How I Live With Cheese

By Madison Gillespie, Sports Editor
April 10, 2018

Photo of Swiss cheese. Photo by Wiki-vr (talk | contribs) on Wiki Media Commons

 “How do you live without cheese?”

    This is the one question I am asked when I tell people I am lactose intolerant.

   I became lactose intolerant a little over a year ago after suffering from severe stomach pain after eating basically anything dairy, which was a big part of my diet.

   In order to test the theory of whether or not I was having trouble digesting milk, I cut all dairy from my diet, and then no longer suffered from the symptoms.

   What has happened to me is not uncommon and mainly has to deal with the lack of a certain enzyme that breaks down the sugars in milk.

    This enzyme usually stops producing around the age of two; however, that has changed due to the large amount of milk that is in the diet of a normal person.

     Genetics can cause this enzyme to stop being produced, and then the person will gradually develop a sensitivity to milk.

     People with lactose intolerance do have  symptoms that very in severity ranging from very little stomach aches or to the point where the person feels extremely sick.

    There are ways though for people with lactose intolerance to enjoy the dairy products that are such a large part of today’s society.

    I use lactose supplements in order to enjoy dairy products.  

Pizza has always been one of my favorite things to eat, and due to my intolerance, I have to take a supplement pill whenever I want to eat pizza. Photo by Igiveup (talk | contribs) on Wiki Media Commons.

   These pills provide me an enzyme supplement to help my stomach digest the sugars in the milk that can cause issues.

    While these pills are helpful, they do not fix the entire problem and only serve as a temporary fix that can work only for a small amount of time.

Almond milk is a popular substitute for milk for people that have lactose intolerance. Photo by John Cummings (talk | contribs) on Wiki Media Commons.

     This pill allows me to enjoy things like pizza and ice cream that have a large dairy base in them.

     Overall, I have had to limit the amount of lactose that is taken in my diet.

    To do this, I have started to drink almond milk instead of regular milk and try to not eat anything that contains milk.

    There are a lot of other non-dairy products out there, such as lactose free cheese and ice cream that can be found in most grocery stores.

    How do I live without cheese?

    I do not live without cheese; I enjoy it every chance I get.

 

Sources:

https://www.everydayhealth.com/news/can-you-develop-lactose-intolerance-later-life/

https://www.medicinenet.com/lactose_intolerance/article.htm