Today I went to the coffee shop and ordered my usual green tea latte blended with coconut milk. The barista suggested adding vanilla chai so I figured I’d try it out, not even thinking about whether or not it had dairy in it. I guess I kind of assumed the barista understood it needed to be completely dairy-free after my denial of whipped cream and whole milk, but it was my own fault for not clarifying.

Halfway through my shopping trip with my mom and sister, I started sweating profusely and had a terrible feeling in my stomach. I rushed to the bathroom and was sick. I had been living the dairy-free life for a couple weeks and felt so healthy and then after this experience, I was horribly sick.

I’ve known about my dairy allergy for quite a while but, usually, I just deal with it. I haven’t had this bad of a reaction in a long time. After this coffee shop mishap, I will definitely be more intentional about not consuming any dairy products. It is such a struggle because there is dairy in nearly all of my favorite foods. Thank the Lord for almond milk so I can at least have my favorite cereal. Sadly, I can no longer have my favorite Ben and Jerry's, but I have found a couple non-dairy ice creams that can do the job.

Recently, I discovered that I am sensitive to gluten as well. This was worse news for me than my dairy allergy because pasta and pizza are my absolute favorites. Gluten-free bread and pasta are actually pretty tasty, though, so it won’t be as bad as I originally thought. I can still eat my favorite cereal (Honey Nut Cheerios), though, so that was a huge plus.

Besides my green tea this morning, I have been gluten and dairy free for a while and I already feel a big difference in my stomach. My body feels better overall and my eczema has cleared up a bit. I’m still adjusting to my new diet and I hope that I can stick to it. I think the health benefits will definitely outweigh any cravings I may have. It is so amazing to finally feel healthy and not have to run to the bathroom and be sick all the time. Apparently being allergic to gluten and dairy is quite common so if you feel foggy or get sick after consuming them then talk to your doctor or eliminate gluten and dairy from your diet and see if there is a difference. You’d be surprised how many people are allergic to these things but never knew about it or just thought their symptoms were normal.