Lactose Intolerance, what people without it won't understand

You're not alone. Thousands of persons suffer from this and have to learn how to cope without any dairy in their diet. Here are just some of the everyday obstacles of what sufferers of lactose intolerance go through.

That great steamy bowl of Mac 'N Cheese you enjoyed as a child can no longer be eaten. It's depressing because its so good. This comfort food brings the kid back in all of us. To not be able to eat this is heartbreaking.

As a child, my mother used to make a really great lasagne. I no longer can eat this because of the amount of cheese that is required to make this dish. Lactose intolerant persons who love lasagne can no longer eat this, too.

Ice cream is enjoyed universally by everyone. It's such a shame that this treat causes a great pain to lactose intolerant persons. There are, however alternatives, such as smoothies, but they're often made with dairy.

Sometimes smoothies are great. But the majority of smoothies are made with ice cream and dairy. This makes it kryptonite for people who are lactose intolerant. I treat ice cream and smoothies the same.....I can't have them.

Feel left out when the office or when pizza is ordered at a party or a function? You're not alone. Pizza is something that can be easily ordered for many people, and it's unfortunate that it contains cheese. Ordering pizza with no cheese just isn't the same. Pizza lovers enjoy pizza and the cheese in all of its gooey goodness is why pizza is eaten. Becoming lactose intolerant puts a damper in enjoying pizza.

Since vegan meals are not supposed to contain animal products, you can automatically eat vegan food. It's safe for persons who are lactose intolerant. But not all vegan food tastes great. And if you are a meat eater, you may not necessarily enjoy having to do this.

Lactaid works very effectively for some sufferers of lactose intolerance. But sometimes it does not work for others. And for those, myself included, are left without options.

I've often wondered why they have Lactaid Milk. It's just regular milk with a liquid lactase enzyme in it. You could just have regular milk and chew a Lactaid pill. In all honesty, Lactaid never did work for me. I've always felt cramps in my stomach regardless of taking Lactaid.

Reading food labels has become a full time job for me when visiting the grocery store. I have to look at every ingredient on the list to see if there is milk or words that mean "milk."

Because I cannot have cow's milk, these alternative milks have become my new friend. Milks such as Soy Milk, Almond Milk, Rice Milk, etc. have become my new friend. But not all of those alternative milk products taste the same. Nor do they even taste good.

Because there is no true substitute for milk, even with the alternative milks, I have really learned to eat my cereal plain and dry. Honestly, it's not that bad as other people without lactose intolerance think.