Lactose Intolerant Struggles

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MarvelousMrs
MarvelousMrs Posts: 197 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm really struggling and have been for the past 2 weeks. I've been having digestive trouble for a few months now and finally saw a specialist who thinks I'm lactose intolerant - so no lactose for five weeks to test his theory.

I'm a HUGE choco-holic! And in the past I've been able to watch my calorie intake and satisfy my chocolate craving with a square of dark chocolate pretty much every day. But I haven't found lactose-free chocolate (though I'm told it exists somewhere!) and the only dairy-free chocolate snacks I can find are Oreos and brownies! And those are terribly high in calories and don't really hit the spot.

All I want to do is sit and eat cookies all day!

I've made such incredible progress so far - down 47 lbs - and I don't want to derail that progress. But this is such a hard adjustment!!! Maybe I need to buy some chocolate cheerios and have them with soy milk or something! Ugh. So frustrated right now!

Replies

  • Laurend224
    Laurend224 Posts: 1,748 Member
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    A few brands to look for are, Endangered Species, Enjoy Life, Rice Dream, and I think some of the Green and Black bars may be dairy free. Do you have a Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, or a health food store nearby? That would be your best bet.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    edited June 2015
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    If you are lactose intolerant, you can take a lactase pill. I don't recommend it now since you are in the middle of testing whether or not it is the problem, but it will work as a long term solution. I recommend Now brand Dairy Digest Complete. You can get it on Amazon. I prefer it over Lactaid because it comes in capsule form and is easier to swallow than chalky Lactaid tablets. Plus it is in a bottle instead of individually sealed paper sheets.

    If you do find that lactose is a problem for you, you will learn, through trial and error, what you can and cannot eat/drink both with and without a lactase pill. It doesn't have to be a complete cutoff from dairy. I actually eat quite a bit of dairy (milk, yogurt, and cottage cheese) every day.
  • csk0018
    csk0018 Posts: 219 Member
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    I'm lactose intolerant too -- Godiva's dark chocolate and sea salt bar doesn't have any dairy in it. Check the other dark chocolate Godiva bars to see if they are dairy-free too.

    Another thing I absolutely love is Silk's dark chocolate almond milk... it is so freakin' good! :p

    Breyers also makes a lactose free light ice cream in vanilla and chocolate... it's like 110 calories for 1/2 a cup, I think, so not too bad. I'm not a fan of the soy, coconut and rice ice creams... bleh.
  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
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    Laurend224 wrote: »
    A few brands to look for are, Endangered Species, Enjoy Life, Rice Dream, and I think some of the Green and Black bars may be dairy free. Do you have a Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, or a health food store nearby? That would be your best bet.

    Don't even need health food or organic stores. The "natural foods" section of regular grocery stores like Kroger have them (and others) as well.
  • Ohwhynot
    Ohwhynot Posts: 356 Member
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    Five weeks? I did a dairy free diet for 5 days, then my GI doc said to pig out on dairy the 6th day. That did it! Most dark chocolate should be fine.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
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    If you, like much of the world, have issues with lactose, you have to cut the stuff that give you unpleasant side effects or just deal with the results of eating it. This is one of those Pick Your Poison issues.

    Once you cut the stuff out that bothers you, you may find you feel bunches of better. :)
  • bennettinfinity
    bennettinfinity Posts: 865 Member
    edited June 2015
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    Silk makes a dark chocolate almond milk that I find satisfies my chocolate cravings fairly well... I believe it's 120 calories / 8 oz. serving. You can give that a try.

    Good luck... and I hope you're able to get back to real chocolate at some point! :)
  • JenD1066
    JenD1066 Posts: 298 Member
    edited June 2015
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    If you have a Whole Foods nearby, Chocolove bars are dairy free and fantastic! The sea salted caramel is my favorite. If not, most large grocery stores will have alternative ice creams- the best of which is So Delicious Coconut Milk Ice Cream. If you want to stick to your program however, squares of very dark chocolate are probably your best choice, and most of those, like Lindt (90% Cacoa) are dairy free.
  • teanahk
    teanahk Posts: 81 Member
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    There's definitely lactose free dark chocolate out there, just make sure to read the ingredients. I bought a bar of lindt dark chocolate with caramel and sea salt that has lactose in the caramel bits :( I think their plain dark chocolate is OK though.

