Hey Lady,
Sorry I am just now responding to you.
I got a primary doctor back in April. Aside from several bulging discs, there is really nothing going on with me except my blood pressure is a little high and she wants better cholesterol numbers. I'm on meds for those now. Thinking it is a good thing because I used to fall off the bed of the truck bed sometimes when I would bend down, unload stuff. I would not realize I was a little dizzy and off balance until after I started to topple. She is vegan, only eats plant-based everything. The woman put me through a battery of tests ... just because I had not been keeping up, I had been neglecting my health is all. Heart, kidney, liver, lung, gyno and even had a colonoscopy. Everything was great! I turned 63 back in the summer and had been dodging that colonoscopy test for well over a decade. New doc and I had a big fight about the colonoscopy but I gave up and did it. I have come to realize I won't get to win with her. The struggle was wearing me out. Plus, I have turned over a new leaf. A close friend of well over two decades (she's in medical field) has been providing me lectures (yes, free lectures) for the past couple of years about what a bad patient I am. She is serious too. I cannot believe it. I had to promise her I will cooperate with doctors. This new primary doc is a petite woman doctor but I will tell you, she is ferocious.
The colonoscopy doctor said the results could not have been any better. I do not have to have another colonoscopy for 10 years. YAY! That prep was violent!!! Pure violent!!!!
About the milk ... I was drinking way too much milk, it was helping jack up my choleterol ... so she hands me her personal vegan handout ... list of books, links to sites, food suggestions to get started. I thought to myself it was a crock. She really looked at me and said, "I promise you that you will feel better." She told me to go non-dairy too, which of course is vegan. Her milk replacement suggestions were Almond milk and Soy milk. I had to experiment with both sweetened and unsweetened versions of both. I do not miss my old regular milk at all now. I just gulp the soy unsweetened flavor like I used to do with the regular milk. I can drink all of that I want and will not ever be reprimanded. Sometimes when I think about it, I still find it unbelievable I gave up my milk and that I am okay with it.
I did file a complaint with her yesterday morning in a message via patient portal , told her I am starving to death on this vegan but intend to stick with it. Asked her to come up with some high protein vegan and tell me during next appt on SEP 17th because I was eating 2 nukeable vegan frozen dinners at a time and still became hungry again too fast ... and make sure it is nukable because in the kitchen, I do not do complicated. I could not believe new doc sent a message back (on the weekend even) said she couldn't believe I am starving to death, couldn't let that happen, to go buy some of these different kinds of rice packets ... then something about lentil soup and okay to mix brown rice in it. Lentil soup? WTF! It sounds watery to me but I am willing to try it. Sometimes I get this contempt prior investigation deal going on but I will deny having said that if it is ever mentioned.
She was right, I do feel better on vegan. All of my insides(guts and everything) feel so much lighter. That is the only way I know how to describe it. She did mention to take a vitamin B12.
I have heard about coconut milk and other coconut products being very good but not tried them yet. I hope you can land on things that taste good.
Kachen, I am very sorry you are having to deal with lactose intolerancey, rashes and other difficulties which make you have to seek out other things to eat. I think one of the non-dairy cheese brands I now use has coconut listed as an ingredient. It is CHAOS cheese. The coconet is in one of the three flavors. It is good to me.
I don't like change has been some of my problem I believe. New doc said we will go over more foods on the 17th. After I get this list, I will share it with you. Perhaps (hopefully) there will be things on the list that you will enjoy, be good nutrition for you with no side effects and most importantly, will not be harmful to what you have to be particular about.
Best Wishes!
RockOn