Super Sensitive And Lactose Intolerant.....lots Of Questions

[USF1970]

Hi super-sensitive gluten friends,

I have now been taken off lactose until my genetic tests come back. Now I'm really wondering what to eat. I eat a LOT of yogurt, cheese and cottage cheese. I understand that soy cheese is really yucky. What do y'all eat for snacks? I don't LOVE yogurt but it's easy, takes the edge off my hunger and I THOUGHT was good for me. Now what can I eat for a snack? I eat loads and loads of fruit and don't care for raw veggies. I can no longer tolerate larabars, BRM or Glutino (I think). I'm afraid to try Glutino b'fast bars after one of their bagels upset my stomach. I also eat a boiled egg a day.

Can anyone suggest snacks that are portable w/no gluten or lactose? If I have to buy online so be it. BTW, my stomach is now upset and all I've had today is a BB muffin (a mix from gluten-free Pantry made w/almond milk - supposedly gluten-free), one piece of Kinninnick bread w/Boar's Head turkey and a large piece of swiss cheese. (Up till today, it never appeared that lactose was a problem for me so I'm going to eat up all the dairy I have in the fridge before going lactose free.)

Any and all suggestions will be a great help.

Thanks so much, Linda in Savannah, GA

[USF1970]

Oh, and one more question please. Will the lactaid 'pills' work - do no more damage to my villi?

[mushroom]

With a little trial and error, you may find out that you can still eat some dairy - those in which the lactose has been extracted or mostly digested by enzymes and cultures alrelaldy, such as yogurt, hard cheeses, butter. Those which should be scrupulously avoided are milk, cream, ice cream, forzen yogurt (not really yogurt). Some people are able to get by with Lactaid milk and tablets which add the lalctase enzyme necessary to digest the lactose (milk sugar). Celiacs have difficulty with lactose until they heal because the lactase is manufactured at the tips of the villi. The other dairy products contain mostly casein (milk protein) and fat and are digested by different enzymes. If they 'work' for you you will not damage your villi; if they do not, you will still not damage them any further, but you will continue most likely to have bloating and diarrhea. So this is your check on whether you can eat yogurt and hard cheeses - whether they bring back your symptoms.

[Marilyn R]

Nuts pack the protein you crave are a quick and easy snack to fix. My personal favorite source is Nutsonline.com. They have a dedicated facility and great customer service.

For me, it wasn't the lactaid. It was that my autoimmune system started attacking the protein in dairy products, even hard cheese. (I was able to successfully reintroduce dairy products into my diet later.)

A gluten-free rice cake spread with peanut or other nut butter is another snack that isn't bad. A fresh peeled and sliced apple is good with peanut butter or almond butter, same with a banana.

I like "GoFree" Dark Chocolate Crunch Bars. (Whole Foods and Nutrition Smart carry them, if you have either in your city.) They're delicious and gluten-free, Soy free and pack 9 grams of protein per bar. The gluten-free Mall might carry them.

I've been ok with hummus, but I make my own and add extra lemon juice. I like that as a dipper for chopped veggies or Fritos corn chips.

I pack a little cooler with a washable insert for my lunches and snacks. I try to keep it loaded up with options, and it's big enough that I can actually carry a vegetable peeler and paring knife with me. I may carry an apple to work with me for 3 days before I actually feel like peeling, coring and slicing it and then spreading peanut butter on the slices.

I like safe tuna salad or any left over fish mixed with diced celery, capers, lemon juice and safe mayo on a bed of lettuce or on toasted gluten-free bread, or to dip fresh raw veggies in.

Hope that helps, good luck!

[USF1970]

No Whole Foods yet in Savannah but there is a STRONG rumor that they are coming......PLEASE LORD. In the meantime, I'll have to shop on the Internet. What did us SS Celiacs do before the Internet.........what did NORMAL Celiacs do before the internet???? Thanks so much for your tips; they are very helpful.

Whole Foodless in Savannah, GA but there's hope.

[weluvgators]

We use small thermoses, lunch boxes with ice packs and small plastic containers to pack our foods. Have you tried broths? How are you with meats? Sweet potatoes and potatoes can make a nice base for filling foods as well. We also enjoy nuts as a good, portable snack. How about beans? We enjoy pinto, black, kidney and navy and appreciate that we can wash them really well (and we are careful in our sourcing). Have you looked at local farmers' markets? We love talking to people that can disclose so much about the foods that they offer. We like finding good greens and root veggies too, like turnips and beets. Squashes and pumpkins can be nice too. I love a good salad as well, and there are a lot of combinations to try with that.

We live gluten, dairy and soy free. We also pack foods for everyone to eat out of the house all day, including for three children. It is a different approach than what I had been doing as a younger individual with no food concerns, but the results of the lifestyle change have been really enjoyable. Good luck figuring out what works well for you.

