Re: A liquid/soft diet for the lactose-intolerant

[Guest guest]

Katja, hi!

Sorry I forgot to reply to this. Sometimes I save things for later and

they disappear so I forget.

Yeah, I go through a lot of Lactaid pills, but I try to ration them to

things I really, really want (like ice cream!) since the cost adds up.

Similarly, the Lactaid milk is so expensive, and besides, I prefer the

taste of soymilk. But yeah, I had kind of forgotten about it as an

option, so I'm glad you reminded me. If I can't find soymilk in the

nearest market, maybe I can find Lactaid milk.

I recently wrote a small research paper on lactose intolerance and

learned that your experience of becoming able to better tolerate dairy

is not uncommon. It has something to do with keeping a healthy colony

of the good, milk-digesting bacteria in the gut -- if you eat dairy

regularly, especially things with live cultures like yogurt, then the

bacteria stay happy. They help the lactase enzyme do its job. (And

that's about as scientific as I get!) So since then I've been

including a little bit of cultured dairy in my diet every day. Seems

to help, maybe ....

Also, FYI, most aged cheeses have very little lactose in them. The way

you can tell is by looking at the nutritional chart -- if there's

little to no carbohydrates, that means there's little to no milk sugar

(ie, lactose). Conversely, the lactose that is removed from cheese

gets concentrated into whey, which is in practically EVERYTHING. Whey

is nasty stuff, if you're lactose intolerant.

And that is probably more than you ever wanted to know! :-)

Luna

> >

> > With jaw surgery becoming more of an impending reality (lower adv.

> > next winter), I've been getting organized .... I've started a binder

> > with all of my braces and surgery info, and I have a growing list of

> > items needed and foods on my PDA. In looking at the soft-food diets

> > out there, it seems they are very heavy on dairy. Milk is often the

> > only protein source listed. Since I'm lactose-intolerant, I have

> been

> > brainstorming alternatives. Also, I am going to be away from home

> for

> > my surgery, so I especially need ideas that can be ordered in

> > restaurants or easily prepared in a hotel room. I definitely plan to

> > order the Zip N Squeeze.

> >

> > I would love additional suggestions! Here's the list I have so far:

> >

> > Soup/broth

> > Tofu

> > Soy milk

> > Soy creamer

> > Polenta/grits

> > Vienna sausages

> > Hot dogs (blended)

> > Baked potato

> > Tiny pasta noodles

> > Pasta w/pesto (blended)

> > Refried beans

> > Black beans (blended)

> > Mashed potatoes

> > Gravy

> > Butter

> > Peanut butter (blend w/soymilk and honey)

> > Canned mushrooms (blended)

> > Odwalla smoothees

> > Soy protein powder

> > Soy protein drink mixes

> > Whey protein isolate

> > Mac and real cheese

> > Spaghetti squash

> > Veggies (blended)

> > Fruit

> > Avocado

> > Grains (quinoa?)

> > Soy yogurt

[Guest guest]

Luna,

Thank you for the information, esp. about the cheese!! Of course,

since I am lactose intolerant, I would have to love cheese... and

actually most things dairy (except for yogurt). Anyway, I will keep

the aged cheese in mind.... AND what you said about whey. I had no

idea! And I didn't know about the GI tract saving up reserves so to

speak. I suspected something to that effect but had no idea. That's

very interesting.... Anyway, I hope you're able to figure out

something. I haven't really taken to soymilk myself. My boyfriend

likes it, but I don't. I actually don't really like regular milk

even. Once I realized milk was the cause to sick stomach.... I

totally cut it out of my diet for a couple years (before they had non-

chewable lactaid pills and lactaid milk). It was strange... the milk

was making me sick so my body stopped liking the taste of it, I think

so I'd stop drinking it. Anyway, years later I tried the lactaid and

because I had nothing to compare its taste to, I liked it. Probably

otherwise, I wouldn't. It is different from other milk. I know other

brands are starting to make lactose reduced or free milk. I've had

some and they don't taste the same as the lactaid, so maybe you can

find one of those and you will like them better. Anyway, thanks again

for sharing your knowledge and the best of luck to you! Cheers,

Katja

> > >

> > > With jaw surgery becoming more of an impending reality (lower

adv.

> > > next winter), I've been getting organized .... I've started a

binder

> > > with all of my braces and surgery info, and I have a growing

list of

> > > items needed and foods on my PDA. In looking at the soft-food

diets

> > > out there, it seems they are very heavy on dairy. Milk is often

the

> > > only protein source listed. Since I'm lactose-intolerant, I

have

> > been

> > > brainstorming alternatives. Also, I am going to be away from

home

> > for

> > > my surgery, so I especially need ideas that can be ordered in

> > > restaurants or easily prepared in a hotel room. I definitely

plan to

> > > order the Zip N Squeeze.

> > >

> > > I would love additional suggestions! Here's the list I have so

far:

> > >

> > > Soup/broth

> > > Tofu

> > > Soy milk

> > > Soy creamer

> > > Polenta/grits

> > > Vienna sausages

> > > Hot dogs (blended)

> > > Baked potato

> > > Tiny pasta noodles

> > > Pasta w/pesto (blended)

> > > Refried beans

> > > Black beans (blended)

> > > Mashed potatoes

> > > Gravy

> > > Butter

> > > Peanut butter (blend w/soymilk and honey)

> > > Canned mushrooms (blended)

> > > Odwalla smoothees

> > > Soy protein powder

> > > Soy protein drink mixes

> > > Whey protein isolate

> > > Mac and real cheese

> > > Spaghetti squash

> > > Veggies (blended)

> > > Fruit

> > > Avocado

> > > Grains (quinoa?)

> > > Soy yogurt

[Guest guest]

Katja, glad to help! I struggled for years to figure out what was

going on with me, until I finally discovered the cheese/whey

dichotomy. When you start reading labels, it's shocking how much stuff

whey is in -- breads, potato chips, frozen waffles .... I also had

been avoiding milk for years, just cuz I didn't really like it.

Although I still liked ice cream! Funny how that works. :-) Luna