I hate milk. I have always hated milk. Unfortunately, I don’t hate ice cream and cheese. I am lactose intolerant.

I read somewhere that about 90% of Asians are lactose intolerant. This is definitely one of those times where I wish I wasn’t in the majority. Being lactose intolerant is definitely not fun.

What is lactose intolerance?
It is the inability to digest lactose (which is a sugar in milk and dairy). Our bodies are supposed to produce an enzyme that breaks down lactose. If you are lactose intolerant, you cannot digest lactose and it just sits in your system. Unfortunately, while it sits, it also causes things like gas, bloating, stomach cramps and diarrhea.

How do you know if your child is lactose intolerant?
A lot of kids will be just like me – they will hate milk. In my case, it was because of the way I felt when I drank milk or ate dairy products.

There are more official ways to find out if you are lactose intolerant. I have heard of a hydrogen breath test where you blow in a tube. You can also have an endoscopy, which does not sound like as much fun. If you have concerns, you can ask your doctor about your options.

What can you do about it?
My lactose intolerance is fairly mild. I can control it by controlling my diet. I make sure that I moderate my intake of dairy products. If I want ice cream today, I make sure that I only put a little cheese on my salad or that I only eat a small helping of cheese potatoes. Is fairly easy and doesn’t really effect my life.

You can also do the following:
• Choose lactose-reduced or lactose-free milk
• Use a lactase enzyme supplement
• Eat and drink things with calcium (leafy greens, tofu, soy milk…)
• Talk to your doctor to make sure your child is getting enough calcium



My thoughts:
For someone who has experienced lactose intolerance, let me just tell you that it is not fun. Both my sister and I were on soy formula when we were little. My sister doesn’t seem to have much problem now that she’s in adulthood. I’m just careful with my diet (but I still hate milk).

Because of my own experience, we kept my son on soy formula until he turned one. After age one, we started introducing milk into his formula little by little and I watched for any signs that his stomach was upset. As it turns out, my son seems to be a part of the super minority. He embraced milk and will actually choose milk over juice 99% of the time. You never know.

For information on lactose intolerance, I suggest you talk to your doctor. However, you can also type lactose intolerance into your favorite search engine and you’d be amazed what pops up.