Yoplait Lactose Free Yogurt Review

I'm beyond excited that I finally was brave enough to try Lactose Free yogurt. You see, a few years when just the smallest amount of milk would make me sick  so I was very careful to have NO milk. Period. I heard about Yoplait Lactose Free Yogurt but I just wasn't brave enough to try it. Yes, I knew there wasn't any lactose, so there wasn't really a chance of it making me sick. But being sick all the time already, and being so sensitive to milk. I just didn't want to chance it.

Fast forward time to now. 

I feel better most days so slowly adding foods that I was scared to try is on my to do list. Of course yogurt is at the top because I have always loved yogurt and don't get me wrong, the completely dairy free versions are really good but I missed real yogurt. It may not seem like much to others, but for me trying something that has milk, but is lactose free is a big step and pushing me out of my comfort zone. I can't tell you when the day will come that I try a milk product again that still has lactose in it. I may never. Anytime I think about milk or cheese I feel sick to my stomach just because of how sick I used to be. 

Anyways. Back to the yogurt. 

Can I really say anything bad about this yogurt? Nope. 

It's exactly how I remember yogurt being. Smooth and creamy. Yoplait is known for all of their flavorful options. But they only have French Vanilla, Peach, Strawberry, and Cherry in the lactose free ones. Hopefully they add more flavors soon! 

I tried all the flavors, except cherry. I really don't care for cherries or anything cherry in general. 

My favorite flavor is defiantly the French Vanilla. Most likely because I love vanilla (almost) everything. But they aren't kidding when the say it's French Vanilla...it's a strong vanilla but I think it tastes amazing. 

I basically do a happy dance every time I open up a new little carton because I really just love it that much.

The only negative thing that I have to say is I did experience a little stomach discomfort the very first time I tried it. But it wasn't anything serious. And I honestly just think it was because my stomach hasn't had milk in years and is learning to digest it again, even though the lactose is taken out of it. I think it's still hard on my system. But since trying it the first time, I've had many more so now it's no problem at all. 

I would defiantly recommend this to those lactose intolerant who still want to fully enjoy dairy but without the side effects. 

If you have a dairy allergy, this is not something you should try because it does contain dairy!

Cheers!

I'm FINALLY Living Life

I know it has been awhile since I did a blog post just about me and my health and what has been going on. So I figured it was about time too. 

I know when I did a post about being gluten free for a year, and how it has helped me feel better there was still a lot of things going on that needed to get better. So looking back I reread that post, you can read it here. When I did that post I reached a lot of major milestones in my book. But I still had a lot to go. One thing that stuck out to me in that post was this phrase I posted I have missed out on a lot because of feeling so sick all the time. I was tired of just not feeling healthy. So after that day, I decided that I was going to cut out gluten completely. 

All I can say is wow. For the past few years, I've missed out on life because I was so consumed in feeling sick and worrying that if I left my house, I'd have an episode. I was in constant fear of ruining outings because I just never knew. How did I live like that? I didn't realize that something we consume everyday, can impact a life negatively. And make you miss out on living. I've missed countless birthday parties, family gatherings, dates with Caleb, and just living like a normal person. I have feared eating out for many years because as soon as I would eat, I would have to leave ASAP. Eating wasn't enjoyable for me. I dreaded eating because I knew that eating would just make me feel awful all over again. Before I get ahead of myself. I'll list some major milestones that I have crossed off and some surprising changes in my health that have happened since my one year anniversary being gluten free. 

A few little changes:

• I've been able to eat three full meals a day. Without ANY issues.
• I will actually eat on my lunch break at work, without any worry. 
• I rarely have a mood swing these. If I do, it's caused by stress, monthly, or if I'm worn out...or hungry. Yes I have finally experienced being grumpy because I'm so hungry. Can't really say if that's a good or bad thing! ;)
• I have had a little more energy than I used to. This is still a work in progress though. But I am up for doing more things. 
• I'm not scared to eat, I actually look forward to it. 

Now, I have had some amazing things happen that others close to me have noticed:

Caleb and I planned a day to shop at the outlets last fall, after walking around for a good 45-to an hour we buy drinks and take a break and he says to me, "Do you know what I just realized?" And of course I say, "No" He says, "You just walked around after just eating breakfast an hour ago!" 

You see this has been something I haven't been able to do. Being able to eat, get ready, and go somewhere seem so simple and it's what most people do everyday. But me, not so much. That was a big milestone for me. I've always wanted to be able to eat a meal, and go shopping. The "normal" activities. Of course after that I still had times when I couldn't do that. But a few times, is better than none.

Slowly, I could do more and more right after eating. With eliminating gluten, dairy, and all processed foods I have been able to slowly heal my stomach and control the Candida. It's been a lot of ups and downs. But they all brought me to this next point: 

Just this past Saturday, March 1st 2014. Was a big day in many ways. I had my first appointment trying on wedding gowns. Excited would have been an understatement to describe how I felt. But my appointment was at 9:30 in the morning. Super early. Now, if it was two years ago. Eating would not have been a thought on my mind, considering I would be standing, moving around a lot. But now, it's my first thought because I'm more hungry now. So of course I ate breakfast which consisted of coffee, a banana, toast, and an egg. (You'd think I eat lighter with trying on gowns, but nope) 

But I ate just 15 min before we left....

I would have never done something like that just because in fear I'd feel sick and ruin the day. Well guess what, I felt completely fine...Half way through the appointment I started to get hungry! I could have been so distracted by all the pretty dresses and just the emotion of the day. But still, this is my biggest accomplishment, well I should say my stomach's biggest accomplishment in YEARS. 

I know this post may not be as exciting to you as it is to me. But if you have been following along, you will know that I've struggled a lot with just normal daily things because of my health.

My point is, I could have missed out on an important day that I shared with my mom, soon-to-be mom in law, and my sister-in-laws. 

More importantly, I'm tired of missing out on life. Taking charge of my health was one of the best decisions I made just for myself. I woke up one day and I was tired of struggling with life. It's been stressful at times and I'll admit, I didn't always see that light at the end of the tunnel. But with the support I have had, I kept going. If you told me a year ago that I'd be able to feel like a normal healthy person today. I probably wouldn't have believed you. I hung onto faith that there was a possibility it could happen. With having hope & faith, it kept me fighting. 

I still have goals that I want to achieve and I still want to feel even healthier. I have a very special day coming up that I need my health to be 110%.

And I am getting there! I'm really enjoying living life again.

If you are struggling with anything, just remember it will get better. Just keep moving forward. 

Cheers!

P.S. In case you were wondering, I DID find MY wedding dress. It's not my dream dress though, because it's much better than anything I dreamed of! :)