If you are lactose intolerant

[justLisa]

Can you tolerate any dairy? Cream, yogurt or a bit of cheese?

 

Ugh. I don't wnat to go back to soymilk in my coffee. I do not like it. I do not like coconut milk in my coffee either. I need more "bulk" than cream. Otherwise I want to use like a quarter cup of it and that's too much. And I don't even know if I tolerate plain cream. Half and half is making my stomach ache all day.

 

Does lactaid really help anyone? I have tried it, but didn't think it really helped any. I am not eating any other dairy except a small bit of greek yogurt or a little pecorino grated on something right now, and those seem to be fine.

[Dory]

I was lactose intolerant. My sister is much more severe than I am though. Both of us can handle good yogurts and both of us can handle raw milk products. if I eat yogurt daily I don't react as badly to pasteurized milk products. It seems to build my gut up a little.

[Princess Peach]

DH is lactose intolerant. He drinks his coffee black and drinks soy milk and has soy yogurt. But he does eat cheese and just a little bit of ice cream (his favorite). Sometimes he pays for it, but he has to decide if it's worth it. :)

[Kertie]

I'm not, but ds7 is. Try Yami yogurt--you can go to their website to see what stores near you carry it. They use lactase to transform the lactose or something...well, read about it on their website--not sure how to explain it:). But ds can handle that just fine, and it's lower in sugar as well.

 

Have you tried almond milk? We've found that there's quite a difference among brands, but most of them have gone over pretty well here. Not sure how the creaminess would compare to cream in your coffee.

 

Best of luck!

[Zebra]

I'm LI, but I can tolerate yogurt and hard cheeses. Lactaid pills work for me within reason. I do have a "limit" of how much dairy I can have in a day even with those.

 

Is it possibly some sort of casein or milk allergy instead of LI?

[stripe]

What about goat milk/cheese?

[justLisa]

I'm LI, but I can tolerate yogurt and hard cheeses. Lactaid pills work for me within reason. I do have a "limit" of how much dairy I can have in a day even with those.

 

Is it possibly some sort of casein or milk allergy instead of LI?

 

No it's a lactose intolerance. If I JUST use a tblsp of cream in my coffee and eat maybe half cup greek yogurt I'm ok. But I cannot handle that little of cream! I have just been going over board I think.

 

I am eating LCHF but still I think dumping half cup of cream in my coffee may be a bit excessive.

[justLisa]

What about goat milk/cheese?

 

 

See I used to have access to raw goat's milk and it was delish. But I don't anymore and the only other goat's milk is very goaty.

 

I LOVE goat's milk cheese though. A tad bit is ok.

[Dobela]

I'm LI, but I can tolerate yogurt and hard cheeses. Lactaid pills work for me within reason. I do have a "limit" of how much dairy I can have in a day even with those.

 

:iagree: This is me. My dad however can tolerate small amounts of milk and cream but not large quantities. I can't tolerate any milk, cream, or the like. I pay dearly for it. I use soy milk, or the nondairy creamers.

[Tohru]

Yep. It sucks. I eat cheese anyway and call it my "dairy diet" because I'll loose weight from all the gastronomic effects. TMI, I know.

 

Anyway, try digestive enzymes. Lactaid does work for me.

 

Don't do soymilk. Soy is sooooo bad for you for so many reasons! And this is coming from some one who grew up in an Asian country with a strong Asian background. I highly advise anyone who consumes the stuff to do some serious research about it.

[Trish]

I have always been a hardcore dairy person. LOVE milk, cheese, ice cream, all of it. Well now I'm middle aged and a lactose intolerance has gradually crept up on me to the point where I can tolerate very little dairy without experiencing stomach cramps. However, I still like my dairy.

 

So I use the lactaid pills available in the stomach remedy section of your grocery store. It has taken me some time to get used to remembering to take them with me to dinners out, etc. so I keep them handy in my purse. They work GREAT! Thing is, if I'm just having cream in my coffee, I take one pill. If I'm having a whole dish of ice cream, I'll take 3-4. I take 2-3 with pizza. I don't drink milk shakes the way I used to, though.

 

So you have to gauge how many you need to take depending on the item, but I certainly don't deny myself some of my favorite foods. Use the lactaid!!!

