My Top 5 Tips for Cutting Out Intolerant/Sensitive Foods
Food sensitivities can have such large impacts and I can attest that they have caused pretty significant adjustments of the lifestyle I used to live. About two years ago, I started to experience extremely harsh stomach issues, which I later found out to be due to a gluten and dairy sensitivity. With hard work and dedication, I was able to heal my gluten sensitivity completely (feel free to check out my blog post to learn how I did this). At this point in my life, I have created a lifestyle that I truly love and enjoy, while also complying with my dairy sensitivity.
To be honest, it took a lot of work and effort to get to where I am right now, but I can assure you that it was completely worth it. My body and myself have never felt better. I completely understand how difficult it can be to have to deal with a food sensitivity, and especially multiple ones. It can cause a lot of stress and worry when it comes to figuring out what to eat. But I want to let you all know that there is light at the end of the tunnel. I used to think there was not but trust me you can get there too. I am here to share my story and what I have learned so that your journey to food sensitivity freedom can be much smoother than mine was. There are so many things that I wish someone else had told me before trying to manage my food sensitivities, and this is what I am going to share with you. I have compiled a list of my top 5 tips for creating a lifestyle that both you and your stomach will love.
Tip #1: Be Open to New Foods and Flavors
And this is something that can be so common, especially with more than one sensitivity. You are already cutting out so many options with gluten and/or dairy that it is necessary to look to other places for more variety. But I do want to point out that if you are enjoying eating the same foods or flavors that is okay as well. The whole point is to find what works best for you. Some people enjoy sticking to what they like, but others may need to change it up every once and awhile. Listen to your body and adjust wherever you see fit.
For me, my options were completely insufficient, and I realized that if I ever wanted to make these changes stick, I needed to broaden my horizons when it came to food. So, once I finally had enough, I started to try out new foods, as well as new flavors.
The couple of foods that stick out to me when I did this were avocados and blueberries. I know these are usually staples for many people, but they were two things that I absolutely would not eat before my food sensitivities. I also made this judgement years ago and had never tried them again since. But once I gave them another shot, I absolutely fell in love. I can now say that avocados and blueberries are some of my absolute favorite foods to eat that also make me feel amazing. This has occurred with a variety of whole foods that I have reintroduced into my diet and it has served me well.
Not only is it important to experiment with foods, but it is also good to be open to new flavors. I have always had a sweet and salty tooth but could never handle anything spicy. Because I had cut out gluten and dairy, my taste had adjusted and changed. I started to incorporate spicy foods into my meals and found that I could handle it very well. And now I put sriracha and red pepper flakes on anything and everything.
I strongly believe that there is some truth to our bodies responding and adjusting to the changes we make ourselves. When you start to cut out a type of food or food group, your body reacts by making up for that loss by opening up another option. I have experienced this in my own journey, and it has truly had such a great impact on the sustainability of my lifestyle. It has allowed me to enjoy a variety of foods and flavors that also make me feel good. And that was all I ever wanted.
Tip #2: Surround Yourself with People Who Have Your Same Food Sensitivity
In any aspect of life, making changes that those around you are also making can be very motivating. There is something comforting about adjusting your lifestyle along with other people in your life. And this can be applied to your journey of managing a food sensitivity friendly diet. It definitely impacted mine.
In my case, I was the only member in my family who had food sensitivities, therefore I was alone in my struggles. This was often very demotivating because I would see my family members enjoying meals that I could not have. It can also serve as a temptation to break your commitment to cutting out the foods you are sensitive to.
I definitely felt very tempted at times, but the thing that pushed my right back on track was surrounding myself with people who were also gluten and dairy free. Although I did not have people in my life who were trying to make the changes I was, but I found a community through social media. I had found some extremely inspiring women on Instagram that were eating dairy and gluten free and loving every second of it.
