A Sad Relationship with Dairy

"Have you ever been tested for allergies?"

2009 discussion with my PCP brings on this question.  I never had because I had always been very healthy and never had any issues with the change in seasons, pollen or animal dander.  Until the past few years when I had started having major head congestion.  My doc suggested I get allergy testing.  That was an interesting experience.  You roll up your sleeve and get pricked by needle after needle testing for various allergens.  If you really want to see what someones arm or back looks like after getting needle after needle in the arm, Google it.  I won't post it here for the squeamish.  We made it through all of the normal allergens and moved on to foods.  The first thing they tested for was dairy and it was the first time the bump on my arm was bigger than a pin prick.  Plus, it kept growing!  So, there's your trouble.  Diary.

My specific dairy allergy is described as anything made from cow's milk.  The good news is I am not allergic to the alternatives to dairy such as soy, so soy milk can replace any items that call for milk.  Also, goat cheese is not included in this allergy.  That's great news because at times, goat cheese can be a great snack when the cheese craving really comes on.

For your amusement:  

Things I am allergic to.

Starting with the obvious...

 Moving into the perhaps not-so-obvious:

Lunchmeat

Breadcrumbs

Sniff....

My goal for 2011 is to cut out a lot of the obvious dairy items that I currently eat on a day to day basis.  I am going to try to make my weekdays dairy free and my weekends as dairy free as possible.  Because the allergy isn't life threatening, I can go to a friend's house, eat their meal and not have to ask what's in it.  This gives me a lot more freedom than people with really bad allergies, it also means when I do consume dairy, I'll feel it with watery eyes, sneezing and 'junk in the throat.'  

Next post, I'll go over some boxed foods that surprisingly don't have dairy in them!