    If you are lucky enough to be somewhere that carries Coconut Bliss brand coconut milk ice-cream, you should try it, they make about a dozen varieties with several different kinds of chocolate. It's a bit of a calorie bomb but completely Amazing. Some of the other brands are a lot lower in calories but the texture is just a bit meh.

    Even if it does turn out that you are lactose intolerant you might find that you can handle small amounts of dairy without any uhm... adverse effects. I can manage most cheeses, a few creamers in my coffee, or a bit of whipped cream on dessert just not all at the same time. But definitely wait until your 5 weeks is up before experimenting.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    Chocolate sorbet might work for you. Also chocolate ice cream made from coconut milk or soy milk. In the bakery aisle you can find chocolate icing. That stuff has no milk (check labels of course). Also look for dairy free chocolate chips.
    You can make some SMORES with graham crackers, Hersey's syrup, and marshmallows.
    aubepum31chk.jpg
  • enterdanger
    enterdanger Posts: 2,447 Member
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    My hubby is lactose intolerant and I make a lot of our treats. I make coconut milk icecream or just make it out of lactaid milk. he also uses the lactose supplement pill things. The hardest thing for me was not keeping cheese in the house until I discovered that a lot of cheeses have no lactose. Check the cabot brand. Most of their cheeses are lactose free. Most cheddars are also lactose free. Oh, and I have a Ghiradelli 85% cocoa dark chocolate that doesn't list milk as an allergen so I'm assuming it is lactose free.
  • MarvelousMrs
    MarvelousMrs Posts: 197 Member
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    Once my five weeks are up I am going to experiment with different things. The doc said some people can have lactose in cooked foods (maybe heating it breaks apart the lactose?). Thank you all for your support - today is a much better day than yesterday. And I'm definitely buying some of that chocolate Silk milk Friday when I go grocery shopping! (Or maybe before then!!!!!)
  • gobonas99
    gobonas99 Posts: 1,049 Member
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    It also depends on the severity of your intolerance. I can't go anywhere near a glass of cow's milk or a bowl of ice cream (even with lactaid)...but I'm fine with yogurt, cheese, and cooked items that have milk in them. If I have a hankering for ice cream, I get some made with coconut milk...and I use almond or coconut milk with my cereal and in my protein shakes. I've never had an issue with chocolate. :)
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
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    5 weeks without lactose? Why not just get tested for lactose intolerance? http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/tc/lactose-intolerance-exams-and-tests

    Otherwise you're possibly allergic/sensitive to other things in lactose-containing foods.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    MarvelousMrs wrote: »
    Once my five weeks are up I am going to experiment with different things. The doc said some people can have lactose in cooked foods (maybe heating it breaks apart the lactose?). Thank you all for your support - today is a much better day than yesterday. And I'm definitely buying some of that chocolate Silk milk Friday when I go grocery shopping! (Or maybe before then!!!!!)

    Yes, it's true. I cannot drink your regular run of the mill non-organic milk from the grocery store. But I can drink a latte made with the same milk. I can also drink non-homogenized milk. I avoid most lactose free milks like Lactaid but that high protein Fairlife stuff is lactose free and I like it just fine. Like you said, you'll experiment and figure out what you like and don't like and can and can't tolerate.
  • MarvelousMrs
    MarvelousMrs Posts: 197 Member
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    leggup wrote: »
    5 weeks without lactose? Why not just get tested for lactose intolerance? http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/tc/lactose-intolerance-exams-and-tests

    Otherwise you're possibly allergic/sensitive to other things in lactose-containing foods.

    That's a great question! I saw a gastroenterologist, you'd think he'd know about the test!

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