A few questions...please help!

These are a bit of a random bunch of questions, but I was hoping people could perhaps help me!

First off, is anyone here allergic to dairy/lactose intolerant? I have been having terrible stomach problems for the past few months (and have had them on and off for years) and whenever I have milk it seems to be much worse. I was wondering if this was the cause. I am seeing a doctor tomorrow about whether it is something more serious, but I wasn't sure of the exact symptoms with lactose intolerance. I desperately need to get it sorted as its really hindering my weight gain!!!

Secondly, I've seen a lot of people on the weight gain forum use soya milk. I tried some unsweetened alpro soya stuff this morning (with cereal), and it was foul! Do you guys use the sweetened or flavoured ones, and are they nicer?

And, last but not least (!) I am off to France on Tuesday for a weeks holiday. I love it there, and go often, but I'm not sure how I'm going to gain weight/eat healthily. I tend to end up just having bread because there is very limited vegetarian options! Any ideas?

Thanks so so much!

xxx

hi!

im lactose-intolerant too (i just found out this summer) and I know a lot of other people who are, and your tummy problems sound exactly like the symptoms of a lactose-intolerant person (did you know about 80% of adults have some degree of lactose-intolerance!? crazzzzy).

and I tried the whole soy milk thing ... even the flavoured stuff wasnt exactly a treat.  now instead of actual milk, I get a lactose-free milk called "Lacteeze" ... it should be in your local grocery store... it is soooo yummy.. tastes almost exactly like regular milk, but with a little bit of a sweeter taste ... it's waaaaay better than soy milk in my opinion ...

good luck with everything!

Thanks for replying so quick! I'm hoping that the doctor will tell me what he suspects is wrong tomorrow, or will at least organise some tests. He's an excellent GP, so I think he will :D

I live in the UK so we don't have the Lacteeze stuff, but I did find something called "Lacto-Free" at the supermarket and tried it this morning. Problem was, my stomach still felt terrible after it  . It did taste better though!

Does that mean you can't eat yogurt/cheese either? I read somewhere that most people with lactose intolerance can still eat hard cheeses and natural yoghurt because there isn't as much lactose in them?

 

Hello! I'm lactose intolerant! My symptoms are generally massive bloating (as in, oh my god, I look pregnant), nausea/headaches and lots of wind. LOL. I just chose to cut out dairy in the end :] I can eat very, very small amounts of lactose but I then feel as sick as anything! I use unsweetened Alpro Soya, but I don't drink it straight - it is usually mixed in with porridge, or has a little honey or cocoa in it. If you fancy the sweetened ones though go for it :]

For your holiday, is it self-catered or can you only eat out? I'm certain a phrasebook will likely contain "I am a vegetarian" in it somewhere! One we've got to take to Spain has apparently got "I cannot eat dairy" in it which is fantastic for me, haha. Still, even if you can't cater for yourself carry snacks that don't require cooling or fridges, like fruit/dried fruit, nuts (or trail mix as such), and so on... there'll likely be a supermarket or shop near you in France. :o Alpro Soya actually does these little pudding pots that can be kept in a cupboard (not in the fridge and are fairly long life, you could try packing some of those too!

Have you tried rice milk?

Make out a list of questions to ask your doctor.  Most people forget half of what they want to tell their doctor.  I always bring in a list and go through it point by point.  It helps a lot.

I tried Lacteeze, it did not help me.  i can handle a bit of real cream and full fat yogurt.  2% milk makes me feel like a have the flu.

lalabanana

I get the massive bloated stomach and wind too, although mainly it is vomiting/diarrheoa and feeling nausious. Problem with my stomach is it has always been my "problem" area (in that its what I've always focused on since developing my ed) so I'm often not sure how bloated it really is! My main issue though (and sorry to be graphic!) is that I had bloody diarrheoa yesterday, and this is apparently serious. So I'm scared it could be something more than lactose intolerance

On holiday we'll just be eating out. We are in a hotel for breakfast, and then it'll be restaraunts for lunch and dinner. I took french GCSE and I'm taking it as an A Level, so I don't have a problem conversing, it's just not being able to eat my usual foods thats the problem! :P I think I just need to try really, really hard to let up on my control and try to just go with it for a week. It would be a massive step in recovery if I can do it and actually gain weight!! And I'll definitely take some cereal bars and stuff :D Thanks

spoiled_candy

I haven't tried rice milk, but I've seen it in the supermarket! I've also seen oat milk and almond milk...are they any good?