This is something tangible that I could pull up on my phone to remind me of where I want to be, as well as a place to look for new recipes that I could eat. I will go ahead and link below my favorite Instagram accounts for a gluten and dairy free lifestyle.
Instagram Bloggers I Follow
- Rachael DeVaux, @rachealsgoodeats
- Arielle Lorre, @ariellelorre
- Mia Swinehart, @gatherednutrition
- Mimi Bouchard, @mimibouchard
- Ashlea Carver Adams, @allthehealthythings
I cannot stress enough how important it is to be surrounded by people who are going through or have gone through what you are. It allows you to be able to interact with people, while also learning what others have learned on their journeys. I highly recommend following people who have your specific food sensitivity, as well as joining online forums or Facebook groups to engage with people who are dealing with food sensitivities as well.
I also hope that this blog can form into a community of individuals who are supportive of each other’s journey to a food sensitivity friendly lifestyle where we can share our experiences and tips with each other. And if you are not sure where to start, check out my Instagram (linked below). I post daily about my dairy free lifestyle and can give you guys some motivation, as well as recipe ideas to start a journey of your own.
Tip #3: Find Alternatives to Your Favorite Food
I cannot express how important this is to create a sustainable lifestyle. But I feel like many people think that just because they have food sensitivities, they cannot enjoy their favorite foods or meals. This is completely not true. Yes, you will not be able to eat exactly what you love, but there are so many other options out there that are extremely similar and taste delicious.
When I was beginning to cut out gluten and dairy, it was really hard to not be able to eat my favorite foods. I always believed that what I was going through was so uncommon and that there would not be options that complied with my food sensitivities. And I went on like this for a while and it was pretty miserable.
But as I was scrolling through Instagram one day, I came across a post about this brand of crackers and cookies that was gluten and dairy free. I was completely shocked that this brand was sold at my local grocery store. This brand was Simple Mills and from that point forward it gave me hope that there was exciting options out there that coincided with my food sensitivities.
From then on, I have browsed the aisles of many grocery stores and have found so many delicious alternatives to some of my favorite foods. Some of these being crackers, cookies, cupcakes, bread, pasta, and so much more. Below are a few of my favorite gluten and dairy free swaps for my favorite foods.
With that being said, I encourage you to browse your local grocery stores for food that complies with your specific sensitivity. I promise you that you will be surprised to learn there are great options out there, you just have to look. In my experience I have found great alternatives at grocery stores, such as Ralphs, Vons, Trader Joe’s, Costco, Target, and Whole Foods.
Finding alternatives to my favorite foods has made my journey to becoming gluten and dairy free much easier and definitely more enjoyable. I experienced that it tricked my brain into thinking that I was eating my favorite food, but without experiencing an upset stomach afterwards. It was a win-win situation.
My Favorite Alternatives
Trader Joe’s Almond Mozzarella Style Shreds
- absolutely delicious and melts just like regular cheese
- perfect for grilled cheeses, sprinkled over pasta, or stuffed into a veggie omelet
Simple Mills Almond Flour Crackers
- can be found at Ralphs, Vons, Costco, Target, and Whole Foods
- great with hummus dip, for tuna and crackers, or when you just need something salty to snack on
- they come in a wide variety of flavors such as fine ground sea salt, sun dried tomato and basil, and farmhouse cheddar
Gomacro Bars
- can be found at Ralphs, Trader Joe’s, and Whole Foods
- a very filling and high protein snack full of nutritious and whole ingredients
- perfect for on the go or before a workout
- come in a variety of flavors such as peanut butter chocolate chip, cashew caramel, and apple walnut
Tip #4: Prep and Plan Your Meals Every Week
Whenever you decide to start something new or make an adjustment, it is always important to prepare and plan for it. When it comes to living a lifestyle free of a food that you are sensitive to, this applies immensely.
