Monday, January 3, 2011

Milk does not do this body good

What is that old saying?

Something about making a plan and giving the Universe or God or whomever a laugh.

So after smuggly congratulating myself that I put up tons of food for the birth of my second child, it appears that said second child has a dairy intolerance. Not an allergy (yet) but she vomits copiously and has troubling digesting, and therefore expelling out the proper end.

Of course, nearly everything last thing I put up has cheese or milk in it.

But it is so heartbreaking to watch her struggle after I eat a serving of chicken linguine casserole - and I am committed to breast feeding her until two - so I am off the cow for now.

If anyone has suggestions for vegan cookbooks or resources or ways to replace items like butter with something else, I am all ears and eyes.

Cowboy is going to have fun eating all those lasagnas and chicken pot pies himself!

The only upside is how quickly the baby weight is coming off.

6 comments:

Wordgirl said...

Hey lady,

as you may or may not remember I was off of dairy for nearly a year -- Z's colic seemed to improve when I went off dairy -- and then I continued to stay off of it (and the side effect was that I felt great -- my own chronic congestion cleared...) but then I added it back in as she neared a year -- and now I am back on the dairy train -- BUT voluntarily going off again b/c I miss feeling so great (though I'll miss yogurt again...) ANYWAY -- there's lots of great recipes online --I think a website called post-punk kitchen does vegan --I've found that you can substitute mashed banana or applesauce for baking recipes that have single eggs in it without sacrificing much -- I made a great lasagna substituting pureed cannellini bean mixture for ricotta (though I'd skip the fake parmesan -- icky) -- and the local co op will have the vegan baking substitute --I appreciated that coconut products are so rich and creamy -- I'll dig around some more for recipes and try to email them to you.

Hang in there!

P

Fiddle1 said...

I was off dairy, too. For about 8 months. It's tough at first, but once you adjust it's pretty easy. I made things with a lot of chicken broth and thickened with flour to mimic creamy or cheesy textures. There's a good healthy balance spread with olive oil and flax that has no whey in it it, if you just have to have a buttery spread on bread. WATCH OUT FOR WHEY. It's everywhere. Whey is used to whiten several kinds of prepared meats, and it can be hidden there. Of course, lots of oils can be seasoned and used in place of butter or margarine. That's an easy transition. You may want to avoid tomatoes too? That leaves you with lots of veggies, legumes, pasta and meats. I think there are tons non-dairy baking recipes out there. With Lizzy, the dairy sensitivity aggravated reflux..but i was able to start back when she was 12 months or so.

I noticed if I accidentaly ate dairy, it usually took about 3 days for her to feel better.

I recall a breastfeeding class I attended b/f Lizzy. The teacher was so busy touting the benefits of breastfeeding that she kept saying, "you can eat anything!" I remember being so pissed when I had to avoid chocolate, soy, dairy,tomatoes. What a load of crap. I know a lot of women that have had to. Don't get me wrong, I know breastfeeding is awesome and we made it to 18 months, but geez, it wasn't exactly easy! I'd have appreciated some honesty upfront. All my weight came off in 2 weeks, but my appetite was so ravenous for a year that I didn't loose any additional weight. I couldn't eat anything I wanted. My friend and I joke that if we get breast cancer, we're going to write a very strongly-worded letter to that breastfeeding coach! (Joking aside, I thank God every day that we breastfed...no ear infecions to date and an obviously healthy, two-year old!)

Fiddle1 said...

Also, keep watch..if she starts arching, pulling off..it may be time for zantac. I hope not. but with Missy's reflux, I'm afraid Sissy might be headed down the same road.

Nikole Sarvay said...

Oh, bummer. Major bummer. We're still working with a milk allergy here (among lots of other things) - almost 3 years later. I use earth balance in place of butter all the time. We also do a lot of goat cheese/yogurt. Almond milk is fantastic - use it for baking and anything else I'd use milk for. I have recently found a good vegan cheese substitute - daiya - it melts!!! It looks a little funny, but I love the flavor. Love coconut bliss for ice cream. I actually prefer it to regular ice cream!

Cookbooks - veganomicon, clean food are a couple of my faves. Send me your email and I will send along more stuff I've found helpful. I'm on the road to going vegan myself!

Nikole Sarvay said...

Oh, and hang in there. You'll make it! The adjustment is tough at first, but there are so many alternatives out there, once you get your footing, you'll be fine. xoxo

Coffeegrljp said...

I have no suggestions. Just an "oh man!"