Going Dairy Free and Other Life Lessons

The #grnhchallenge has been equal parts informative and annoying for me. I have learned I am not a person who can live without meat, but I can live without dairy for the most part. In fact, I have discovered I may actually have a sensitivity to cow’s milk, which is inconvenient, to say the least. During the course of the #grnhchallenge I thought it would be beneficial to gain as much knowledge as possible as I journey down to accidental veganville. Since there are naturopathic doctors within the very office I operate out of, I went ahead and made the appointment. What can I say, the commute worked for me. I met with Dr. Christine who took a thorough family and medical history. She then suggested I might have a problem with cows milk. Upon seeing what I can only imagine was a murderous look on my face, she quickly added that goat cheese is not technically cows milk. My morning veggie scramble was safe and the world could keep on turning.

I went with it for a few days, as I have been off dairy for the challenge anyway #grnhchallenge #nodairy. When the challenge ended however, I made a colossal mistake and invited the enemy in. I went ahead and had some cheese, against the advice of my physician. What’s worse, this was the same day I had a conversation with Dr. Kelly about side effects cow’s milk can cause. Everything she had mentioned came true. My eye swelled shut, hives popped up on my face like a Disney villain growing spots, and I suffered an allergy attack like it was the middle of hay fever season. Let’s just say that when offered ice cream later that evening, there was a very distinct Kerry sized hole in the door after I had swiftly made my exit.

The moral of the story here is, get to know your body and by all means, listen to your doctor. When I went against my doctor’s advice, my body attacked me much like a woman scorned. There was no escaping this wrath and frankly I’m lucky there are no visible scars. I could always cry possession but I think we all know I did this to myself. Accepting responsibility can actually be quite empowering. By accepting responsibility, I am claiming ownership of my life and the choices I make within this life.   This, in turn, gives me the power to make my life better. It seems the best way for me to do this now is to avoid both gluten and dairy, whether I like it, or not.