Crunchy Part One

My Co-worker's daughter has aversions to gluten and dairy (no surprise to me) and was advised to avoid them for a couple months. So lesson number one for her was:

1. Change out the Cows milk for Almond, Goat, and if she had to, Soy. 
I told her this isn't an easy task if people in her home are use to drinking glasses full of cow's milk. If milk is just an additive to baking or on top of cereal, this change wouldn't be too hard.

2. Get rid of all the obvious gluten and milk products.
Obvious meaning cookies, cakes, ice cream, milk, etc. Since 4 out of 5 people can still consume it, I advised her to at least keep it out of site of her daughter until it has been consumed by the others.

3. Now investigate the hidden gluten and dairy in your home.
The American food industry has allowed and not monitored  added gluten and dairy to products that you wouldn't even think would have it. For example, if you buy precooked sausage, gluten is usually added for thickening. Cereal marketed as "Corn" or "Rice" have gluten. Granola bars for some reason have both gluten and dairy in many of them. And one product aisle that I skip now is the cracker aisle. Just because it's advertised as "Sweet Potato" or "Brown Rice" doesn't mean that the second ingredient on the lengthy list isn't gluten.

4. Make a list of all things thrown out.
I explained to her that he goal moving forward is to learn how to buy or better yet learn how to make her family's beloved foods that are now on the "Do not consume list". I told her that if she threw out cheese crackers, ice cream, whoopie pies and pancakes, write that down.

For anyone that's following my step-by-step guide changes, stay tuned because we are just beginning.