About eight years ago I started having severe reactions whenever I ate anything with dairy in it. I didn’t realize it was dairy at first but by process of elimination I found that dairy was causing my problems. So, I had to make a drastic life change and eliminate all dairy from my diet. I love my dairy! Ice cream, cheese and anything else made with dairy was now off limits. I may have even cried when I found out I could no longer have crepes! But, in order to not be healthy I had to make a change.
Are we both dairy free? No. Rod still eats dairy. However, when I first discovered that dairy was making me sick we both ate dairy free for a while so I could get used to this new lifestyle. Now, if Rod wants something with dairy, he just has it. It no longer bothers me!
So, how do we deal with this while living a full time RV life? We cook our own meals the majority of the time. Everything we cook is 100% dairy free. Rod will add cheese, sour cream or other dairy items after the meal is complete. We rarely eat out since dairy is hidden in so many things. When we do eat out we check the online menu (and allergy menu if they have one) of the restaurant we’re going to so we can make sure they have food I can eat. We also make it very clear to the person serving us that I have a dairy allergy. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always mean I will have a dairy free meal. I have ended up sick many times after eating out. I have had many amazing experiences as well.
A big question of mine when going dairy free was about cooking. So many recipes have dairy ingredients. How were we going to cook the things we liked without dairy ingredients? Thankfully there are great substitutions for dairy products. Almond, oat, coconut, and soy milks. Vegan butters, vegan sour cream and many other dairy free options. I’ve also, recently, seen dairy free evaporated milk!! With some experimenting I have found that I can alter any recipe to be dairy free.
What about grocery shopping? As you know, whether you’re full time or not, grocery shopping can be an adventure when you’re in a new area. You’re not in your normal grocery store. Different areas of the country have different brands and products. Stores are all laid out differently. Shopping dairy free can be a chore. We have to check every single label. Is it a pain? Absolutely! But it’s worth it. A plus, though, is that there are more and more dairy free options coming on the market. We have recently discovered some really good vegan cheese and a vegan sour cream!
And the biggest question….. What about desserts? I simply do not eat desserts when we’re out to dinner. Let’s be honest, most desserts have butter, cream cheese or milk in them. I love desserts! I love cake, brownies, cupcakes, cookies, chocolate, and the list goes on. Thankfully I love to bake and can alter dessert recipes to make them dairy free. Yes, it’s definitely more difficult to make desserts than it is to just run to the store and buy them. But, honestly, they’re so much better!
As an RVer, we all know that when you gather with friends a pot luck usually happens. Have you ever noticed that most pot luck dishes have cheese or some kind of cream sauce? Even salads have cheese sprinkled in them. We were at a pot luck a few weeks ago and there were three things that I could eat (one of them we made). We still attend pot lucks because they’re fun, and sometimes I take my own food. That works out well since I can still enjoy the social aspect and eat safely.
I figured out this whole dairy free thing. If you’re in a position where you are eating dairy free (by necessity or by choice) and you’d like to chat about it please let me know. Send me an email though our contact form and I will get back to you.
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