[come dance with me]

We have Kingland soy yoghurt and Cheezly brand cheese, also use Tofutti cream cheese.

Depending on recipes though, I make creamy pasta, pasta bakes, potato bakes using coconut cream. It's delicious!

I make a choc cheesecake with silken tofu and Tofutti cream cheese and Sweet Williams chocolate. I buy the choc chips to melt into it, and the block to grate on the top.

We have vege sticks and hommus or mashed avocado a fair bit.

Baked beans, nuts, cold steamed corn on the cob, all make great snacks.

[AVR1962]

Some of the lactose feel cheese foods are not too bad. Also, the aged cheeses have little to no lactose in them because of the aging process and that's what I would eat. I found it much easier to give up gluten than it was to give up dairy and I found milk substitutes not so good.....many have additives I would react to. I do take a lactose enzyme and I find it works great. Even with the enzyme I steered clear of milk for probably 10 months.

[Bubba's Mom]

  On 3/17/2012 at 10:07 PM, USF1970 said:

Hi super-sensitive gluten friends,

I have now been taken off lactose until my genetic tests come back. Now I'm really wondering what to eat. I eat a LOT of yogurt, cheese and cottage cheese. I understand that soy cheese is really yucky. What do y'all eat for snacks? I don't LOVE yogurt but it's easy, takes the edge off my hunger and I THOUGHT was good for me. Now what can I eat for a snack? I eat loads and loads of fruit and don't care for raw veggies. I can no longer tolerate larabars, BRM or Glutino (I think). I'm afraid to try Glutino b'fast bars after one of their bagels upset my stomach. I also eat a boiled egg a day.

Can anyone suggest snacks that are portable w/no gluten or lactose? If I have to buy online so be it. BTW, my stomach is now upset and all I've had today is a BB muffin (a mix from gluten-free Pantry made w/almond milk - supposedly gluten-free), one piece of Kinninnick bread w/Boar's Head turkey and a large piece of swiss cheese. (Up till today, it never appeared that lactose was a problem for me so I'm going to eat up all the dairy I have in the fridge before going lactose free.)

Any and all suggestions will be a great help.

Thanks so much, Linda in Savannah, GA

Are you off dairy because they're thinking it might be the cause of your villi damage..or just off lactose because you can't digest it well? It's important to know which the Dr. meant.

I like SO Delicious coconut milk (vanilla is great on gluten-free cereal) as a milk replacement and they make a yogurt and ice cream too. I get them at Kroger's, so check your local grocery stores for that brand. The milk is in the refrigerated section or on shelves (which would be refrigerated once you open it)

Refried beans and corn chips/Fritos make a good snack, dried fruits, nuts, Krispy Treats made with gluten-free cereal and coconut oil instead of butter.

Bakery on Main makes a really good "granola". It's gluten-free and has no oats.

Open Original Shared Link

I get 6 of them at a time for a discount from the site that begins with an A..and is also a river.

[dilettantesteph]

You can make your own yogurt. I've been doing it for awhile and it's not that hard. If you let it culture longer it will be more lactose free. During that process the lactose is transformed to lactic acid. Open Original Shared Link Yolo on this forum cultures hers for 24 hours.

Some store bought yogurt has added milk solids to make it thicker so that isn't low in lactose. Open Original Shared Link

I eat fruit, nuts and honey for snacks. I don't seem to need snacks as much now that my gluten issues are better sorted out. I used to have problems with low blood sugar and need to eat constantly to keep it up. Now I can go for long periods without eating.

[Marilyn R]

  On 3/18/2012 at 1:21 AM, USF1970 said:

No Whole Foods yet in Savannah but there is a STRONG rumor that they are coming......PLEASE LORD. In the meantime, I'll have to shop on the Internet. What did us SS Celiacs do before the Internet.........what did NORMAL Celiacs do before the internet???? Thanks so much for your tips; they are very helpful.

Whole Foodless in Savannah, GA but there's hope.

Crossing my fingers & toes you get yours, I drive 30 something miles each way to get to the one WF by me. Frozen Against the Grain Pizza will make you want to slap your Mamma. Serious. Don't even have to doctor it up.

Your local grocery store might bring it in, I have had some luck (good and bad) with asking for special stuff. Last time I made the pizza, I just added diced onion while the oven was heating up. It was totally yummy. (That was Friday, three days ago.) We had a Fresh Market open and I talked to them about bringing that pizza in. They say they only bring in products from manufacturers they already carry. Bah humbug.

[USF1970]

  On 3/19/2012 at 2:03 AM, Marilyn R said:

Crossing my fingers & toes you get yours, I drive 30 something miles each way to get to the one WF by me. Frozen Against the Grain Pizza will make you want to slap your Mamma. Serious. Don't even have to doctor it up.

