HELLO & WELCOME! MY NAME IS R.J. As I am sure you have guessed, I have been lactose intolerant for 15 years as of the time I produced this website.Here I hope you will find answers to the questions you may have regarding this more common than thought issue.

FOR ANSWERS NOT FOUND HERE YOU MIGHT TRY MY FORUM AT iamlactoseintolerant.blogspot.com

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO POST QUESTIONS

I WILL ANSWER AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE OR SUGGEST A REFERENCE

Rule No. 1 - DON'T FLIP OUT, YOUR LIFE IS NOT OVER!!!!

YOU WILL GET USED TO THIS!! 

Lactose intolerance, simply put, is the body's inability to break down lactose,the sugar found in cow's milk.

Hopefully, you have already been diagnosed as such, as this site is not intended to be used as a diagnostic tool.

Furthermore, this site is intended not to tell you about lactose intolerance, but how to retain some "quality of life" while living with this issue.

For myself, when I was diagnosed my doctor handed me a list of foods to avoid to ascertain whether or not I was in fact lactose intolerant, said if I felt better that this was the case, wished me luck, and charged me $125 for all ten minutes of my visit.

I found that this list was not as helpful as simply reading the ingredient list on any foods that I remotely suspected of containing milk ingredients.

AS A NOTE: LACTOSE INTOLERANCE IS NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH ALLERGY TO MILK!!! THAT IS AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT BEAST!!!

Key INGREDIENTS to look for are lactose (of course,) whey (the liquid part of milk,) & milk in any form (whole, skim, non-fat, etc.)

Be sure to check EVERYTHING that is not clearly lactose-free!!

Don't be embarrassed about it!

If your friends razz you about it, tell them where to go!!

It is much better to suffer a small bit of embarrassment than to suffer the symptoms!!!

Now, of course, there are many products out there to help with this issue. Lactaid, Dairy-Ease, & Lactagen,E.G.

I think the better part of we who are lactose intolerant are not severely so, as I am; which is to say that there are those who need not worry much about ingesting foods with small amounts of dairy products, but about eating too much of those foods. I myself have found that if there is some form of dairy listed in the "contains 2% or less of " portion of the ingredient list that I will likely have no issue, but if I have just a teaspoon of  regular milk, well, the Hindenburgh comes to mind.

Don't be wary of lactose-reduced or lactose-free products.

They are simply the regular thing with the lactase enzyme added in to break down the lactose.This is what the pills and additives are. And the only difference in lactose-reduced milks (tastewise) is that it is slightly sweeter than regular milk.

THERE ARE NO SIDE EFFECTS FROM THESE PRODUCTS EXCEPT THAT THEY SAVE YOU THE TROUBLE WHILE ALLOWING YOU TO ENJOY THEM!!

Now for some good (or at least decent) news.

If you are a die-hard chocolate-lover, you might try Hershey's Special Dark or Goldenburg Peanut Chews.

For ice cream, Lactaid makes excellent lactose-free ice cream.

You might also try a product called Soy Delicious,

an ice-cream "substitute" that truly tastes like any premium ice cream.

These are just a few of similar products available,

SO EXPLORE!!

More good news!! Many common types of cheeses are not a problem!!

Cheddar, Swiss, Monterey Jack, Muenster,Mozzerella--

NO PROBLEM!!

Eat that pizza to your hearts content!!!

In fact, Kraft Products will TELL YOU if the item is lactose-free!!

Look just beneath the Nutrition Information label.

There are many store & restaurant  bought foods that you will need to avoid. BUT! there are many resources available, such as cookbooks, websites, etc.,that will allow you to make these dishes at home, if you like!

AT THE END OF THE DAY THE ANSWER IS TO WATCH WHAT YOU EAT, AND EXPLORE YOUR OPTIONS FOODWISE!!

Happiness & Health, R.J.

P.S.  Don't forget to visit  iamlactoseintolerant.blogspot.com

to ask any questions, or to post info that you have!!

P.P.S.  IF YOUALSO SUFFER FROM IBS (AS MANY WITH LACTOSE INTOLERANCE DO) YOU MAY WANT TO CHECK THIS OUT!