Living With Lactose Intolerance

I became lactose intolerant while dealing with the stresses of living away from home for the first time in a university dorm at the age of seventeen, many years ago. I've had lots of other health issues since then, but once in awhile I'm reminded of how confusing dealing with lactose was at first, with hidden dairy ingredients in unexpected places. Symptoms of lactose intolerance include bloating and abdominal cramping, and may not be on your doctor's radar when you complain of tummy trouble. I diagnosed myself after seeing an ad forLactaid Enzyme in a Reader's Digest magazine, and thank goodness, because I had been drinking MORE milk, believing it to be easy on the stomach. Lactaid helped me to eat somewhat normally while figuring things out and transitioning away from using milk products. The only thing is, it is expensive, and while I have continued to believe it is worth it for indulgences like chocolate and pizza, there have been years when it was a luxury I could not afford (friends would even buy Lactaid for me as a gift, which I was grateful to receive!). I was even less willing to spend the extra money to eat foods that really didn't need to contain milk, like fish sticks and french fries. Thankfully, there are more numerous milk replacements today, but it is still necessary to read product labels for lactose and other milk ingredients with names like sodium caseinate. 
One way to control the amount of hidden dairy in your food is to do more cooking and baking at home, where milk ingredients can fairly easily be substituted, or you can look for vegan or paleo recipes that have already eliminated the dairy. 
​Please keep in mind that everyone is different and some individuals with lactose intolerance can still tolerate small amounts of dairy, or specific products such as yogurt or butter. You will likely know by now if this is true for you. You can read more about lactose intolerance here. 

Here, from my own experience, is a list of foods, medicines and supplements that contain lactose, and suggestions for alternatives:

most conventional allergy medicines                              I use Allegra brand when needed, otherwise I like to                                                                                      stick with Bell's Allergy Relief

migraine medicine Imitrex                                             I switched to Axert (generic brands now available in                                                                                       Canada for less than $5/pill)
 
probiotics                                                                      This is something I frequently forget to check, and                                                                                       for those of us with digestive issues, so important to
                                                                                include! Thankfully Well.ca has a dairy-free indicator to
                                                                                   simplify the label-reading, and a number of
                                                                                      probiotics that do not include dairy                                                               

potato chips, including unsuspecting flavours                Again, label-reading on almost any snack that involves 
like dill pickle and salt & vinegar                                  added flavours; Kettle brand chips salt & vinegar flavour                                                                                  is considered dairy-free

hot dogs                                                                        Read the labels - Butterball turkey dogs are lactose-                                                                                       free

gummy candies                                                            I know right? So unnecessary! I don't eat a lot of                                                                                         candy anymore, but here again, Well.ca makes it easy                                                                                      to filter your choices if you need a sweet treat :)

toffee and caramels                                                         see above for candy, note: some candy is classified                                                                                        vegan rather than dairy-free

cheese                                                                           Most major grocery stores now have lactose-free
                                                                                     cheese alongside the regular products; dairy-free 
                                                                                     cheeses by brands like Daiya are also becoming                                                                                             popular and readily available
pizza                                                                              Daiya also makes pizza, available at the grocery                                                                                             store or from restaurants like Panago, or you can                                                                                           order without cheese and add your own

coffee creamer                                                                 Although a lot of flavoured coffee creamers are                                                                                           lactose-free, they are edible oil products that you                                                                                              may not want to consume everyday. Check out                                                                                              some healthier alternatives here.

milk and cream for drinking, baking or cooking                    There is some controversy about the value of                                                                                              almond milk but I like it; these days I usually buy                                                                                            coconut beverage or a blend for use on cereal or in                                                                                         smoothies and baking, and real canned coconut                                                                                             milk for curries

yogurt and kefir                                                                Look for coconut varieties, or learn to make your                                                                                    own with culture starters starting to become more                                                                                           readily available

butter and margarine                                                        My favourite is Earth Balance soy-free; a lot of                                                                                             brands are starting to introduce lactose-free versions


Chocolate                                                                          Happiness! There are more options than ever for                                                                                            dairy-free chocolate too :) 

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