[justLisa]

I have always been a hardcore dairy person. LOVE milk, cheese, ice cream, all of it. Well now I'm middle aged and a lactose intolerance has gradually crept up on me to the point where I can tolerate very little dairy without experiencing stomach cramps. However, I still like my dairy.

 

So I use the lactaid pills available in the stomach remedy section of your grocery store. It has taken me some time to get used to remembering to take them with me to dinners out, etc. so I keep them handy in my purse. They work GREAT! Thing is, if I'm just having cream in my coffee, I take one pill. If I'm having a whole dish of ice cream, I'll take 3-4. I take 2-3 with pizza. I don't drink milk shakes the way I used to, though.

 

So you have to gauge how many you need to take depending on the item, but I certainly don't deny myself some of my favorite foods. Use the lactaid!!!

 

Ok I did it all wrong then. Maybe I ought to look at the back of the box :lol:

 

I was just taking some in the morning and calling it good.

 

I LOVE LOVE dairy. I was dairy free for 5 years and once I figured out that grains and carbs keep me irregular I was able to tolerate a bit and gauge my intolerance to the dairy. Well I've just been over doing it in a big way. I'm going to go buy some more. I don't even know what happened to the little box I got.

[justLisa]

Yep. It sucks. I eat cheese anyway and call it my "dairy diet" because I'll loose weight from all the gastronomic effects. TMI, I know.

 

Anyway, try digestive enzymes. Lactaid does work for me.

 

Don't do soymilk. Soy is sooooo bad for you for so many reasons! And this is coming from some one who grew up in an Asian country with a strong Asian background. I highly advise anyone who consumes the stuff to do some serious research about it.

 

 

Yeah I've read a lot about the soy arguments. I used it in my coffee for a long time because it tasted good and was non dairy. But I no longer like the taste and it does have quite a bit of sugar (at least the kind I liked).

[Trish]

yeah, I don't consider the lactaid pills "medication" -- it doesn't really change YOU, it just adds to your stomach what's missing in order to digest the dairy. That's why it's good to take the pills a little before you need them, but not too much. (honestly I tend to take them RIGHT before I eat whatever it is, but it works a little better if I give the pills a 10-15 minute head start)

[Princess Peach]

What about Coffee Mate? I think that is lactose-free.

[justLisa]

What about Coffee Mate? I think that is lactose-free.

 

I was drinking the SF one for a while but I literally want to dump the entire bottle of it in my coffee! And I'm guessing that is bad :lol:

[Ravin]

Putting on my science nerd hat for a minute:

 

Lactose intolerance is, by definition, an inability to digest the natural sugar lactose, which is in all mammalian milks. In humans, as all mammals, the natural state is lactase production in infancy which ceases after weaning, so that older children and adults are lactose intolerant.

 

Those who can digest lactose into adulthood actually have a mutation for lactase persistence (i.e., persisting in producing lactase). For some, this persistence will continue whether they eat dairy or not; for others, it continues as long as they regularly eat dairy but would cease and likely not return if they stopped eating dairy.

 

In the modern context, the more ancestry in long-time dairy eating cultures of Europe or Africa you have, the more likely you are to have no problems with lactose. If your ancestry is mixed at ALL, which most peoples' is these days, you might not have the mutation and the cultural dominance of dairy products in the American diet will cause you grief.

 

There are, however, cultures where people eat dairy even though they can't digest lactose. They do this by letting bacteria or molds do the digesting for them. Hard cheeses and yogurt are the two most common examples. If you are lactose intolerant, you should still be able to eat both, as well as drink lactaid milk or use the lactase pills to help you tolerate other dairy foods.

 

If hard cheese and yogurt give you problems, your issue is likely not lactose intolerance, but an intolerance or allergy to milk PROTEINS, which can be species-specific such that you might be able to handle goat-dairy products but not cows. (though goat's milk also has less lactose in it than cow's, and live/raw milk of any kind retains enzymes that can help digest it).

 

In particular, if an infant is labeled "lactose intolerant," most of the time they're really cow's milk protein intolerant. Lactase persistence is an oddball human mutation, but absence of lactase in an infant is a major abberation that is as rare as any other metabolic disorder that, in absence of modern medicine and food chemistry, would likely result in malnutrition and death.

