Food for lactose intolerant friend?!
Food for lactose intolerant friend?
I am going to go grocery shopping as soon as I get some answers to this!
My best friend is a very hungry person--I normally keep a lot of snacks in my room, and since he started visiting me frequently about a week ago, they are almost all gone. However, I did not have a lot that he was allowed to eat because he is lactose intolerant (and he doesn't like soy). What are some good snacks to have that lactose intolerant people can eat? All I have now is soup and Wheat Thins. So far, I am buying Tostitos and spaghetti sauce.
If it matters, I live in a dorm, so storage is limited. In my dresser, I have a space cleared that measures 17"L x 10"W x 7"H. In my refrigerator, I have a 14x11x5 shelf available. My 14x11x7 freezer is completely empty.
In the common room, there is a microwave. There is also an oven, but I don't have time to use it except on weekends.
4 months ago
A few things:
1) I know what lactose intolerance is. My stepsister also suffers from it. I just don't know what to buy because she doesn't eat much, and she takes medicine.
2) My friend is trying to gain weight, so keeping the food light is not necessary.
3) I'm not taking him shopping because our schedules are different during the day. This weekend, he is going home, and next weekend, I am going home.
Answers:
4 months ago
A few things:
1) I know what lactose intolerance is. My stepsister also suffers from it. I just don't know what to buy because she doesn't eat much, and she takes medicine.
2) My friend is trying to gain weight, so keeping the food light is not necessary.
3) I'm not taking him shopping because our schedules are different during the day. This weekend, he is going home, and next weekend, I am going home.
I'm lactose intolerant and there are tons of foods out there your friend can enjoy that aren't soy! Most Kraft cheeses are lactose free (it says on the back of the package). I eat cheese and crackers all the time. Other things I enjoy to snack on are: Fresh fruit, gummi worms, fruit and cool whip, soup, jello, tuna, oatmeal, some dry cereals without the milk, jerky, chips and salsa...there are so many things he can eat! Just be creative and make sure to look at the ingredients, sometimes there's lactose in things you wouldn't expect.
What about fruit and nuts and snacks like that?
Jo ... How about some of the more nutritious kinds of chips with some salsa. Salsa is great and except for a little salt, there isn't a thing wrong with it. It's not the most balanced diet, but at least he'd be getting his veggies.
I'm not sure if you want cold or warm foods but generally, anything with dairy (cheese, yogurt, cream, milk) can disagree with your pal's stomach. Most lactose intolerant people that I know have different symptoms and different reactions to foods. But as a general rule, we just avoid all diary products. I just keep Lactaid-type digestive aids (pills) handy for ice cream cravings. So, for your friend I would say... just pick anything that has no dairy and you'll be fine. One thing you may want to try are these mini ice-cream sandwiches called Cuties. They are made with tofutti and, although it sounds bizarre (I was a bit skeptical at first, too), they are rocking good! They are small and the box is not that large, but I do not know if they will fit in your freezer -- you'll just have to eat them all in one sitting. Good luck!
hmm... i agree w/ the fruits and nuts.. and most fruits do not have to be refrigerated (apples, bananas, pears, etc). Also veggies is a good idea, just buy a veggie dip that doesn't contain dairy. Tortilla chips w/ salsa, popcorn, fruit snacks, microwavable french fries, jarred pickles, anything that doesn't contain a dairy product (mainly cheese and milk). Hope that helps!
FYI--lactose intolerance is just a fancy way of saying your body cannot digest milk, you lack the necessary enzymes to break it down. If you do ingest milk products, it's just gonna give you a very bad stomach ache.... also, if you purchase a medicine called Lactaid and eat it with your first bite of dairy product, you should be fine (the pill contains that lactose enzyme). It's around $8 for 20 pills.
A good yogurt with live cultures of streptococcus thermophilus and lactobacillus bulgaricus will help lactose intolerance as these bacteria munch on lactose.
If you eat this yogurt before eating other dairy, your friend should have no issue with dairy products... just make sure the yogurt says "contains live cultures" and not "made with live cultures" or anything ambiguous like that.
what about he gets the food in he may enjoy shopping
I am vegan, but lactose intolerant anyway. When you say he doesn't like Soy, has he ever tried soy crisps, or chocolates. I love rice crackers, rice niblets(Asian style), If he is such a great friend, he should bring his own when he visits, I do when I visit my friends, as I cant expect them to always have a snack I can eat. One of my friends keeps off the shelf packet dinners (curries, lentils etc) which are vegan, in her pantry. She loves these for a change sometimes, and if I pop in they are there. Get him to do the same for you, you shouldn't have to be doing.
Buy what ever you want. AND some Lactaid or Digestive Advantage pills. He shouldn't be deprived of anything just because of the Lactose - especially when there are ways to aide digestion so he can enjoy 'normal' food.
I'm Lactose intolerant as well, and with the pills I can eat what ever I want - even drink milk! With out the pills, if I even look at dairy, I get sick to my stomach.