Introduction

I am used to reading food labels. Always have been. I'm 32 years old and have been a vegetarian my whole life. Okay, I was an ovo-lacto-pesco vegetarian until I was 21 and gave up the pesco part. Fish just looked gross to me. But I digress. 

Along the way people asked me if I was vegan. No, I'd always say, I love cheese too much.

When I was pregnant an interesting thing happened. No longer were my boobs private things not to be discussed. Strangers would ask me if I planned to breastfeed and get excited for me when I told them I was. I would often add, however, that if my baby was dairy sensitive that I would probably have to switch to formula; I couldn't give up cheese.

Fast forward and Nelle is almost three months old. We spent 10 weeks soaking in baby spit-up before a gastroenterologist suggested I go dairy free. Oh and since my trial of dairy free a few weeks prior hadn't worked and most babies with dairy allergies can't handle soy either, I needed to give that up too.

Despite my initial brush-offs about not being able to give up cheese, the reality of it became that it would be harder for me to give up nursing. When it became a choice of feeding myself cheese or my daughter "boobie foods," it wasn't really a choice at all. Along with reflux medications, it seems to be helping so far, so I'll give it a try.

Okay, so here's where it gets really tricky. I'm not vegan, but I'm a vegetarian who has to give up dairy. That leaves eggs. Soy is a staple to the vegan diet. Heck, soy is a staple in most diets. On a list the GI gave me of foods to avoid it says "Asian foods." Really? I have to give up food from an entire continent! This was not good news.

My husband cooks. Some. I cook. Some. Okay, not really.  Mostly we like to eat out or just prepare quick meals thrown together with things we have on hand. We're just a typical working family. We go grocery shopping once a week and keep a relatively stocked cupboard. Typically our food comes from Trader Joe's or Costco. Sometimes I pick stuff up at Target while there getting other stuff.

So, what do you eat?

It's a good thing I was already familiar with that question. When I was in elementary school classmates would ask me what I ate for Thanksgiving. "If turkey is the only thing on your table," I would, in that oh so 8 year-old way, snottily reply, "then I feel sorry for you."

Here's what's on my table.