[Dory]

Putting on my science nerd hat for a minute:

 

Lactose intolerance is, by definition, an inability to digest the natural sugar lactose, which is in all mammalian milks. In humans, as all mammals, the natural state is lactase production in infancy which ceases after weaning, so that older children and adults are lactose intolerant.

 

Those who can digest lactose into adulthood actually have a mutation for lactase persistence (i.e., persisting in producing lactase). For some, this persistence will continue whether they eat dairy or not; for others, it continues as long as they regularly eat dairy but would cease and likely not return if they stopped eating dairy.

 

In the modern context, the more ancestry in long-time dairy eating cultures of Europe or Africa you have, the more likely you are to have no problems with lactose. If your ancestry is mixed at ALL, which most peoples' is these days, you might not have the mutation and the cultural dominance of dairy products in the American diet will cause you grief.

 

There are, however, cultures where people eat dairy even though they can't digest lactose. They do this by letting bacteria or molds do the digesting for them. Hard cheeses and yogurt are the two most common examples. If you are lactose intolerant, you should still be able to eat both, as well as drink lactaid milk or use the lactase pills to help you tolerate other dairy foods.

 

If hard cheese and yogurt give you problems, your issue is likely not lactose intolerance, but an intolerance or allergy to milk PROTEINS, which can be species-specific such that you might be able to handle goat-dairy products but not cows. (though goat's milk also has less lactose in it than cow's, and live/raw milk of any kind retains enzymes that can help digest it).

 

In particular, if an infant is labeled "lactose intolerant," most of the time they're really cow's milk protein intolerant. Lactase persistence is an oddball human mutation, but absence of lactase in an infant is a major abberation that is as rare as any other metabolic disorder that, in absence of modern medicine and food chemistry, would likely result in malnutrition and death.

 

And that would be why when I don't have pasteurized milk, and I am able to culture everything, I don't react to it.

Edited September 16, 2012 by Dory

[tvaleri]

I am lactose intolerant and can't have soy either. It counteracts my thyroid meds :glare:

 

I use half and half in my coffee and can eat cheese if it's cooked (like on pizza or queso).

 

Have you tried the lactose free milks or almond milk (it's pretty thick).

 

Smiles,

Teresa

[justLisa]

Putting on my science nerd hat for a minute:

 

Lactose intolerance is, by definition, an inability to digest the natural sugar lactose, which is in all mammalian milks. In humans, as all mammals, the natural state is lactase production in infancy which ceases after weaning, so that older children and adults are lactose intolerant.

 

Those who can digest lactose into adulthood actually have a mutation for lactase persistence (i.e., persisting in producing lactase). For some, this persistence will continue whether they eat dairy or not; for others, it continues as long as they regularly eat dairy but would cease and likely not return if they stopped eating dairy.

 

In the modern context, the more ancestry in long-time dairy eating cultures of Europe or Africa you have, the more likely you are to have no problems with lactose. If your ancestry is mixed at ALL, which most peoples' is these days, you might not have the mutation and the cultural dominance of dairy products in the American diet will cause you grief.

 

There are, however, cultures where people eat dairy even though they can't digest lactose. They do this by letting bacteria or molds do the digesting for them. Hard cheeses and yogurt are the two most common examples. If you are lactose intolerant, you should still be able to eat both, as well as drink lactaid milk or use the lactase pills to help you tolerate other dairy foods.

 

If hard cheese and yogurt give you problems, your issue is likely not lactose intolerance, but an intolerance or allergy to milk PROTEINS, which can be species-specific such that you might be able to handle goat-dairy products but not cows. (though goat's milk also has less lactose in it than cow's, and live/raw milk of any kind retains enzymes that can help digest it).

 

In particular, if an infant is labeled "lactose intolerant," most of the time they're really cow's milk protein intolerant. Lactase persistence is an oddball human mutation, but absence of lactase in an infant is a major abberation that is as rare as any other metabolic disorder that, in absence of modern medicine and food chemistry, would likely result in malnutrition and death.

