Drum Roll PLEASE...

I can now eat cheese!!!! Through some trial and error with the help of my Dietitian and GI Doc, we figured out that I can tolerate cheese and butter with a lactaid pill. To digest dairy, you need the digestive enzyme lactase. My body doesn't produce that on its own. Therefore, I take it in the form of a lactaid pill when I eat it and my body can digest it. Simple as that.

I made my own decision to continue to stay away from milk, heavy cream, and ice cream as too much dairy does effect my sinuses and joints. Cheese is the most important to me, so I am choosing my battles and trying to eat it in moderation. Ice cream always made me sick so I never loved it. I am perfectly happy using dairy free butter and soy milk at the house, and will continue to do so. It is such a relief to know that I won't get sick if I get a hold of it here and there. I've definitely made up for lost time between homemade gf tomato basil pizza, nachos, and enjoying cheese dip and enchilladas at a Mexican restaurant. Don't get me wrong, I was cheating on dairy before I found this out, but I was paying for it. Now I eat it pain free! Gluten free is SO much easier and more tolerable with cheese. YES!

P.S. They taste really good. I wasn't expecting this the first time I bought it and I ate 4 of them because they were so sweet. :) Like my diabetic friend who loved the taste of sugar pills so much that she couldn't stop eating them. She couldn't keep them for emergencies b/c she would eat them all!

P.P.S. I would like to say how helpful it is to have a dietitian. Now granted, I have had a life long of disordered eating, therefore I had to have a professional to help me learn to eat"normally". But I also work with dietitians day in and day out in my job with my patients (those with dysphagia- difficulty swallowing), and they are just cool people. For the most part, dietitians teach a healthy lifestyle, not dieting. Whenever anyone in our culture thinks "healthy eating" they think "diet." I hope and pray to never be on a diet again. My personal dietitian has taught me to "be a weirdo" in this diet obsessed culture. She has helped me learn balance and what works for ME and MY body. She's taught me about healthy behaviors and balance. She's taught me that there are not BAD foods. If you've ever struggled with this in ANY way, I would say that a dietitian would be a great tool for you. If you ever have a diagnosis of any allergy or food intolerance, I would definitely take advantage of that resource. Just my 2 cents.