For years I got horrible stomach aches a few times a week. They went away after a little while, and we always thought it was something that I ate. This went on for years and I began to ignore the gurgling and pains in my stomach. It was embarrassing at times, having to run to the bathroom sometimes in the middle of a meal. I didn’t know what was wrong with me
I have a big obsession with cheese. To me, it is one of the best foods in the world, and can make many foods taste better. One day after much begging my dad took my siblings, mother and me to a Greek restaurant to have what we call flaming cheese, aka saganaki. It was by far one of the most delicious things I have ever had to eat. The bubbly, hot, melty cheese had my mouth watering. I ate my share of the cheese and continued to eat my regular meal when the stomach ache hit. Nooo, not now. My mind said.
I ran to the bathroom feeling my stomach clenching. I felt like I my intestines were burning. I was so angry that the one time I got to eat something that I’d waited for for a long time I had to get a bad stomach ache. Later that night while thinking about how delicious the cheese was and how painful the stomach ache was it finally hit me. Maybe I’m lactose intolerant. I did many, many online searches and came to the conclusion that I definiately was. I didn’t want to go to the doctor to have a stool acidity test like they can do, so I just went to the store and bout Lactaid tablets to try.
When I got home I got made myself a grilled cheese sandwhich. I hadn’t eaten one in years because I always got the horrid stomach aches. I couldn’t believe I’d never gathered that information and realized what was wrong. I ate the sandwhich with the lactase tablet, hours later still no stomach ache. I was so extremely thrilled. I wanted to share my experience with others and give you tips on how to handle lactose intolereance.
Recently I started reading again about lactose intolerance. Some people say that cheese has such little amounts of lactose that it shouldn’t hurt your stomach. That is very far from the truth. Since everyones body is different, some people can handle eating cheese while some can’t. If you have problems eatting cheese try using the tablets. I’ve found that eatting small amounts is best as well. Don’t go eatting a huge chunk of cheese unless you’re taking multiple lactase tablets. That’s another great thing about the tablets. You can take as many as you need to deal with your intolerance.
Milk has always been another great love of mine. I was one of the only kids I knew that actually wanted a big glass of milk for dinner. To this day I still can’t drink a regular glass of milk even with a lactase tablet. I started buying lactose free milk. It can get fairly pricey, but if you love milk and can’t handle it it’s a good investment. I’ve also tried soy milk, but that tastes disgusting in my opinion. It’s great in cereals and cooking, but drinking it tastes like flour.
If you’re lactose intolerant and love dairy products don’t worry. Though you may not be able to handle some things you can try experimenting with the lactase tablets, lactose free milk(or soy) and small amounts of dairy at a time. I know sometimes it’s embarrassing. Sometimes when you eat the dairy you can get bad gas, bloated, and sometimes you stink up the bathroom. Everyone has something to deal with, and a very high percentage of adults are lactose intolerant.
What have you found to work or not work for you and your lactose intolerance? I’d love to hear from you in comments!