 

Well we are about as European as they come ;)

 

I'm just a fluke. Everyone else here could LIVE on milk, cheese and yogurt.

[justLisa]

Have you tried any of the non dairy creamers? They even have ones with no other flavors. At first it might be a bit ick, but I've been able to get used to it when I used it.

 

Or what about watering down the HC a bit? I know, that's probably more like milk, but if you can tolerate HC better than watering it down won't make a difference in that department. KWIM?

 

I've never tried it, but what about almond milk? Or maybe a mix of HC with almond milk.

 

I dunno. I too need something in my coffee. I don't need a ton, but yeah I can't stand black coffee.

 

What about lactose pills?

 

Tough situation to be in!

 

I don't like al mond milk. I am guessing you wouldn't either....well in coffee anyways.

 

I was drinking the SF coffeemate but if I start with the sweet I start dumping like half the bottle and that's probably not good.

 

I'm going to the store for lactaid later. I can't deal without dairy! I just opened the last container I had of soymilk and about gagged.

[Elizabeth in MN]

I avoid milk products due to my LI. I drink Lactose Free milk, though. It's expensive and a bit sweet but you get use to it. I can't do sour cream, yogurt, pizza or the like without pills and even then it's iffy. I MISS KEFIR!

Edited September 15, 2012 by Elizabeth in MN
spelling correction

[kroe1]

Yes, lactaid pills help a ton for me. I LOVE dairy, but over the years, the more "fatty" the dairy, like butter, the worse my symptoms. I can still drink my skim milk all day, however. But I have to take lactaid now even with a butter cooked steak to avoid the pain and embarrassment of intolerance. It's nice to be able to drink a milkshake without having to bare down on the gas pedal to race home to the restroom.

 

Good luck to you. I could never give up my dairy!

:grouphug:

[BellaMama]

Um... do you not have lactose-free dairy?

My DS7 is lactose intolerant.

"Natrel" makes lactose-free milk; 0%,1%,2% and chocolate milk. "Yoplait" has lactose-free yogourt in a variety of flavours, and I can find about 5 different lactose-free cheeses (mostly from Costco). These products are gaining in popularity.We live in Canada, are you in the States? I don't understand why these products aren't available in the States... demand should be similar but on a much larger scale!

[gingersmom]

Lactaid pills and all their "dairy free", "lactose" free products do nothing for me but make me ill.

 

Weird but true.......my father would get deathly ill from drinking milk and avoided all dairy. But, every night he had a giant bowl of Haagen Dazs ice cream with no problem.

 

My son is exactly the same way. Dairy free but Haagen Dazs has no effect on him. We have tried other ice creams and he gets sick almost immediately.

 

I have not been so lucky. I am dairy free, soy free, almond milk free.

[Zebra]

As a side note, can I just say the OP's sig is HYSTERICAL!

 

Yes, try the lactaid pills correctly and maybe it will work. It's definitely worth a shot. Also, according to the package you should take one every 45 minutes, if you are still consuming milk. I didn't want to use the pills, but life is too dang hard without any milk for me right now. I have cut my milk consumption down considerably, but lactaid has literally given me my life back. It was that bad before the pills. I know I sound like a commercial!

 

For me, I slowly developed problems over time but then had a nasty infection and took some very strong antibiotics, and that completely wiped out any lactose tolerance I had. Suddenly I was sick, all the time for hours, and in agony. I guess it's a common thing.

 

Which is why I love antibiotics :glare:, but that's a whole other thread!

[justLisa]

Yes, lactaid pills help a ton for me. I LOVE dairy, but over the years, the more "fatty" the dairy, like butter, the worse my symptoms. I can still drink my skim milk all day, however. But I have to take lactaid now even with a butter cooked steak to avoid the pain and embarrassment of intolerance. It's nice to be able to drink a milkshake without having to bare down on the gas pedal to race home to the restroom.

 

Good luck to you. I could never give up my dairy!

:grouphug:

That is interesting. I thought it was the opposite and cream/butter had LESS lactose and easier to digest. My mother drinks nonfat milk. Maybe I could ask her for a cup of it. I buy whole milk and cream.

 

Um... do you not have lactose-free dairy?

