So as I’ve previously documented, my acupuncturist wants me on a very strict diet. If she had her way, I’d eat nothing more than organic fruits, veggies and meats, but I’m a cheese eating carboholic sugar freak, so that just ain’t happening. But I decided to compromise with her and give up certain things, namely dairy and sugar, which she thought were the two most important things to eliminate. Sugar because the body spends so much time and energy to process it (plus some other stuff that didn’t really make sense to me, so I don’t remember it). Dairy because it can create a mucous lining on your endometrium that makes implantation difficult (and she believes that dairy is harmful in general).
As I mentioned before, giving up dairy was not something that I thought I could do and remain a vegetarian, so I threw 16 years of vegetarianism out the window and became a full fledged carnivore. Strangely enough, I believe that it’s a lot easier to be a vegetarian than a non-dairy consumer. There is cheese in EVERYTHING it seems, and while it’s usually pretty easy to have cheese removed from food, it takes away a lot of the enjoyment of certain dishes. Burgers, for example, are nothing without a slice of pepper jack or cheddar laid nicely on top. I’m trying to make it work by adding things like bacon or onions, but it’s still not the same. I crave nachos (and had to watch my husband devour two orders of them at the Brewers/Cardinals games this weekend), pizza and grilled cheese sandwiches. I just want to eat cheese in general. Cut me off a nice big hunk of Colby and I’ll be a happy camper. I’m making do with rice milk, so I can still have things like cereal or recipes with milk in them, but I really do miss my cheese. Sigh.
Then there’s the sugar. I have a sweet tooth. A big one. I REALLY like sugar. Like a lot. They say that the first week without sugar is the worst and once you get past that week, it’s not so bad. And I can agree with that statement, it’s really not that bad. But I still do miss sugar. Cupcakes, brownies, cookies, candy…it all makes my mouth water. And for all the shit that I’m going through and putting my body through, it’d really be nice to have some dessert as a small pick me up. I’ve managed to find a sugar free honey sweetened pumpkin muffin recipe that I find to be quite good. They taste like pumpkin bars without the cream cheese frosting (which I never liked anyway), so those are a nice way to add a little “sugar” to my day. I also found a lemon cake recipe that is passable as dessert. But I miss my chocolate. A lot.
I’d heard that they make grain sweetened chocolate chips, so the other day I went on a mission to find them. I found myself at Whole Foods, hoping that I could find some there, and they had them! I opened up the bag when I got home and they taste almost exactly like the real thing! YAY! I also bought some cocoa powder which I can use to make chocolate cakes or cookies and I also found some already ready dessert…ICE CREAM! OK, so it’s not really cream, but it’s delicious! It’s called Coconut Bliss and as you could probably guess from the name, it’s made from coconut milk. There’s no sugar in the flavor I picked (chocolate hazelnut fudge), but you would never know if from eating it. Yum, yum, yum. This stuff ain’t cheap…$5.99 for a pint, but it is well worth it for some chocolate ice cream.
So although it stinks to have to give up a lot of my favorite foods during a time when I want them most, I’m slowly finding ways to get by with substitutions. When I asked my acupuncturist how long she wanted me to follow the no dairy, no sugar diet, she said “through the first trimester at least,” so here’s hoping I get to suffer through another 11 weeks of this!
7 comments
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May 23, 2009 at 9:59 am
Katie
My acupuncturist had some pretty major food advice too after I went for the first time yesterday- but I’m not sure how much of it I am going to follow yet. My husband cooks everything so it would be a little bit harder for me to regulate my diet like that. Kudos to you for really making an effort.
Are you a Brewers or Cardinals fan? We are headed to the Brewers/Twins game this weekend. We are originally from Minnesota, but live in Wisconsin so we try to go to one border battle a year.
May 23, 2009 at 4:12 pm
Billy
Yay for finding a good enough alternative for chocolate! There is also carob “chocolate” which I personally really love (but don’t know about being free of sugar. It probably does contain sugar).
I am so like you with the sweet tooth (are fruit allowed? I l-o-v-e dates, and they are so sweet..)
And not having dairy products…. errrrr… couldn’t do that.
ICLW
May 23, 2009 at 5:36 pm
Michelle
I read a book bout Acupunture and pregnancy and it states to do all the things your acupuncturist is telling you! I misplaced the book because it has become my holy grail (I take it everywhere) so when I find it I’ll send you the title to check it out. Are you just giving up refined sugars or does she want you to stay away from fruits too? Good luck with everything. I’ve been on that diet for awhile and recently FELL OFF the wagon. Your post gave me some courage to jump back on!! :)
~Michelle
May 24, 2009 at 12:53 pm
dragonflymama
i feel you! before this if journey i was a vegetarian for 10 years, with a few years of being a vegan thrown in. cheese was always my downfall. lately i’ve been reading angela wu’s infertility wisdom, which may be the book michelle’s talking about, b/c she is hardcore about dairy and sugar, including most fruits. i have a history of fibroids, which apparently is another reason to avoid dairy. i’m trying out her diet for a while, and hope to save up some $ to consult with her or another acupuncturist who specializes in infertility. oh, but the cheese…i’ll be in france this summer for work/play, and i have no idea how that’s going to work out.
keeping my fingers crossed for you on this cycle.
ICLW
May 24, 2009 at 9:37 pm
G
Wow! I get a big FAIL for diets. I am super impressed you’ve managed the no sugar rule and been able to find substitutes.
It sounds like an impossible task!
May 24, 2009 at 11:51 pm
Barefoot
Kudos to you for sticking with the diet — I really struggled with making dietary changes per my acupuncturist’s instructions. I’m sending lots of good “stick with it” vibes your way — it can be so hard when you’re going through so much tough stuff and don’t have your favorite comfort foods to, well, comfort you.
Also, sending lots of good wishes for this cycle!
May 25, 2009 at 9:10 am
katery
wow, you are good, i don’t think i could give up dairy, i love it!
iclw