Dealing with lactose intolerance?

boldhound81 said:I stick to Silk Soy Milk and I’m totally fine with it. It has sugar, sure, but it’s brown sugar. I tried the sugar-free versions too, but they didn't really do it for me... 👎

Yeah. If there's absolutely zero sugar, it can taste pretty nasty. It really comes down to the brand—some have more or less sugar, some are saltier than others. A bit less sweet, maybe a touch of salt 😉 (most soy milk already has salt added by the time you buy it), but honestly, soy milk is actually great. You just need a few tries before your palate adjusts to the flavor.

It works perfectly with coffee or tea.

velvetmarlin26 said:One more thing—allergies can show up as anemia, and respiratory allergies are also linked to milk consumption.

Could you expand on that? I’ve read what some animal rights activists have to say about it, but they just mention the link between milk and allergies without actually providing any real arguments...😕

Look, I’m telling you this from firsthand experience. My son was constantly dealing with allergies—bronchitis, nebulizers, the whole nine yards—and I was just totally over it. We did all the allergy tests and everything came back negative, which made zero sense. So, I decided to take matters into my own hands and start cutting out potential triggers myself. We ended up ditching his chocolate cereal, which was basically his only source of dairy, and honestly? Total game changer. It’s been complete peace ever since. He hasn't even had a cough in two years because we haven't touched milk. I am 100% certain that was the culprit. I can't stand milk, my mom can't stand it either, and it looks like he definitely inherited those genes.

If people can't handle cow's milk, I honestly don't understand why they bother with all these different milk substitutes. Take soy milk, for example... why go through the hassle of drinking something with such a mediocre flavor when you could just eat soy in its natural form?
What's the actual issue here? Does one really need to consume milk at all?

In case anyone’s actually curious, here’s what the folks at the ASPCA have to say about it.

http://www.aspca.org/i...l/milk.html

If people can't handle cow's milk, why bother with all these milk imitations? Like, why deal with the weird taste of Silk Soy Milk when you could just eat soy in its actual form?
What's the big deal—does it really have to be milk?

It’s not like it's hard to have cocoa without milk, or just stick to corn flakes or muesli and stuff like that...
It's not that I'm looking to eat soy—I still prefer meat, I guess.

casualfox9 said:If people can't handle dairy, why on earth would they bother with all these milk knockoffs? Like soy milk... why deal with that weird soy taste when you could just eat actual soy?
What's the big deal? Does anyone actually *need* to drink milk?

Look, soy milk isn't even real milk in any sense of the word.🙄 It's just liquid made from processed soy, kind of like how you get fruit juice. NO, you don't have to drink "milk," not even soy milk, but how am I supposed to eat my muesli or Corn Flakes without it? Plus, I drink Silk Soy Milk because it's healthy. It's not some "replacement" for me just because I feel like I have to.

boldhound81 said:It’s not exactly simple to enjoy cocoa without milk; you're basically stuck with corn flakes or muesli and things like that...
I'm not saying I want to live on soy, I still much prefer meat.

My apologies, I completely overlooked those details....

So, how does it actually show up for you guys? Is it digestive issues? Like, stomach cramps, constant diarrhea, or just that nonstop gurgling sound? 😢
I used to absolutely love tossing some Corn Flakes into a bowl of Silk Soy Milk for breakfast, but ever since my digestion went totally haywire, I've had to cut it out completely. It’s funny, really... years ago, I didn't touch milk at all, but then about six months back, I thought, "Hey, let's live healthy, let's try adding some dairy back into the mix." Bad move.

Kyle Nguyen16 said:Speaking from experience here. My son was constantly dealing with allergies—bronchitis, nebulizers, the whole bit. I was drowning in it. Since his allergy tests came back negative for everything, I decided to start cutting out potential triggers myself. We stopped giving him chocolate milk, which was basically his only dairy intake, and suddenly, peace. He hasn't had a single cough in two years since we cut out the milk. I’m convinced that was the culprit. Neither I nor my mother can stand dairy, so he likely just inherited our sensitivity.

How long did it take before those bronchitis issues finally cleared up? I'm thinking about dropping milk and all dairy products for a while to see how my lungs react...
do you still eat yogurt or fresh cheese...?

how does it actually show up for you guys? digestive issues? stomach cramps, constant diarrhea, bloating...?

