Many of you have tried a dairy-free diet either for ethical reasons or because it upsets your stomach. Although the message from the dairy industry is that milk does a body good, 60 percent of adults can't digest dairy. It's not that they're allergic, meaning their immune system is affected; it's that their stomachs can't digest the lactose, the sugar found in milk. The enzyme lactase is needed to break it down, and for most of us, that enzyme stops being produced when we're between 2 and 5 years old. Without the enzyme to break down the lactose, the undigested milk sugars end up in our colons and ferment, causing cramps, bloating, gas, and diarrhea.
If you have no trouble digesting milk products, you're actually in the minority. That's why scientists don't like the term lactose intolerance, because it gives the impression that it's a disease. Lactose tolerance is actually a genetic mutation. It may have to do with the fact that thousands of years ago, depending on where people lived, milk was a source of food, calcium, and vitamin D. So people kept drinking cow's milk even after they stopped nursing (breast milk also contains lactose), and their bodies continued to produce the lactase enzyme to break it down. That's why there's a connection between your nationality and your sensitivity to milk. Those of European, Irish, Dutch, and Scandinavian decent are usually more tolerant of milk, while Native Americans, Asians, and those of African and Caribbean decent are more sensitive.
Tell me, where do you stand when it comes to sensitivity to milk?
Laura Biagiotti
Irregular Choice
Torrini
I'm really not sure where I stand.... I only drink milk in my coffee - but I DO consume products that contain dairy. Personally I am not allergic, and even when I did cut it out for a month I didn't feel ANY difference whatsoever (I mainly did it because I thought perhaps the hormones in modern dairy had a bad effect on my skin, but no improvement in that area.)
If you look at African tribesmen like the Masai for instance - a large part of their diet is dairy based. I find it surprising that you say Africans are more sensitive to dairy - this doesn't equate at all with what I've experienced all my life in South Africa (where a local drink called 'Amasi' is very popular - basically fermented milk). Then again I have read that the fermentation process allows bacteria to digest lactose (because they don't refrigerate their milk) - so I suppose therein lies the explanation.
I really think it's just about sourcing the best dairy possible (as natural & organic as you can find - though this should go for all foods) and not consuming too much of it.
1I'm really sensitive to milk, but only in certain forms, which is a little weird. I can do skim milk okay, but heavier foods like cheese and ice cream require a lot of moderation.
2Yep, I have to buy Lactaid milk and Lactaid pills for when I want dairy.
3I tolerate raw milk for some reason. I own a cow share with my husband from a local organic dairy and we pick up a gallon from our cow once a week. It has been great for his tummy which was a wreck following antibiotic treatments years ago. I have had no issues with it (which is surprising). Regular, conventional milk I don't handle with such ease.
4I have a mixed racial background. I personally have no issue whatsoever with milk/milk products, although my brother does have a slight intolerance. This is one "genetic mutation" I'm happy to have.
5Much as I love dairy, I can't have milk, ice cream, or yogurt without puffing up like a balloon for the next 2 days. I can eat small amounts of cheese without too much trouble. The yogurt thing makes me think I have a mild dairy allergy as opposed to lactose intolerance, though, since yogurt doesn't contain lactose.
6I don't have any problem with milk!
7I'm Asian, but I didn't have problems with milk at all before I became vegan. My mom, however, can't drink milk two days in a row, so she has a mild case of lactose intolerance. Asians drink a lot of milk in general though. I was surprised to learn that we're suppose to be more sensitive to it.
8I've discovered the joys of lactose-free milk. I was using soy milk for awhile but I didn't really enjoy it for cooking or baking purposes, plus the taste was always just a little off. Regular milk tends to upset my stomach, like when I eat cereal, so the lactose-free milk is great for me!
9I never thought I was sensitive to milk specifically, but I've always had a weak/easily-upset stomach and it's improved drastically since I stopped eating dairy.
10My mom's croatian and my dad's serbian. Even though they're from the same geographic area (former Yugoslavia), they have really different reactions. She has no problem, but he gets really bad cramps/diarrhea with the slightest amount of dairy product.
I'm hit or miss - sometimes I can go weeks without having any issues, and then all the sudden I'll have a week where my morning cereal gives me cramps/diarrhea. I generally don't have any problem with milk, ice cream, yogurt, and cheese (my favorite indulgence).
11I have major issues with dairy, as does my brother. Strangely, both of my parents tolerate it with no problem.
12I am always bloated and grassy, It might be milk..I need to pay more attention to that. But if its that, than I just became lactose intolerant not long ago.
13Lactose and wheat intolerance for me, have to avoid it also as it causes painful escema!
14Kia, I'm the same as you. I don't tolerate dairy at all unless it is in a raw form. I didn't realize this until college when I had to visit an organic dairy farmer. He finally talked me in to trying some and promised it wouldn't upset my stomach. Sure enough, he was right. I still can only do small portions, but it was definitely an interesting discovery.
