I saw an allergist earlier this week and had the skin-prick test done. It turns out I’m allergic to….nothing. This is good news, of course. To know that eating eggs isn’t going to send me into anaphylaxis. But it would have been nice to have a concrete answer for once. Instead, I’m still in the wishy-washy world of food sensitivities. Where it’s up to me and my diet to figure it out. The allergist commended me for my great job of being so observant with what foods I’m sensitive to, though.
He also explained that there have been advances since I was diagnosed with IBS 15 years ago after having a sigmoidoscopy. Back then I was told everything looked fine, I had IBS and to eat more fiber. These days, they take a biopsy and look for the presence of white blood cells called eosinophils. Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disorder (EGID) may be the cause of my sensitivity to eggs and wheat. I may have this instead of IBS. Fascinating. Does this mean I’m going to have another scope done? Ah, no thank you. The main treatment is doing an elimination diet and then avoiding the foods you are sensitive to. What I’ve already been doing.
I still have times when I seem to react to something and I have no idea what it is, so I decided to look a little closer at what other foods could still be bothering me. Dairy was the one that popped out at me. I already don’t drink milk because of the lactose, but I still eat cheese and butter. Cheese and butter don’t have much lactose, but they do have casein, which is the protein found in dairy foods. It turns out casein could be my culprit. I never wanted to admit that cheese may be an issue because I love cheese. Cheese is my life. And butter…..oh butter….
I’ve been dairy-free the past few days and notice a complete difference. I hate to say it, but I feel great. I’ve even started eating more fruit and I’ve been tolerating it much better! My stomach feels flatter too. But the cheese…..goodbye cheese, for now.
Crap, I just remembered goat cheese. Do I really have to give up that? I looooove goat cheese.
I think I’m going to have to make these Healthy Peanut Butter Fudge Cups this weekend to get me through the first few weeks. They are chocolate, but dairy-free!
I eliminated dairy and cheese as well. It's sad because it's soooo good but I started to realize that it made me feel icky after. Now a days, I really don't miss it. Except maybe goat cheese….mmmm, goat cheese….
I know….goat cheese…. 🙁
Oww that sucks, i love my cheeses! I'm on the fodmap elimination diet at the moment and still eating butter and cheese, but thinking i should try cutting out dairy completely for now to see if it makes a difference. Those Peanut Butter Fudge Cups look amazing! Might have to try them this weekend too 🙂
mermaidhairandtoomuchmakeup.blogspot.com/
xx
I hope you like the fudge cups. Thanks for the comment!
SO interesting that you posted this because I gave up dairy this last week too with INCREDIBLE changes and tolerate fruits and veggies that I haven't in years now. So crazy! I just posted a post today about the same issues and loved reading your blog. Crazy how some of us are in so much pain we're willing to part with our favorite foods. ( Mine was Greek yogurt- yours was butter- same vice, just in a different slice!:) Good luck to you!: )
I've eliminated dairy as well – it was so hard to begin with, but the results are worth it!
I've also found that I can tolerate sheep cheese now! The composition is slightly different meaning sometimes it can be tolerated 🙂
mainelymelanie.blogspot.co.uk
Thanks! I feel so great I wish I had figured out my dairy intolerance earlier!
It was hard to eliminate at first, but I find it's getting easier. It is totally worth it!
Hello Dianne. I'm new to your blog and wanted to thank you for doing such a great job sharing info and recipes for people that have digestive problems and follow a low FODMAP diet. I started this elimination diet recently but already feel a huge change in my digestion and bloating. In my case fructose is a big no-no. I currently don't eat gluten or dairy either and I miss cheese too. We have great cured cheeses in Spain! I tried your recipe for homemade crackers yesterday and loved it. Thanks!
Welcome to my blog Ruthie, I hope you can find more recipes that work for you here. Thanks for reading!
Hi, great blog! Being dairy free is also hard for me (wheat free dairy free and low fructose) but feeling good is worth it! For me the most difficult thing to give up was chocolate, but similar to your peanut butter fudge, I've managed to create chocolate fudge with cocoa, carob, and combos of nut butter. and it's definitely so much healthier and really brings a nice, clean energy!
I just started a blog and have some recipes (more to come) that are safe if you'd like to see: http://michalsmenu.blogspot.com
Good Luck,
Danielle