My DS7 is lactose intolerant.

"Natrel" makes lactose-free milk; 0%,1%,2% and chocolate milk. "Yoplait" has lactose-free yogourt in a variety of flavours, and I can find about 5 different lactose-free cheeses (mostly from Costco). These products are gaining in popularity.We live in Canada, are you in the States? I don't understand why these products aren't available in the States... demand should be similar but on a much larger scale!

I do not know about those exact products. I have relatives in ON, I'll have to ask them if they have it. I have seen lactose free milk but have heard it tastes bad. I guess I could try it. It is not that specific brand. I can eat regular yogurt as it is cultured. And a bit of buttermilk. But buttermilk coffee doesn't sound too great LOL.

 

Lactaid pills and all their "dairy free", "lactose" free products do nothing for me but make me ill.

 

Weird but true.......my father would get deathly ill from drinking milk and avoided all dairy. But, every night he had a giant bowl of Haagen Dazs ice cream with no problem.

 

My son is exactly the same way. Dairy free but Haagen Dazs has no effect on him. We have tried other ice creams and he gets sick almost immediately.

 

I have not been so lucky. I am dairy free, soy free, almond milk free.

 

You can't have soy or nuts either? Ugh that's rough. Well there is coconut milk. I hate the taste of soymilk and almond milk is just watery tasting nuts to me. I like both if there is a lot of sugar, but I don't want to eat sugar

 

As a side note, can I just say the OP's sig is HYSTERICAL!

 

Yes, try the lactaid pills correctly and maybe it will work. It's definitely worth a shot. Also, according to the package you should take one every 45 minutes, if you are still consuming milk. I didn't want to use the pills, but life is too dang hard without any milk for me right now. I have cut my milk consumption down considerably, but lactaid has literally given me my life back. It was that bad before the pills. I know I sound like a commercial!

 

For me, I slowly developed problems over time but then had a nasty infection and took some very strong antibiotics, and that completely wiped out any lactose tolerance I had. Suddenly I was sick, all the time for hours, and in agony. I guess it's a common thing.

 

Which is why I love antibiotics :glare:, but that's a whole other thread!

Yeah anbx stink. I had a horrible case of strep a couple years ago and it wiped my gut. I couldn't eat anything for months.

 

Well I guess there are options. I am only concerned with something for my coffee so I guess I'll start with the pills.

[Dobela]

That is interesting. I thought it was the opposite and cream/butter had LESS lactose and easier to digest. My mother drinks nonfat milk. Maybe I could ask her for a cup of it. I buy whole milk and cream.

 

 

I do not know about those exact products. I have relatives in ON, I'll have to ask them if they have it. I have seen lactose free milk but have heard it tastes bad. I guess I could try it. It is not that specific brand. I can eat regular yogurt as it is cultured. And a bit of buttermilk. But buttermilk coffee doesn't sound too great LOL.

 

TO 'like' the flavor, you will have to go dairy free for a good length of time before trying the lactose free. Otherwise your tastebuds remember.

 

You can't have soy or nuts either? Ugh that's rough. Well there is coconut milk. I hate the taste of soymilk and almond milk is just watery tasting nuts to me. I like both if there is a lot of sugar, but I don't want to eat sugar

I bought xylitol and stevia packets to use for sweetener instead of sugar. I LOVE them. They work well with the plain milk alternatives that aren't sweetened. Then I use the plain alternatives in foods like mashed potatoes.

 

Yeah anbx stink. I had a horrible case of strep a couple years ago and it wiped my gut. I couldn't eat anything for months.

 

Well I guess there are options. I am only concerned with something for my coffee so I guess I'll start with the pills.

Have you tried the Silk Soymilk coffee creamers? They come in smaller containers and in flavors. They are thicker and richer like cream and creamers. I know you don't like regular soymilk, but these may taste enough different for you that they will work.

[justLisa]

Have you tried the Silk Soymilk coffee creamers? They come in smaller containers and in flavors. They are thicker and richer like cream and creamers. I know you don't like regular soymilk, but these may taste enough different for you that they will work.

 

I have used the silk soymilk creamers and they are ok. I'm just trying to get away from the sugar. I need so much of it to like it!