When first starting out on my journey, I found that the easiest and most enjoyable weeks of eating were the ones where I had plan and prepped my food. But I do want to point out that I was not extremely strict about my meal plan for the week. I wanted to find a healthy balance between eating intuitively while also having a plan in place. And what I found worked best for me was to have a rough plan of what I was going to eat.
My plan consisted of prepping 2-3 meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as a couple of snack options. This way I had some sort of structure for those prepped meals, while also giving myself the flexibility to listen to my cravings on other days. I had previously attempted to create a stricter meal plan, but found myself disregarding what my body needed, which started to create a negative relationship with food. And from this, I decided that I needed to find a happy medium that I enjoy.
I want to point out that this will look different for everyone. Some people may prefer to have a stricter meal plan and that is okay. It is also okay if you enjoy having a mental plan for the week or having a mix of the two. The importance is to have some form of structure so that when it comes time to eat you are not frustrated because you cannot figure out what to have.
It is about reducing your stress when mealtime comes, while also reinforcing the behaviors that will allow you to succeed with a food sensitivity friendly lifestyle. And with planning also comes prepping your meals. This can come in many forms as well.
It can look like cutting up vegetables at the beginning of each week to easily snack on or taking a day to prep all of your meals and snacks for the week in their own containers. What works best for me is to look at my meal plan and prep anything that would reduce my time in the kitchen during the week. This could be roasting vegetables, cooking meat, or putting banana slices in the freezer for my smoothies.
Whatever meal prepping and planning looks like for you, do it. I promise that you will feel way more organized and not so anxious, especially when transitioning to a different lifestyle or way of eating. It will reduce any overwhelming feelings and add a sense of comfort and control to your journey.
Tip #5: Take it One Step at a Time and Learn to Love the Process
I completely understand that after reading all of these tips and realizing all of the changes you want to make, that you may feel overwhelmed. When I was faced with cutting out foods with gluten and dairy, it was extremely difficult to know where to start. I felt as if there were so many large changes that had to be made that my confidence in being able to accomplish them dwindled.
But instead I adapted the mindset of focusing on making one small and feasible change at a time. And by doing so, it allowed me to make real progress towards a gluten and dairy free diet while also not being held back by the overwhelming nature of these huge adjustments. And it also made the process much more enjoyable.
Attaining a food sensitivity friendly lifestyle is not going to be a quick fix. It took myself around 2 years to get to where I am today. It is a very big commitment to make to yourself. And managing your food sensitivities is an ongoing process. I am still making small changes to improve my lifestyle to better myself and my body. And this is something you have to be able to accept with open arms to see real progress.
For my journey, small changes looked like replacing normal shredded cheese with a dairy free cheese or swapping regular bread with gluten free bread. These changes are different for everyone, but it is important to create a list of small adjustments that you are confident that you can accomplish in small portions.
When you are focusing on small tasks and accomplishing them each day, it gives you a great sense of confidence and motivation to keep moving forward on your journey. And the funny thing is that there came a point where these changes stopped feeling like work. I started to truly enjoy making these commitments and keeping them to myself.
I once read something that said self-confidence comes from our ability to keep the promises that we make to ourselves. And this could not be truer for my experience. And once you start to gain that self confidence in yourself and your abilities, it allows you to find joy in the process because you start feeling better about yourself and the food you are consuming.
And I am not just talking physically. Of course, if you are working towards a lifestyle that will not upset your stomach, you will physically feel better as you are making these changes. But I can attest that something unexpected can also happen. I started to feel so much better about myself and truly enjoy the changes I was making and the kind of person I was becoming because of this.
I learned to love experimenting with new type of foods and favors. I learned to love finding alternatives to my favorite foods. I learned to love finding new social media influencers and bloggers who gave me gluten and dairy free meal inspiration and advice. I learned to love creating my meal plan and prepping my food for the week. It is all about your mindset and finding the good in the changes you are making and focusing on that to take you forward.
Be sure to check out my Instagram (@the.dairyfree.diaries) where I share more about my life and my journey to health and wellness.