Your local grocery store might bring it in, I have had some luck (good and bad) with asking for special stuff. Last time I made the pizza, I just added diced onion while the oven was heating up. It was totally yummy. (That was Friday, three days ago.) We had a Fresh Market open and I talked to them about bringing that pizza in. They say they only bring in products from manufacturers they already carry. Bah humbug.

Yes, we have Fresh Market here in Savannah and I agree...haven't found them very helpful. Is it WF's that carries the pizza you recommmend? There's a huge sign that says a big bldg. has been rented and a couple of newspaper articles about Whole Foods coming to town - everyone is conjecturing that this is going to be where WF lands. Hope so.....it will DEFINITELY cause more traffic congestion at the site but I don't really care as the nearest WF to us is in Charleston - a good 2.5 hour drive. No thanks. But thanks for the encouragement of all of you.

Best, Linda

[T.H.]

re: lactose and dairy. It's annoying, but if you want to try lower lactose dairy, like buttermilk or sour cream or yogurt...it's label reading time again.

If you make these yourself, you're good, and the way they are made has the bacteria essentially consume all or almost all of the lactose.

If you are in Europe, you are frequently good.

If you are in the USA, not so much. Here, instead of letting the bacteria actually consume the lactose, companies tend to adulterate the dairy product with thickeners, so the lactose remains. In fact, sometimes more lactose is added in.

So you'd want to avoid dairy that has added pectin, any types of gums, or milk powder - that usually means it's been thickened artificially and there is more lactose in it. Citric acid added to soured milk products like buttermilk means it usually hasn't been allowed to sour long enough for the bacteria to do the work. And that usually has remaining lactose in it, as a result.

You can find a few dairy products that are naturally lower in lactose, still processed in a good way, but European style butters, more expensive aged cheeses, and imported dairy products are more likely to NOT have thickeners, and so actually have lower lactose levels, in that case. It's not always true, but a better bet.

[Marilyn R]

  On 3/19/2012 at 9:03 PM, USF1970 said:

Yes, we have Fresh Market here in Savannah and I agree...haven't found them very helpful. Is it WF's that carries the pizza you recommmend? There's a huge sign that says a big bldg. has been rented and a couple of newspaper articles about Whole Foods coming to town - everyone is conjecturing that this is going to be where WF lands. Hope so.....it will DEFINITELY cause more traffic congestion at the site but I don't really care as the nearest WF to us is in Charleston - a good 2.5 hour drive. No thanks. But thanks for the encouragement of all of you.

Best, Linda

Hey Linda, try this store locator. Open Original Shared Link checked it for Charleston today, and I'm blaming it on Lyrica. Took my last one this morning, too many side effects. This pizza has quite a bit of dairy though. There was another pizza at the gluten-free expo that was gluten-free DF that wasn't bad. The box was about 8", black on the edges and the manufacturer was out of St. Louis. They had a restaurant close to a big hospital. That's all I can remember, because I can tolerate dairy again, but that other pizza was good. (There were several pizza manufacturers at the Expo.)

Oddly, it's $3 less expensive per pie at the health food store than WF.

[mommida]

We had to do a very eliminated diet for a while.

Like mentioned before, NUTS. Nuts made into spreads, milk, and snack foods.

One of the things that made up for a lot of things... hummus. We used it as a dip, spreadable cheese on sandwiches.

Rethink fruits and vegetables. Grill them. Roast them. Make salsas.

Avacados can be decent replacements for cheese slices in sandwiches.

[Lisa]

  On 3/20/2012 at 11:21 AM, T.H. said:

If you are in the USA, not so much. Here, instead of letting the bacteria actually consume the lactose, companies tend to adulterate the dairy product with thickeners, so the lactose remains. In fact, sometimes more lactose is added in.

So you'd want to avoid dairy that has added pectin, any types of gums, or milk powder - that usually means it's been thickened artificially and there is more lactose in it. Citric acid added to soured milk products like buttermilk means it usually hasn't been allowed to sour long enough for the bacteria to do the work. And that usually has remaining lactose in it, as a result.

You can find a few dairy products that are naturally lower in lactose, still processed in a good way, but European style butters, more expensive aged cheeses, and imported dairy products are more likely to NOT have thickeners, and so actually have lower lactose levels, in that case. It's not always true, but a better bet.

Where is "here"? Australia?

[USF1970]

From all of the replies I've received (and I greatly appreciate all tips), I'm determining that I will be able to eat yogurt and 'hard' cheese (what I call 'bar' cheese). Is that correct? I tried the soy yogurt and I was able to eat it but yuck; held my nose during most of it. Same w/almond milk......I drank it but.....trying rice milk next. Again, thanks so much.