15I find it interesting that nationality makes a difference because I am 100% tolerant of all dairy products and I'm of Scandinavian descent (on my mom's side) and German, Irish, and Scottish descent (on my dad's side) yet my dad is not tolerant of dairy and my mom and half siblings are.
16Intolorant. But I love almond milk, and soy ice cream!
17I'm South Asian (why the heck are we grouped with the rest of Asia?, we have a culture of continuing to drink milk, that's THE reason a cow is sacred), so milk is a constant. I personally hate the white stuff, but growing up I downed it like medicine, and still do. My parents were worried about my body ceasing to produce lactase, which is the sole reason I drink milk. Blech.
18I have no problems with milk.
19I think I'd die with out cheese
I come from a mixed backround.
Hungarian/(German/Austrian) and Mexican/Native American. My Euro side has no problem with dairy products. Heck, we live off of them.
Some of my uncles from my Mex side don't have problems either, but there are those in my familia that are lactose intolerant.
But I personally don't really drink milk with the exception of cereal, with dessert sweets or mixed with cocoa powder. I can't stand the taste of milk. I generally stick to fat free milk. My father likes the "good milk", the full fat one. Ick.
20I am intensely "lactose intolerant". Sometimes I can get away with a sandwich with cheese, but something like real ice cream or cheesecake will land me in pain for the rest of the night! I've taken things like Lactaid for most of my life, but more recently my mother and I have been taking this Digestive Advantage stuff that you take in the morning rather than before a meal. It's a probiotic, and it seems to help. But sometimes I can't help thinking, is my body trying to tell me I shouldn't be eating this stuff, rather than finding a way around it?
21What about babies that weren't breastfed? Could some of this have to do with lack of breastfeeding?
Does formula contain any kind of lactose?
22I've never liked cow milk, it actually made me sick as a kid - but I'm fine with cheese and could drink cream with a spoon (I sometimes do that with apple pie heheh). I usually try to limit my intake to cheese though, otherwise I get nauseous pretty easily from other dairy products.
23Very interesting-
I love milk but yeah, usually makes me feel a little ick
24Well it gets even more fun when you get older. Most readers here are younger. When you hit middle age, especially women I think, have more food intolerances. I started making my own yogurt in the 70s and now I could take it or leave it. I do consume whey protein powder but eat a lot less less food than I use to. Haven't gained weight but I'm a big veggie eater and I get daily exercise. I do take a daily probiotic, but some days, even that doesn't help. We all have our off days!
25I became more lactose intolerant as I got older and now, I pretty much avoid milk because it gives me really bad gas. I can eat yogurt no problem, though.
26I'm sensitive to unprocessed dairy, i.e. milk. Lucky for me, I can eat cheese and yogurt without trouble. However, I'm totally OK with goat milk! I read somewhere that because the earliest domesticated dairy-producers were goats, fewer people are sensitive to goat milk.
27My brother, on the other hand, is actually allergic to dairy, which means he has fun making sorbets!
I only drink raw milk from pastured cows because a lot of people can't handle all the antibiotics and growth hormones given to dairy cows on commercial, filthy, farms. Oh, plus pasteurization destroys any benefits from the milk.
28Only drink calcium-enriched fruit juices. Don't like milk. it could be lactose tolerance, but I never liked the mouthfeel of most dairy products to begin with.
29I don't drink cow's milk because it grosses me out. I do eat dairy products though, and I have no problem digesting that stuff.
30Can't do dairy, personally... yogurt hasn't given me as much of a problem, but ice cream and fatty dairy products are ridiculous.
31no sensitivity here, milk is a cult product where i'm from (north europe)
32FINALLY SOMEONE LISTENED TO ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DIARY = DEATH!
*Unless it's from PURELY grass-fed/finished beef!!!
33im lactose intolerance & have been since 6th grade. i can eat yogurt with no problems, but any other dairy product is a no go for me. no ice cream for muah, i would be deathly ill if i did.
34very lactose intolerant here. don't eat dairy in any form, but thankfully i don't miss it- tons of soy/rice/hemp/coconut options that taste wonderful.
35Wow, I am shocked at how little people pay attention to what they eat. So many people commented on their ability to eat cheese and not milk. The break down of lactose intolerance as somewhat outlined below is that people who are lactose intolerant, have less (or no) enzymes that it takes to break down the sugar. So, when you take those really expensive lactose pills they are acting as temporary enzymes.
As for food choices, it's simple, the more dairy you eat when your lactose intolerant the more enzymes you use. That means if lactose gives you problems, don't eat it too much of it in one week or month even. Also, do some research on what dairy products contain lactose. For instance, generally speaking, the more aged the cheese, the less lactose it has. Therefore, someone that has a hard time with milk, might have no or little problems eating aged cheddar. Talk to your Doctor.
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