I Don't Need Any More Convincing

It's been very difficult for me to completely eliminate dairy so far. If I'm cooking/baking at home, it's easier than if I go somewhere. Dining with family, friends or even buying something pre-made at the store (i.e. packaged anything!), has been really hard to have no milk, butter, cheese or eggs (although I know they're not dairy).

But, I have greatly reduced the amount of dairy that I've had and when I have some, like my Starbucks indulgence this last week, I can tell that it causes the "fuzzy brain" feeling that I've struggled with for several years. I can't say for sure that this was always the cause, but it's definitely been the reason for lack of focus and that occasional "drunk" feeling since I've made my dietary changes.

Yet, I've been dallying back and forth with the dairy elimination...until now. Last night, my daughter (who is a great cook/baker) made some spinach artichoke dip. I wanted to taste it to encourage her efforts and it tasted great. Problem is...I didn't stop with just a taste. I by no means ate what I would have in the past, but I apparently had more than enough.

I'll spare you the details, but intestinal issues and fuzzy brain were just the beginning. I woke up feeling lethargic & it took a good few hours, a litre of water and a good cleanse to start feeling right again. Not to mention that during my exercising this morning I had to stop a couple of times to attempt to cough up the huge phlegm balls that were trying to dislodge themselves from my sinuses. (That may have been more detail than necessary, but you get the point!)

Where does this leave me? With even more determination to eliminate dairy. I even made a dessert for tomorrow night when we have company, that I know I won't be able to eat. And actually, I'm okay with that. Knowing that something is off-limits because of my dietary exclusions actually makes the choice for me...at least it helps.

My renewed efforts to eliminate dairy will hopefully extend toward choices for the rest of the family too...3 of the other 5 had stomach aches this morning, I'm guessing from the pizza they had last night. I'm hoping it's just a matter of time before they make the connection and the switch too!