Getting Tired Of Forgetting To Take Lactaid - Think I Might Have To Go Off Dairy

[Sweetfudge]

the title pretty much sums it up, had a food allergy test done a while ago, dr said i scored a 3 out of 5/6 on being intolerant to dairy, to try lactaid, and if that didn't help, cut dairy out. well, i have tried lactaid, and it helps when i take it. i seem to forget to take it about half the time, and so i'm not feeling much better. so i think i might be cutting it out of my diet. but i'm so scared to, because i love it! i love cooking and baking, and am worried about using substitutions for cheese and milk. i tried soymilk and rice cheese when i was on an IBS diet a couple years ago, and didn't love either. what's the best out there?

THANKS!!!

[tarnalberry]

I haven't found that there are any good substitutions for dairy products. if it's really lactose, however, you should still be able to have some hard cheese and yogurt in your diet - particularly full fat versions, as they have very little lactose in them. Other than that, it's been a matter of adapting around dairy and finding new things. Doable, but there isn't anything quite like it.

[Sweetfudge]

How can I tell the difference? In what I am intolerant to, and what products contain which?

[tarnalberry]

Well, it can be tricky, but if the lactaid makes all the symptoms go away, then it's dealing with the lactose and you're dealing with the casein, and you know that you're lactose intolerance, and can eat anything low in lactose (or with lactaid).

Since lactose is a milk sugar, dairy items with the least sugar and the most fat and protein are going to be best for the lactose intolerant. Yogurt, where the lactose has been at least partially digested by the added probiotics, is also good for some lactose-intolerant folks. In general, with cheese, the harder the cheese, the less lactose, and it goes much the same way for yogurts (strained and greek yogurts, for instance). Butter would have just trace amounts. Pretty much all dairy has casein, however (no one removes protein), though butter also only has trace amounts.

[confusedks]

If you are only dealing with lactose then what Tarnalberry said is totally right.

I think it is worth taking out all dairy/casein including butter for a month and then eating ice cream and seeing what happens. It isn't really that big of a deal to me anymore to have no dairy, and I used to have it on everything!

I still do miss it, I won't lie, but nothing tastes good enough for a migraine, IMO. I also tested higher for casein than gluten through enterolab... so that convinced me!

Good Luck!