Cost- lactose free

[sunny3]

A year ago I was having severe problems with lactose in minute amounts so I axed a lot of dairy products and switched to soy milk. Sure, my gut felt better but I still hate soy milk, sometimes don't even get one glass/ day and I'm very high risk for osteoporosis and low weight so water is not suiting my dietary needs. I've been trying to slowly re-introduce small amounts of dairy, although I'm not sure if it will be successful. Doing better with small amounts of cheese and yogurt but not sure yet about the milk- will know in a week.

My budget is rather tight and I'm just wondering if someone has analyzed the cost of lactose free products (lactose free milk vs lactose enzyme pills vs soy milk) and what you found is the most cost effective.

With soy milk I'm finding I like So Good original the best but as with all soy milks, i end up throwing out 1-2 glasses of the carton because it's chunky. Yes, it says "shake well" but I have muscular dystrophy and this is too hard for me.

I need to find a solution that works better- reasonably priced and tasting good to me so i don't lose the motivation to drink it. If I can go back to pills and milk, I think I'd be happier but I'm not sure if my body can handle that or if it's cost effective. Thanks for any help.

[Natalka]

Have you been diagnosed with lactose intolerance? That's the first step, to get referred to an allergist for testing. Otherwise, it could be something else...

After years of trying different things and products - I've settled in to using the Lactaid pills when I have dairy. I just don't make meals with dairy often, and have found what I can and can't tolerate well.
I don't like the Lactaid milk - I find it too sweet, and I really don't like soy milk. Any soy cheese I've tried I haven't liked either...

I buy the Lactaid pills when I have a coupon (usually there's a $3 one available every few months on save dot ca through the living well link), and I'll buy them when Extra Foods has their 12% off day. I use two extra-strength pills - and have a meal with dairy maybe once or twice a week, so a bottle lasts a long time.

[sunny3]

Thanks for the info. Yes, I also find lactaid milk too sweet. I had previously been using lacteeze drops to treat my own milk and I think this is still the cheapest alternative but I will go and see what else is out there. I recently tried Natrel lactose free and it tastes less sweet i think but it was 3.77$ for 1L. That's just robbery. I'm starting to think I will have to do a taste test of soy and milk treated with drops and see which I think I'm most likely to want to drink. When I go away, I can always use the pills. I will go see what costco has in terms of pills. I think they carry the lactaid fast act. They had Webber pills but i have always had trouble with those plastic like capsules.

[lekate]

If you're lactose intolerant your body no longer makes the enzyme required to digest milk proteins and it never will again (most mammals stop once they've been weaned). Cheeses are generally lactose free and so is dairy. If you're high risk for osteoporosis you should also consider your phosphorus levels in your blood stream. It's a myth that lack of DAIRY calcium causes bone loss (phosphorus in meat and dairy products bind to calcium in the blood stream, if there's not enough in the blood stream from what you've eaten it will take it from the bone).

http://www.doctormurray.com/health-c.../osteoporosis/

[sunny3]

Thanks for that article, it was interesting. It is very complicated with me because Cal-mag supplements above a certain amount causes my heart to beat weird (no sure which it is) and I was diagnosed with abnormally low vitamin D even while already on supplements so i had to more than double it and i don't know if it's ok now. I don't eat a lot of junk food nor pop. My #1 risk of osteoporosis is just having tiny bones to start with I'm shorter and lighter than most 12yr olds. After trying dairy this week and lactaid pills again, I'm thinking the best option financially is to stick with soy milk and use regular milk with pills when i want pudding or use pills when i want other dairy. Maybe if i can have cheese and occasional treats of pudding and ice cream, it'll make me feel less deprived while still on soy milk. I'll just have to suck it up and force it down.