You hit the nail on the head regarding symptoms. It can be pretty awkward—especially if you're traveling and don't want to deal with it, though if you skip the dairy, you'll be fine. I guess if you have Silk Soy Milk with some corn flakes, you get used to it pretty fast—it's much better than just drinking it plain.

I didn't drink milk years ago, then about six months back I was like, "let's live healthy, let's add some milk back in."

If it's bothering you, a lot of people argue that drinking cow's milk isn't actually healthy. I mean, humans are basically the only mammals that drink milk as adults—and we're drinking milk from a completely different species, too.😕 🤔

Grace Rodriguez10 said:so how long did it take before those bronchitis issues actually cleared up? i'm thinking about ditching dairy for a bit to see if my lungs react any differently.
are you guys still doing yogurt, cottage cheese, whatever...?

He started drinking chocolate milk when he was about a year old. After that—not instantly, but pretty soon—he was constantly dealing with bronchitis and needing nebulizers. Once it flared up again after a few months (who even knows how many times!), I just cut out the dairy entirely. That was it. The problems vanished immediately and haven't come back once in the two years since! No yogurt, no cottage cheese. He eats that processed cheese on pizza or toast, but honestly, that's super rare. Anything else that usually needs milk, like muesli or stuff like that, we just make with Silk Soy Milk or something similar.

I’m honestly convinced that milk was the root cause of all my issues. Ever since I cut it out of my diet, things have improved so drastically. I think... yeah, I think I'm going back to total abstinence.
Found this neat little snippet in The New York Post about our topic here.

Laura Hernandez8 said:I'm pretty sure milk was definitely the cause of all those issues... ever since I cut it out, things have improved drastically. Honestly, I think I might go back to total abstinence.
Nice little feature on our topic in The New York Post...

This article is a pile of garbage and just crawls with inaccuracies and pure nonsense, especially that crap about acne... And besides, claiming milk isn't good because it contains some specific thing it shouldn't have is just like saying soy is bad because it's treated with herbicides. The whole point of the piece should be the soy, but they missed the mark entirely... all that soy talk really gets under my skin. People have been growing up on milk for millions of years and now suddenly these geniuses show up claiming it's somehow wrong. You should probably check out people in the Caucasus region to see if it's actually an issue, where they're famous for consuming massive amounts of... soy, right? And milk is caloric!!! Well, obviously, how else would it work as food for infants? What’s even the big deal with calories? The problem is lazy asses who don't want to move a muscle at the gym, not the milk...😉 For people like that, they might as well just drink water for months on end. I mean, seriously, they managed to blame obesity on milk instead of their own lazy butts and uncontrolled diets...

😬 aha, looks like someone’s a little salty about the article, how fun

so, I did a little digging to see who actually wrote this whole series on (trendy) nutrition: "Blanka Perše graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School and taught at a local High School for Business. Later, she moved to New York City to pursue Nutrition Studies, where she even served as a lecturer. Since 1999, she's been collaborating with doctors at the Mayo Clinic. Her work focuses on research regarding hormonal shifts and menopause. She has also written for The New York Times, and in this special series for The Los Angeles Times readers, she’ll be explaining how to apply nutrition principles to everyday life."

and... that is literally everything Google can find on her. Honestly, citing herself in a list like that doesn't feel very credible to me
I mean, let's face it, The New York Post publishes all sorts of junk sometimes; if this is anything like those ridiculous astronomy stories we saw, we're in for a rough ride
but, if this really is a pile of garbage (which is totally possible), could you please just drop a link to the very first piece, would you?

Look, driftinggull13, don't get worked up, but some people genuinely struggle with milk and lactose. Plus—and it's just a fact—humans are pretty much the only mammals that keep drinking milk into adulthood, and we're drinking someone else's milk at that.
To be honest, I wouldn't even be thinking about whether milk is harmful if it didn't make me feel like crap first.😉

This is from a pharmacy website. It’s talking about infants, but the logic still applies.
"Natural breastfeeding is the optimal way to feed infants. To ensure this happens, international organizations like the World Health Organization and UNICEF have implemented measures such as the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes.

Every container of formula must clearly state that 'breast milk is the ideal nutrition for infants.'

