My first experience dealing with dairy sensitivities was when my daughter was just about a year old. We just started giving her little bits of cheese and yogurt. I started to notice that her diapers were horrible. Within about 20-35 minutes of eating, it would all run through it and it would be the worst smelling diaper. But the worst part of it all was that if I didn’t catch it almost IMMEDIATELY, it would burn her bottom to the point of it blistering. It was horrible. So I eliminated dairy from her diet. To my surprise, it still happened. We then realized that she couldn’t have anything that had dairy proteins in it. My life got a whole lot more complicated. Do you realize how many things has dairy in it???
I took Bella to a couple allergists and because her allergy tests came back negative for a dairy allergy, I was told I could feed her anything because she does not have an allergy and there is no need to keep it from her diet. I had one doctor even tell me that I wanted something to be wrong with her. I finally found a doctor that specialized in food allergies and sensitivities who believed everything I told him; he looked at the many pages of notes I had gathered, etc and he told me that she should not have any dairy or dairy proteins AT ALL until she grew out of this (and he was confident that she would grow out of it). FINALLY! Finally someone believed me! Bella is now six and while she can’t go crazy and drink a gallon of milk and eat a lot of ice cream at once, she can tolerate it in bits. Which is nice for when we go get ice cream. I always hated that she had to have sorbet while we ate ice cream.
When The Motherhood approached me about working on a campaign with LACTAID, I knew it was a perfect fit. Not only do I have the experience with my daughter, but I also suspect I am lactose intolerant myself. This past week I had the opportunity to speak online with Melissa d’Arabian, spokesperson for the LACTAID brand and NY Times best selling author of the book, Ten Dollar Dinners. Also part of the webinar was Michelle Harrington, RD, a pediatric dietitian I learned so much about what exactly lactose intolerance was and all about LACTAID products and how they can truly help those of use with dairy issues!
What is Lactose Intolerance?
Most people produce that natural enzyme, lactase, which breaks down lactose (sugar in milk). The amount of lactase your body produces will determine how much lactose your body can break down.
What is LACTAID?
- LACTAID products provide the lactase that the body cannot produce enough of which allows people to enjoy the dairy products they love.
- LACTAID products are 100% real dairy, just with a natural yeast-derivative enzyme added (the lactase).
- LACTAID Lactose-Free products include milk, cottage cheese, ice cream and eggnog.
- LACTAID is the nations #1 lactose-free dairy brand.
Tips for Eating with Lactose Intolerance
- Eat products containing lactose with food.
- Yogurt contains live cultures that help digest lactose. Greek yogurt has double the protein and less carbs, which means LESS lactose!
- Aged cheeses have less moisture or whey, which means less lactose. Examples of aged cheeses are: Gruyere, Pecorino and Swiss.
- Butter is low in lactose so there really is no need to cut it out of your diet, unless for health reasons.
The nice thing about cooking with LACTAID products is that you can substitute it without any modifications to recipe. You can read all about the nutritional information on LACTAID products on their website by going to this link: http://www.LACTAID.com/products. Soon I will be sharing with you a recipe I make using LACTAID milk. Be sure to tune in to the Today Show on June 25th where Melissa d’Arabian will be sharing a delicious recipe with the viewers!
Do you want to give LACTAID a try? One lucky reader will win a coupon to try LACTAID for FREE! Easy entry below!
I haven’t tried any yet but I’d love to try the ice cream!
I have not tried their products before