Living a Lactose Free Life

 



I’ve always had stomach issues. It dates back to a particularly bad bout of gastroenteritis I caught in Ibiza when I was nineteen which resulted in me losing half a stone in five days and having to fly home early. The aftereffects lasted for a few years until I had a colonoscopy and my consultant prescribed me tablets that he said were strong enough to kill any unknown lurking parasites.

 

After this my stomach problems rumbled on and on and I learnt to deal with it. It got worse again about 18 years ago, and my doctor diagnosed IBS and a bowel infection. It was easy after this to assume that every stomach flare up or issue was IBS.

 

Things only changed earlier this year when I noticed that my stomach was worse after a few particular meals. Cheese seemed to be the only common factor and Google told me that the ability to digest cheese properly get less as you age. So, I put it down to that. Over the next couple of weeks, the symptoms seemed to increase, and I could always see how they were being caused by cheese. After one particularly bad Saturday night and a dinner of pizza and garlic bread followed by ice cream, I finally came to the conclusion that I might be lactose intolerant.

 

The next day I went shopping and set about cutting all dairy out of my diet. After 48 hours I can truthfully say that my stomach felt amazing. I’d become used to a low level of discomfort over the last few decades but that had disappeared.

 

Since then, I have eaten dairy free. It’s been fairly easy with just a few setbacks. I couldn’t work out why my stomach was upset after eating Linda McCartney sausages until I read that they contain sulphites and intolerance to sulphites is surprisingly common. It can also be an issue when dairy is not listed in the ingredients, but it says underneath May Contain Milk. Sometimes this is just the company covering themselves in case of cross contamination and they will be fine. It’s taking a risk though and I now can tell if the risk hasn’t paid off and I’ve eaten dairy. It’s personal judgement though and you have to decide if the risk is worth it or not. 

 

If you have never had to cut something fundamental like dairy out of your diet, then it can feel a bit daunting and you may wonder where to start. Looking for food that is listed as vegan can help as you know it’s definitely ok. I found lots of products in Sainsbury’s and Tesco and their ranges are really good. The only item I struggled with replacing was Tikka Masala cooking sauce. Thankfully, I managed to track down a vegan version online so I could order a few in advance. I was already making my own gluten free Yorkshire Puddings as my eldest daughter is celiac, so it was easy to make them vegan as well. I’ve even branched out into making vegan naan bread now as well. 

 

Some products have made this lifestyle change a lot easier to deal with so I thought I would share them with you. 

 

    

       

 




 

This vegan cheese has been a lifesaver. I tend to bag it up in portions and freeze it. This works well because it is grated. There are different brands so try a few and see what suits you.

 

 






Also being dairy free doesn’t mean that you have to give up all treats. Jude’s Vegan ice cream is spectacularly good. I was delighted to find that you can even get vegan Magnums now!

 

 

 

So here I am now. 54 years old and lactose intolerant. I feel a little sad that I probably have been lactose intolerant for quite a long time and if it had been diagnosed earlier then my life might have been easier.  But I can’t change that now and I’m just grateful to have sorted it out finally.

 

So, if you are someone who has struggled with stomach issues then have a think about lactose intolerance and maybe try cutting diary out for a few days to see if it makes a difference. Don’t just assume it’s IBS, you may not have to put up with the discomfort.

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