Breast milk is best for babies; breastfeeding is recommended for at least the first 6 months before gradually introducing other foods. Breast milk contains the exact balance of nutrients a baby needs for growth and development. About 80% of the cells in milk are macrophages—cells that kill bacteria and viruses—so breastfed children are protected from various illnesses.

WHY IS COW'S MILK A POOR CHOICE?

Cow's milk is designed for calves, which grow much faster than humans and need higher fat stores. It's a terrible nutritional choice for the first 6-8 months. The excessive amounts of certain vitamins and minerals, combined with a lack of iron, vitamin C, and vitamin E, can trigger allergies, kidney issues, and sensitive digestive linings in infants."
source:http://www.pharmacy-example.com/advice=infants

I’m not even angry, really, but that piece in The New York Post is such a pile of garbage that it practically rolls out the red carpet for soy corporations and anyone trying to push those other supplements... it's honestly pathetic.
Animals would drink milk if they could actually get to it, but they can't, so what? That whole argument holds zero water because an apple isn't designed for human consumption—it’s designed to reproduce the apple tree—so does that make eating an apple "unnatural"? Please.
When you look at the volume and intake, just compare how much milk a calf drinks relative to its weight gain in percentages, and you won't find a number that's significantly different from a human child's needs. If a calf gains two or three times its weight, a child will follow a similar trajectory, plus, the composition of the milk you're drinking isn't identical to what a calf gets, otherwise we wouldn't even have cream or cheese to begin with.
Allergies and lactose intolerance are a completely different conversation, but that doesn't change the actual properties of milk; those are just glitches in the human organism. People are allergic to strawberries, but does that mean a strawberry isn't healthy?
I'll say it again: humans have been feeding children cow's milk for millions of years, and has anything bad happened? Milk is, nutritionally speaking, the best food item in existence. The ratios of fats, proteins, carbs, and the specific types of vitamins and minerals far surpass any other food out there. Don't get mad at me, but a local CVS pharmacy sells supplements, not milk. That whole data point is nonsense written purely for marketing reasons. Isn't the entire history of humanity before supplements existed enough proof for everyone, including you and me? 😉
just a little disclaimer so you know I'm not mad, here we go 😘

Laura Hernandez8 said:"Blanka Perše graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School and worked as an instructor at a local High School for Business. Later, she moved to New York City to pursue Nutrition Studies, where she also served as a lecturer. Since 1999, she has been collaborating with physicians at the Mayo Clinic. Her work focuses on research regarding hormonal shifts and menopause. Additionally, she has published pieces for The New York Times, and in a special series for The Los Angeles Times readers, she will explain how to apply nutritional principles to everyday life."

Just like driftinggull13 mentioned, this is all about economics. 😁 So, we're looking at an economist who has written for The New York Times! 😲 Likely just paid advertisements.

🤣

The hormone progesterone triggers the development of "acne" (by the way, "acne" is a singularia tantum term). 🤣

And then there's this whole thing about calcium and osteoporosis. 😂 What absolute nonsense!

driftinggull13 said:The issue isn't calories. The issue is lazy people who don't want to get off their asses and work out, not the milk itself.😉

Sure, you can burn off calories through physical activity.

But ask your grandma how much milk a household actually gets when there are only two cows in the barn. First, the calf gets fed, then the kids, and whatever is left over goes toward cream, butter, yogurt, or cheese...

How much milk do adults actually manage to consume in a day? How much cheese are they really putting on a slice of bread before heading out to work the fields?

(If you don't have a grandma to ask, I'll answer for her: 😬 ) Not much.

Back in the day, when people were actually active, they weren't stuffing themselves with calories from dairy products. Even with an authentic Italian pizza, you won't see nearly as much cheese as we see in modern times. Why? It wasn't because some ancient Italian was tracking his cholesterol; it's just that cheese was scarce (or expensive).

In the US, the dairy industry really leaned into promoting the benefits of milk and calcium—think of those famous "Got Milk?" ads where celebrities pose with fake milk mustaches.

Milk is a great source of calcium. But there are plenty of other ways to get calcium without all the animal fats (which, even a bird on the roof knows, you should avoid these days). Like the article points out, olive oil, fatty fish, and walnuts are much better fat sources.

And for protein, peas (including soy), fish, and chicken are better bets.