Grieving over food

I recently found this draft post from over a year ago. It was written shortly after I discovered my allergy to milk, so probably around September or October of 2011. It was too personal and raw too post at that time. However, I realize many other people go through this same emotional period when facing their own food allergies and it may be beneficial to them to see that they are not alone. Also, to realize that like any other grieving period, you will eventually reach acceptance and life will get easier and better. It will never be the same, but it will be good again.


It saddens me to realize that I am grieving the recent discovery that I am allergic to milk.  I have known of a corn allergy for years, and that was a huge adjustment to my diet. Now, milk is having an equally profound effect on our lives.  Both of these products are widely used in obvious ways, but even more so in "hidden" ways that we don't initially think about.  Most of my "comfort" foods are now on the list of forbidden food items. I love cheese, it is in almost every recipe I make.  Eating out is simply not an option.  I am mature enough to understand, and willing avoid these foods. However, it is a great frustration to plan and prepare meals right now.  I am adjusting, and faster than I expected to, however, not with out the stages of grief. As I am finally moving into acceptance, I am actually starting to find some good things.  Some of the food substitutes are surprisingly good.  Also, by working harder to find foods I can eat, I have found old recipes that work with little or no tweaking.  Things I like but had stopped preparing because one or more of my kids didn't like them. 
I have been increasing my knowledge of canning and preparing foods from scratch for many years.  This helped prepare me for the new challenage I am facing which will further improve my cullinary skills and eventually the grocery budget.  Right now, the budget is suffering as I make attempts that don't always work well or am buying pre-made expensive substitutes while I learn to make my own substitutes.
One of the challenges I am currently facing is bread. I have not developed my baking skills very well. To quote my mother, "Ya ain't gonna learn any younger, so ya better buck up and get to learnin'!" However, finding a recipe that the whole family likes and contains no milk or corn on top of my lack of skill has been interesting.