time, i use a gravy mix from jewish shops. dead easy 2 do and no lumps. tastey 2.

he just come in and said that looks lovely what is it..lmao.. i put lettuce n cucumber with it. i have loads parmesan cheese in .. cant use it now so did get DF one from asda. when the cats wont eat food i sprinkle parmesan on..once mazza sat lookin at the cupboard from his dish.. glad 2 know i don't have 2 throw it all away lol.

will let u know outcome of my cheese taste lol. when i get guts 2 try it lol.

not heard of other 2 u mentioned, just found cheezly in health food shop in another town ..wasnt lookin really went in for millet flakes 2 make brekky ceral. love that one.

hope u r ok..chat soon

hugs

Irmgard
xx

[Lan]

Hi Pam and all,

I must say I am one of the people who absolutely adores cheezly. Wasn't fussed when it first came out but the taste seems to have chnaged, and now I just can't get enough.

Does anyone else adore Cheezly as much as I do?

Lan.

:D

[floliketheriver]

still not tried it... will 2moz honest i will...hmmmm cheese.

gonna make fish pie 2moz and brulees with yofu n tofu and my son is makin fish pie but hes doin dairy one im makin none dairy one..

will let u all know results..
god i'm hungry now, had polenta with tea and didnt like it so left it, ended up mushrooms, steak and gravy lol ..

tek care

irmgard :rolleyes:

[floliketheriver]

Recipe as pic wont show in other post. i will post pic 1st then other..

it wont let me upload any says error, saved as png..jpeg and gif and file size is ok ..try again 2moz sorry all