Feeding Jman

Feeding my Husband.

I Love Jman. I love that he is unique. I love that he loves Superman, football, and Wolverine. I love that he can make friends everywhere. I love his outlook on life. I know I mentioned before that Jman has a special diet. It’s actually much more advanced than that. He has a genetic disorder that his body can’t digest the galactose enzyme. What is the galactose enzyme you ask? It’s milk sugar. It occurs naturally in the body and His body doesn’t digest have it. His body doesn’t digest it either. So he could get very sick if he ingests anything with this sugar.

When I first met Jman, I thought it would be overwhelming to take dairy out of food. It’s not really that overwhelming. Thankfully we live in a time where alternative milk is sold and olive oil is used much more than butter. As our Marriage has continued I have found a few tricks and tips that have helped.

First tip: When eating out, don’t be afraid to ask questions. We have had a whole gamut of service and our favorite is the one where we can ask questions. I usually go over the menu first if it’s a new place. Just so I can help direct Jman to the easiest food to modify for his needs. If the server is approachable to the changes that make the service and meal so much easier. I also help Jman when he is ordering to help him remember things like no cheese or hold the ranch. The best service we ever had was on our Honeymoon at Disney World. Every restaurant we went to we spoke with the executive chef and they personally made sure Jman’s meals were perfect. However, we wouldn’t have known about this great service without asking questions.

Second tip: If you have a dairy allergy, Stick to foods that have been grilled. Most of the time butter has too low a smoke point. Grilling always uses oil because of the high smoke point. Also if it is fish make sure that they don’t pour melted butter over at the end of the dish.

Third tip: We read ingredients all the time. Even with products, we know he can have because sometimes recipes change. We just went to the store the other day and I think it took a little longer because we were reading ingredients.We never assume Jman can have something even if it says dairy-free on the outside. If we are getting drive through we check the order before leaving the drive-through to make sure the order is right.

Fourth tip: we eat at home a lot. It is easier because I can control what’s in his food. We also subscribe to a meal box and often they send us ingredients that Jman can’t have. I modify the recipe or change it to fit our needs.

Fifth tip: He can have Mayonaise. Thankfully eggs are not dairy. I can’t tell you how many times people have asked us. Eggs are a totally different category and Yes Jman can have eggs.

Sixth tip: I don’t make two separate dinners. First who has the time to make two versions of mashed potatoes? Or lasagne? If I am making dinner I am making something that both of us can eat. Or I add toppings to mine. Like Parmesan, that is an easy fix to pasta to add flavor without having to put it in the whole dish. Jman likes spicier food than I do. So he then gets the jalapenos to add to his chili.

Finally: Do your research. Know what foods have dairy in them. Don’t be afraid to experiment. Try the milk alternatives. Find out which one your loved one likes the best. Jman likes almond milk. Rice milk is good for mashed potatoes. Almond milk has the most milk like smoothness. Coconut milk is very rich but great for spicy dishes to cool it down. Or in coffee. Dark chocolate shouldn’t have milk in it.

Psalm 104:28 New Living Translation (NLT)
28 When you supply it, they gather it.
You open your hand to feed them,
and they are richly satisfied.

TTFN and God Bless and Keep You. 🙂