Let me know in the comments what things you had to give up in your diet that was really hard for you to do.

Since the time I started this blog, I have mentioned the food I have had to give up in my life. It started around 2007 when I started getting gastrointestinal distress from eating anything that contained gluten. That’s when it got bad. Now that I look back, I was having issues with gluten well before that. I had a vitamin deficiency identified while I was in college. Lots of people who can’t tolerate gluten have issues with B vitamins. Breads and cereals are fortified with B vitamins. You can’t eat those, you may be deficient. I didn’t want to give up gluten, but there are so many other ways to get carbs, I gave it up without too much trouble and I didn’t go out and buy a bunch of specialty products to fill the gap.

I gave up carbonated beverages when I realized I was basically taking medication to treat acid reflux so I could drink it. The medication increases cardiovascular risk. Not worth it for a fizzy drink.

I gave up meat as well. That actually was pretty easy. I love vegetarian food, so this was the only thing I gave up that I didn’t have to because my body rejected it. I want to put my money where my mouth is for taking care of the environment.

Then it was more recently my body decided it had enough with dairy. I spent about a month in the doctor’s office making sure my gastrointestinal system was still working. This time it decided to stop working all together. Dairy was a bit tougher, but again, I gave it up without too much fuss. Vegan recipes and products have helped tremendously.

Then in the last few weeks I had to give up two more things. First was the non-dairy creamer. I was reacting to that too. No problem, there are great dairy free creamers out there. The other thing I have had a hell of a time trying to cope with. Chocolate. I had to give up almost all forms of chocolate. Most of the chocolate candy we know an love is made with milk chocolate. So no more of that. Even most of the dark chocolate varieties are made with some form of milk. Basically I am stuck with bitter chocolate, expensive specialty chocolate, or treats I make myself. THIS WAS HARD. Not just kind of, REALLY HARD. When I couldn’t have it anymore, it was like I had the chocolate cravings from hell. I needed it RIGHT NOW. At first I tried just doing dark chocolate, but that wasn’t sweet enough. I also bought some cookies that were from a brand that says they are free of everything, including lupins and mustard (didn’t know that was a problem for people). Too many calories. I have been coping so far with my own homemade brownies and peanut butter fudge. It’s still a struggle, but I’m getting there.

So if you have to give up a ton of stuff, I did find a company that does great allergy friendly food. Enjoy Life makes great rice milk chocolate. I love it. I’ve had some of their cookies too and they are just as good.

What I want to know is: have you had to give up something you had a hard time giving up? If so, how did you make it work? Let me know.