Lactose Intolerant? LACTAID to the rescue

When my youngest was little, she started getting stomach aches.  She would crawl into my lap, holding her tummy and looking for comfort.  It didn’t occur to me that she could be lactose intolerant – no one else in our family was and we all loved milk, cheese and ice cream – but when her pediatrician diagnosed her, it made sense and was a huge relief to know her stomach aches weren’t signs of a worse problem.  All we had to do was shift her diet around.

But then the big question – how was she going to get enough calcium and Vitamin D without milk?!  We tried a few non-milk options, but she would have none of them.  Then, we discovered LACTAID.  I remember buying our first half gallon of LACTAID, serving up a big cold glass and holding my breath.  She drank it right down – loved it right away – and yay(!) she didn’t get a stomach ache.  Her aches and pains disappeared.  It was that simple.  And I have been thankful every day since!

So, when the LACTAID brand team approached us about working together to create a virtual webinar and social media campaign, with the goal of educating a blog team and their communities about the LACTAID products and lactose intolerance, I was interested on a personal level.

During the webinar, we chatted with LACTAID Brand spokesperson Melissa d’Arabian, who is a truly impressive person – she’s a mom to four girls, author of the New York Times best selling cookbook Ten Dollar Dinners, celebrity chef and TV host and recently appeared on the TODAY Show with Kathie Lee and Hoda (and will appear on the show again on June 25 to talk about cooking with LACTAID, so be sure to tune in).

Melissa and LACTAID Regulatory and Nutritional Affairs Manager Michelle Harrington, a registered dietitian, gave us some interesting facts about lactose intolerance:

What is lactose? The major carbohydrate in milk and dairy. It must be broken down into two simple sugars before it can be absorbed by the body.

What does it mean to be lactose intolerant? Most people produce a natural enzyme (lactase) to break down lactose. The amount of lactase your body produces will determine how much lactose your body can break down.

How do LACTAID Products help? The products include the enzyme lactase (derived naturally from yeast), which – if you’re lactose intolerant – your body can’t produce in sufficient quantities to help you break down lactose. The products are 100 percent real dairy and include milks, cottage cheese, ice cream and eggnog. Find nutrition facts here.

It has been truly wonderful to have access to these products – I can use them to cook and bake for the family, which means my daughter can enjoy the same goodies we all do.

The LACTAID website offers some great lactose-free recipe suggestions, and you can also get ideas from the TODAY Food website and LACTAID’s YouTube channel.

Thanks, LACTAID!