The truth is NO! I’m sure that while seeing those “got milk” ads you’ve also noticed more and more of the people you know are being diagnosed with lactose intolerance. That’s because we have been led to believe that milk is an essential part of good health but, in reality, dairy milk contributes to the overall breakdown of our systems.
So being “lactose intolerant” is actually just a medical term to tell people “you are normal and your digestive system is just much stricter about following your DNA blueprint” which in my mind is really not a bad thing.
What is lactose intolerance you might ask? Basically, Lactose is a sugar that is very difficult for the human body to digest, and therefore needs lactase to break lactose down into simpler sugars like glucose and galactose. The principal symptom of lactose intolerance is a reaction to products containing lactose (primarily milk), including: abdominal bloating and cramps, flatulence, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. When a person is diagnosed with lactose intolerance it just means that their bodies don’t produce enough lactase to break down all the lactose being consumed. This, however, should not worry you in the least.
Hearing your child is lactose intolerant, can start off as quite a daunting experience leaving new mothers confused and about what they can feed to their children, but there are so many great alternatives to dairy these days that you really don’t need to be worried at all.
For all the moms with lactose intolerant children, here are a few tips to help you become the best Lactose-free supermom:
- Make sure that you have an alternative for the bottle. I tell everyone I know how amazing oats milk is as a substitute when you stop breastfeeding. Here is a link to learn how to make oats milk.
- Find alternative recipes for your most loved dishes. Those recipes you got from your grandmother, most probably just won’t make the cut. So Google some alternatives recipes to traditional dishes that you love. This way you can start preparing your recipe collection that the whole family can eat from. (Quick tip: when looking for dairy free recipes, Google vegan recipes instead. There are many more vegan recipe blogs as opposed to dairy free blogs.)
- Start thinking “dairy free is normal, moo juice is no good”. Your attitude towards anything in life can make or break a situation. By accepting that you have to cut dairy out of your life you are already a calmer and you are already victorious over the situation.
- Learn how to make your own baby food. Most baby food on shelves contains milk or milk products, so learning how to make your own is an essential. Making baby food doesn’t need to be much work, just steam some veggies, mash and store in glass containers for the coming week.
And just to put your mind at ease about that constant calcium debate here is the top 10 list of calcium containing foods put together by Harvard University:
(Please note that dairy doesn’t even make the list.)
- Almonds
- Kale
- Oranges
- Collard Greens
- Broccoli
- Figs
- Spinach
- Enriched rice, almond, hemp and coconut milks
- Sesame seeds
- Soy beans