Question About Lactose Intolerance

Yep she could definitely be lactose intolerant. I am the same way with milk as well as all 4 of my children. We can tolerate yogurt, cheese but forget ice cream and milk they do not sit well with us and within a 1/2 hour stomach pains. I still eat ice cream though and my kids do too occasionally :) But we all drink Lactaid milk in the house. Surprisingly they LOVE soy milk, me on the other hand think soy milk is acquired taste.

P.,

I am lactose intolerant. I have never drank milk, liked much cheese or dairy products. Even as a child I ate dry cereal. I found out as an adult after trying "slimfast"...OH my gosh! Stomach cramps, gas diahrea... YES, your stomach hurts. My girls drink soy milk. They make vanilla and chocolate soy thats incredible. They have soy yogurt and cheese. Try it and see if it helps her. Good luck and look for coupons for silk soy-my girls love the very vanilla in the purple container, they call it purple milk! Great on cereal too!

P., I had a similar experience growning up where milk always made me double over in pain. My Dr. however did not think I was lactose intolerant, simply allergic to milk. Basically I was able to eat your average milk products, however when I wanted to drink milk or put it over cereal I had to use a special kind. Twenty years ago it was called "Happy Milk". It cotained acidophollus bifodbacteria (sp?)which is not used in regular milk and is different than loactose intolerant milk.

The milk can still be found at the rpcery store today although it is called something different.

Good luck, there is always soy!

My son was actually allergic to milk, "outgrew" it, but then it became an intolerance. We had replaced all dairy with soy. Now, he is allergic to soy. I researched soy, and found out how messed around with soy really is, how the soy we consume in America, and the amounts, are not healthy. It is so highly genetically modified it is hardly food anymore. So between his soy allergy/milk intolerance, and that info, I pulled all soy derivatives/dairy from all our diets and we all feel better.

We replaced our milk with coconut milk and love it. I don't even like coconut. Still won't eat actual coconut, but love the milk.

As a mom who has done a great deal of food journaling to find food sensitivities, I suggest you find all the names for milk/dairy (casein, whey, etc), start reading labels VERY carefully, pull them from her diet, and keep a record of what happens. After 2 weeks, let her have some milk and see what happens. That is the best way to tell what works for HER. An intolerance won't usually show up on a medical test.

I like the book "The Prescription For Nutritional Healing" available from amazon for info on food sensitivities/allergies.

She might be. Maybe if she has something else with the milk/yogurt, it might help. Do a little research before you dive onto the soy bandwagon. Soy contains phytoestrogens which is questionable....good luck! Personally, if she needs a sub, I would try rice milk. Or goat's milk.

My teenager is lactose intolerant, but she can eat yogurt and some cheeses. She takes lactaid before eating dairy products. You could check with your doctor to see if you can give it to a child.

Some people are also allergic to soy. So that is not always a good alternative. There are other kinds of products such as rice milk that might be better.

If you are worried about calcium there are other sources than dairy products.

P.,

The symptoms are bloating, gas and discomfort, including cramping after eating dairy. If enough dairy is consumed, diarrhea can also occur. Yogurt is sometimes tolerated better because it's a different kind of lactic acid.

You could try giving her 1 tablet of a lactase supplement (REGULAR strength, not the ultra stuff) such as Lactaid.

HTH,

C.

Hi, I am also lactose intolerant. I found out as an adult. It does lead to stomach pain, cramping, gas, bloating, etc. It is not comfortable at all. For years I thought it was normal to feel that way after eating.

Although I don't like milk (we use soymilk in cereal), I do love cheese and ice cream so I use a digestive enzyme that my husband sells. It's mixed with water and it doesn't taste bad. It might be easier for a young child to tolerate than a pill. It helps with other things like beans, broccoli, etc. It's called Isotonix Digestive Enzymes. It also has probiotics (same stuff that's in yogurt) which promotes healthy digestion overall. It sells in a bottle and convenient travel packs.

Here's the link if you're interested http://www.marketamerica.com/myson/product-2227/isotonix-...

Hi,

Lactose intolerance can happen at any age. My oldest daughter became Lactose intolerant during 7th grade. The easiest way to find out is to take them off all dairy (milk, cheese, yougart, etc.) and whey products (becareful whey is in alot of things [ie., most breads, breadcrumbs, proccessed foods] check labels) for two weeks and see if she improves. If she does I would recomend taking her to the doctors and have her tested to see how intolerant she is. The lactaid pills do help. And there is a brand that you take once a day instead of at meals that is wonderful, but I can't remember the name, you can ask the pharamastis. But if she is, the doctors will want you to take her off all dairy and whey for a month or two before starting lactaid pills to clean out her system. Good Luck

The way you digest yogurt and the way you digest milk are different as are milk and yogurt. If she has stomach pains and diarreha afterwards this is a definant sign of lactose intolerance. Try either the lactose free milk or try some soy milk and see if she still gets stomach pains. good luck

hi P., your daughter may not be lactose intolerant if she is eating yogurt and other dairy products?? i am lactose intolerant and can not touch dairy or else i get really bad stomach cramps followed by painful loose bowels. i also know some people who vomit when ingesting dairy. one thought may be that your daughter's stomach can not handle milk first thing in the morning. when i used to be able to handle dairy, milk first thing in the morning sat in my stomach like a brick and a few other people i know have said similar things. dont get me wrong your daughter may have a dairy alergy but maybe see how she is if she has milk in the afternoon when her stomach is not empty. good luck.
A.