10.25.2007

What I Don't Eat Part II

In addition to being allergic to nightshades, I'm allergic to dairy, which is how this whole "vegan" thing came to be. I've been vegetarian since I was 14, but my mother is of Irish descent (ie, milk in everything. also her father was a dairy farmer), so milk was a staple in my house growing up.

I'm allergic to a protein in milk called casein, which is NOT the same thing as lactose intolerance. People who are lactose intolerant can still eat cheese, yogurt, and some small amounts of dairy without a problem. I can't have any dairy or anything that's touched dairy.

I found out about my casein allergy when I was a senior in high school - and from there, it was a gradual 2-3 years as I transitioned to veganism. So you will not find, in this blog, eggs, meat, or dairy.

My little brother is also allergic to casein, AND he's allergic to gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and sometimes oats. The chemical makeups of casein and gluten are really similar, so often if you're allergic to one, you're allergic to the other. I've noticed that if I have a lot of gluten in the course of a day, I get itchy and my stomach hurts a little. I'm not going to go gluten-free unless I have to, but I do try to avoid eating too much gluten. So you will also (probably) never see seitan on this blog, and most of my recipes are gluten-free or easy for celiacs to convert.

On with the cooking!

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