Dairy Free Diet Anyone?

xASHYxSMASHYx

So I have been thinking about trying a dairy free diet for a few weeks to see if I feel any different due to a possible allergy.
I didn't really seem to have any issues with dairy products when I lived in America, but since I have moved to Australia I have been having major allergies and get congested every time I consume something with milk in it. Is it possible to develop an allergy to dairy from another country? lol. Anyway I can't afford to go to the doc for testing right now so looking for advice from anyone who has done it. How long does it normally take going free to notice any changes if you are allergic? Any tips? Also I am a huge chocolate lover, so if someone could recommend some dairy free chocolate brands, I would really appreciate it

ZombieChaser

Hi! Even though I don't live in Aus (I'm Canadian) I still have an allergy to dairy which is similar to yours. (stuffy nose, wheezing etc.) It could be a number of things that are making you sensitve to that regions dairy, it could be the processing, the different type of pasturization method or simply WHAT the animals are eating.
When I went off dairy in December of 2011, I didn't notice a change in me right away. My naturopath told me it could take up to 2 months for it all to work out of your system. I'm starting to notice some changes, but it's slow so don't get discouraged. On the plus side, it's definitly helping with my weight loss!
Here's what I found for "vegan" chocolate (non-dairy):

"Chocolate itself comes from a plant, making it vegan, yes, but in the process of going from the tree to the grocery store, a variety of additives are added, including sugar and milk or milkfat. A good quality chocolate, however, will have a higher chocolate content, pure ingredients and no additives. The ingredients will be simple: cocoa, cocoa butter, lecithin, sugar and sometimes vanilla. And that's it. Lesser quality chocolates have a long ingredients list, which, along with cheap fillers such as food starch and artificial flavorings, will often contain milk, milk solids or milk fat.

Chocolove Dark Chocolate and Orange Peel
Trader Joe's brand chocolate chips
Newman's Own Chocolate Bars: Sweet Dark Espresso and Sweet Dark Orange, regular and organic)
Ritter Sport - Chocolate Mint (the light blue ones) and Marzipan (the red one)
Green and Blacks Organic Chocolate - Dark Chocolate
Organic Equal Exchange Chocolate All flavors except for milk chocolate
Fanny May's Dark 70% chocolate bars
Endangered Species Dark Chocolate (most, but not all flavors)
Sunspire and Tropical Source (chocolate chips and chocolate bars)
Whole Foods Brand Chocolate Chips
Whole Foods Brand Dark Chocolate, and Dark Chocolate with Almonds
Dagoba
Plamil Organic Vegan Chocolate (fair trade)
Terra Nostra Rice Milk Vegan Choco Bars
Sjaaks
Bug Bites
Chocolate Creme flavored Oreo cookies
Vegan Ice Cream (I like Purely Decadent brand Chocolate Peanut Butter Zig-Zag and Temptation Brand Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough flavour)
Peanut Chews candy
Wax Orchards brand Fat Free Fudge Sauces (these are seriously good - and guilt-free!)
Luna Bars (I like the chocolate peppermint flavor-yum!)
Reese's Cereal
Cocoa powder, any brand, as long as its 100% cocoa
Chocolatey Chip and Chocolate flavor Teddy Grahams
Trader Joe's brand vegan chocolate chip cookies

*source: http://vegetarian.about.com/od/shoppingproducts/f/veganchocolate.htm

I'm not sure how available those brands are in Aus.

So far my non-dairy journey has been fantastic...I may sneak a greek yogourt about 1X week and monitor my symptoms, but that's it! The most important part for anyone STARTING a dairy free diet, is to NOT have any whatsoever. Give it 2 months, then start re-introducing slowly, one product at a time, and note your symptoms. It may be just a matter of narrowing it down to a few products which cause adverse reactions.

Cheers!
~L

missjoci

I was never tested by a doctor, but have a severe allergy to milk. I tried getting rid of it all together, and anytime I'd cheat and eat it I'd get violently ill. Still to this day I torture myself and find that I'm out of breath, very tired, and stuffed up. Mine didn't develop until I was about 21 and got really bad at around 24. It's possible that the dairy is processed differently in different countries. I would try some lactase pills and see if those help you. If not you may be allergic to the casein (milk protein) not the lactose (milk sugar). I know other people who actually had gluten intolerance which makes it hard for them to digest dairy. I don't know much of anything on gluten intolerance, but there's a lot of information out there. I would just read and read. Hope this helps.

xASHYxSMASHYx

Wow thanks so much for the info and suggestions, I really appreciate it. I was wondering about the milk products being processed differently. I will definitely look for those brands of chocolate as well

meterman123

I can recommend http://finest-review.com/amazing-dairy-free-chocolate-review/ if you like chocolate