Living with Lactose Intolerance & Loathing it ! Help!

Aren't there like, lactose pills to help with this?

lactose pills and lactaid will only work for a short period of time.

Your best bet is to quit altogether (and yes, dairy DOES cause acne, stomach problems, congestion and headaches for many people). Lactose causes the stomach distress, whey and casein cause the headaches, congestion and acne.

Some people can tolerate hard, aged cheeses, and some can't even tolerate any milk protein ingredient in anything. Some people can tolerate raw milks and cheeses.

If you are in acute pain from gas and bloating, you can take 2 activated charcoal capsules and lie down on your right side. Sometimes if you know you are going to have dairy you can take the charcoal in advance and more after.

However, charcoal absorbs medication taken within 2 hours (either side), so be aware of this and don't take it within 2 hours of important medicine.

Charcoal does not help with acne, headaches or congestion; only with gas.

Cow's milk isn't really good for us. If you do a little looking into it, you may be disgusted.

blessings.

Almond milk is an excellent substitute, as are hemp, soy, coconut and rice milks.

Rice milk is excellent for baking and pancakes -- gives a great "rise" and texture when combined with baking powder.

I find Silk brand Pure Almond milk delicious to drink straight, but I prefer soy in my coffee.

I've recently been trying to phase out some dairy (i'm addicted to the stuff but its not very easy on the waist line). I've found hazelnut and almond milk both to be delicious, especially the hazelnut in coffee.

I completely understand! I have lactose intolerance and it sucks! I would say be careful with the soymilk cause it hear it can mess with your hormone levels. Scary, huh?
I really like almond milk and sub it for regular milk all the time. It makes an AMAZING iced coffee, very creamy.

Question? Can you handle yogurt. I find that I can because the cultures in it allow me to digest it. IF you can, I would suggest eating right frozen yogurt in the tub. Its so good! also, trader joes makes a lactose FREE yogurt cheese that tastes amazing and melts beautifully.

Also, you can make whipped cream out of coconut milk that has been refrigerated. I also once made a chocolate mousse pie usig coconut milk and it was DELISH

OOO and if you like cream cheese. tofutti makes a product called "better than cream cheese".. tofu based and DELICIOUS

tofutti also makes really tasty ice cream sandwiches that are dairy free.


hope this helps and sorry that you struggle. I know how sad it is

as for pizza, I recently made a home made pizza with the lactose free yogurt cheese. OMG i was in heaven.

Like the other posters, I'm also a fan of almond milk, especially the dark chocolate one by silk - it's an amazing treat.

I'm with you on dietary inconveniences though. Mine include lactose intolerance, high sensitivity to soy, watermelon, canteloupe, honeydew, bananas, avocados, and cuties clementines, then all the other fruit gives me acid reflux. :brokenheart:

It's a trial and error process. I hope you find what works for you!

I developed lactose intolerance about 25 years ago. It was HORRIBLE, bloating, pain, diarrhea, just awful. I'd miss so many activities because I was tied to the toilet. Lactaid drops (I don't think they make them anymore), Lactaid milk (sparingly because I don't like milk), and Lactaid pills became a way of life for me.

After several years, I started just avoiding those products that caused trouble for me. This meant that I read labels religiously...nonfat dry milk solids appear in so many processed foods...and just avoided lactose at all costs.

About three years ago, I decided to see if I could FORCE my body to tolerate small amounts of lactose and you know what, it worked! While I don't drink milk (see above), I do sometimes have a tiny bit of ice cream, eat a bit of my beloved Jet's Pizza (the all meaty 8 corner is heavenly), and enjoy baked brie and other cheeses. I'd have super small amounts and after a few bad starts, I can tolerate it without issues. Occasionally, I'll deal with gassiness rather than diarrhea as I have in the past, so it's fine. Nothing a little Gas-X can't solve.

I said all of this to say that you should try TINY amounts of the lactose products you enjoy and see if you can EASE your body into accepting them. If you still can't then you'll need to try the soy/veggie-based alternatives.

Does yogurt make you sick to your stomach as well? Some people tolerate it better because of the bacteria in it that digest lactose.

I don't know why you'd be "loathing it." Why does everybody love dairy so much, anyway? Sort of mystifies me. I say, embrace the challenge. Make it fun. Learn to cook with coconut milk. I love the So Delicious coconut milk ice creams. . . they even have sugar-free flavors which is a bonus for me. They have yogurts, too. But just for fun, here's a short list of delicious things I have eaten lately which do not contain any dairy, since I never eat dairy by choice:

Brussels Sprouts roasted with Bacon
Roast Beef in a spice crust
Baked Japanese sweet potatoes
Chicken livers from Nando's restaurant
Southwest Ranch flavor Kale Chips
Watermelon
Cherries
Shrimp and Scallops from the Hibachi joint downtown
Omelet with peppers and onion
Lara bars, any flavor
Guacamole and fresh salsa
Pork carnitas

I could go on and on, but you get the idea. Food is supposed to be delicious and dairy is really not the be-all and end-all of yumminess. Embrace where you are and try to have some fun with it.

Right there with ya! I've found veggie cheese (usually in the vegetarian aisle, if you've got one) that works as a cheese replacement and doesn't bother me. I use Lactose-free milk on my cereal and for any other use, but don't drink milk like I used to. I've cut out a lot of foods I know will bother me - ice cream is a real culprit. I don't really miss them and would rather feel good than eat them. You can get calcium from a lot of other foods and/or take a supplement.

Most adults are lactose intolerant, across the world. Americans have the highest tolerance due to their heavy use of dairy past childhood. But even in America a large percent of us don't do well with it. It's no big deal. There are so many alternatives. Usually yogurt doesn't bother people, so if you're a die-hard for 'real' dairy, try that.

Mammals are made to live off mother's milk until they can feed normally. Humans are the only mammal to drink the milk of another. It's kind of gross, when you think about it. Our bodies were never meant to be milk consumers past childhood, and early childhood at that. That's why our stomachs eventually lack the enzyme to digest it. So if you're lactose intolerant, you're normal!

Hello! Very new to MFP (just created my acct today) and I love pizza but it doesn't like me. The tasty milk in my cereal sours my stomach and my ice cream treats sweetly refuse to stay put.
Only in the past 2-3 years has my lactose intolerance really been a struggle. It has gotten so bad that every time I eat a tiny little bit of dairy I want to d i e! : ' ( Dairy also has been making my skin break out lately. So, I have stopped eating dairy altogether. But it's so HARD to avoid......!!! I have tried Lactaid and currently drink Silk Soymilk as a substitute...but I am wondering if there is anything *else* I can do? I also am curious if anyone has a favorite non-dairy/dairy substitute that they enjoy? Any recipes/advice/suggestions would be wonderful!

Thanks so much!

Kate

I've noticed as I've gotten into better shape, my LI has almost completely gone away. I eat a ton of dairy and for the most part it doesnt bother me at all anymore. Which is really strange. Not sure if its the supplements, or better gut health or better overall health. I still do take dairy pills when I consume a large amount of dairy, but small amounts don't bother me at all.

I can't explain why its gone away. I've been LI since I was about 10 years old.

Try being lactose AND gluten intolerant...kinda cuts down on eating anything yummy. Good for losing weight though I guess..lol. I just stick to fruits/vegs/lean meats. Boring...