Good idea!  I'm gonna do that now so I don't forget tomorrow! I do feel bad when I go to the docs though, as its like I'm always there (have to go weekly for weight/bloods) and I think he must get sick of me!

Thanks again :)

 

another lactose intolerant here! i've not been able to have milk since birth, and i've been suffering with dairy more and more over the last few months. yoghurt is pretty much no go now as well and cheese makes me ADD-like, so the BF has banned cheese from the house lol. im not a big fan of any of these things, except cheese! so iv just cut them out altogether and rely on vitamins tablets for this part of my diet

I'm also lactose intolerant, my symptoms also include stomache pains, blotaing and diarreha and even some discomfort after it's done. Have you ever tried avoiding diary products and seeing how you feel? Also, I've found that lactose can be found in many other places that are not dairy related, such as hotdog sausages, some deli meats, some cookies and even gummie candys! I always check the ingredients when I'm buying things I'm not sure of just to make sure. Hope you get better!

hey! wow, what a coincidence, i'm a lactose intolerant vegetarian too and just got back from 3 weeks in france! I can handle some dairy, it's not too severe and I definitely had to eat a lot of gelato while I was there lol. I get really bloated and get a ton of gas (sorry, kinda gross :X) whenever I have diary, and sometimes if it's something really heavy like cream I'll get cramps too. But I actually can handle some cheese like parmesan in small quantities and yogurt. I actually really like the taste of soymilk but usually get the vanilla flavored. I also really like chocolate almond breeze.

France was really difficult and I did eat a lot of bread and pasta (we were near italy) It also really depends on where you're going in France. Paris I'm sure has a lot more variety and options so you'd be fine there. You can also eat a lot of salads, and I had rissotos at many places too. We were in an apartment also so I did get to go grocery shopping. You can go stock up on nuts and dried fruit to carry around, crackers, fruit and things like that. I'm sure you'll find some good sandwich places. If you eat fish they like to put tuna on everything. I personally hate tuna, but I will eat other white fish filets if I have to, so I also ended up doing that a lot. I did end up losing a few lbs just because it was more walking and the diet was more limited of course than it is at home, but I know I worried way more than I should have before I left. Once you're there just enjoy your vacation and try not to let food be the focus, you will have to make compromises, but that's what recovery is all about. I know I learned how to relax a little around food on this trip, and I also forced myself out of my comfort zone too. Pasta for example had been a fear food for a long time but I made myself eat it and it was incredible! try to enjoy the local cuisine and have fun!!

Rice milk or almond milk might work better if you don't like soy (I hate soy milk too), and also it's been found that a lot of lactose intolerant people are able to handle goat's milk just fine. Some brands of goat's milk have a rather strong flavor, but other ones are mild and taste quite close to cow's milk.

Here's an interesting YouTube video called The Whole Truth About Milk, which explains that the problems many people have with milk is related to the way milk is processed (i.e. pasteurization and homogenization, which alter the nature of the milk in many unhealthy ways) and not to the milk itself. Some people have found high-quality raw milk does not cause the litany of symptoms that mass-produced homogenized pasteurized milk does.

Hi guys :)

I just got back from my GP and he thinks it could be something more serious than an intolerance, so he is referring me to the same specialist as my sister (who has crohn's disease) and wants some checks done - possibly an endoscopy :s

I hate the idea of operations or anything like that, so I'm hoping I can just have a scan or something!!!

So, in the meantime, do you guys think I should still avoid milk, or just continue having it? Or I could try some tomorrow, then if it makes my stomach really bad then just stop and try rice/almond/soya stuff again?

Thanks so much for the help :D