California could become the first U.S. state to require restaurants to disclose common food allergens in each menu item under legislation being considered by state lawmakers.
I’m lactose intolerant to the point that a single sip of milk will wreck the rest of my day within 30 minutes of consumption, so if I ever eat out, I always ask if there’s dairy in EVERYTHING, even stuff you wouldn’t normally think has any dairy at all. Unless you prepare the food yourself, you just never know. My lactose intolerance isn’t life threatening, but I can’t imagine how difficult it is for people with allergies that can legit go into shock and die from them. Eating out must be a nightmare, or just something they’re forced to avoid totally.
I have the same level as lactose and also wheat intolerance. I load and carry loperamide every time I leave a safe “toilet haven”. Lactase/lactrase pills don’t suffice. I also have some inconvenient and inconsistent allergies. So I am always at maximum 30 minutes from my home or hotel.
In almost all European countries I have been to however, restaurants tended to know their shit. Literally. (Save Serbia and Bulgaria, could you not at least learn from your neighbours?)
The amount of lactase needed is a function of how much lactose you consume. I don’t think I make any lactase at all and it’s not exactly possible to overdose on lactase so I down multiple 20,000 unit pills every time there could be lactose in something and that seems to work quite well. If I’m eating a dairy-based meal like pizza or something with a lot of cream then I take a few pills with every few bites.
Thank you for this tip. I didn’t think of it that way, I just kept going with the assumption that lactase pills just didn’t have any effect at all since I followed my doctor’s recommendations for specific amounts. I’ll try your tip (safely at home).
I had a manager once who was allergic to citrus. Like your allergy it was more “ruin her day” not “send her to the ER” but it was nearly impossible for her to avoid unless she made everything from scratch.
While avoiding food with lactose is a legit way to deal with it, if you’re not aware, I believe that there’s enzymes that you can take with the food to break it down, same way that you can take Beano to break down the sugars there to avoid flatulence after eating beans.
hits Wikipedia
Sounds like it. I’ve never used it, so I can’t personally endorse it:
Lactase (EC 3.2.1.108) is an enzyme produced by many organisms and is essential to the complete digestion of whole milk. It breaks down the sugar lactose into its component parts, galactose and glucose. Lactase is found in the brush border of the small intestine of humans and other mammals. People deficient in lactase or lacking functional lactase may experience the symptoms of lactose intolerance after consuming milk products.[1] Microbial β-galactosidase (often loosely referred to as lactase) can be purchased as a food supplement and is added to milk to produce “lactose-free” milk products.
Commercial lactase is used as a medication for lactose intolerance. Since it is an enzyme, its function can be inhibited by the acidity of the stomach. However, it is packaged in an acid-proof tablet, allowing the enzyme to pass through the stomach intact and remain in the small intestine. In the small intestine it can act on ingested lactose molecules, allowing the body to absorb the digested sugar which would otherwise cause cramping and diarrhea. Since the enzyme is not absorbed, it is excreted.
Lactaid sucks and it’s much easier to just avoid dairy. I’m vegan now but when I occasionally ate dairy I used lactaid and it was like “this turns a terrible situation into a moderately bad situation, that is still pretty awful and uncomfortable”
Oh yes, I’m well versed in lactase tablets. I always have these on hand, both Lactaid and Lactojoy (the hard stuff from Germany with 14,500 FCCs of lactase). The issue is that if you keep eating the food with lactose, you have to keep taking the lactase tablets, because you’re body doesn’t produce it (or very little) on its own.
I accidentally ate something with lactose (Chinese food, of all things) last month and had to take 8 Lactaid pills and 2 Lactojoys just to keep myself off the toilet for the rest of the day. There’s no way to tell how much lactose I consumed, how much lactase I need to counteract it, etc. It’s just not a game I’m willing to play, especially out in public. It’s like poisoning myself intentionally and then gambling with how much antidote to take before the pain sets in. Dairy just isn’t worth it.
I’m lactose intolerant to the point that a single sip of milk will wreck the rest of my day within 30 minutes of consumption, so if I ever eat out, I always ask if there’s dairy in EVERYTHING, even stuff you wouldn’t normally think has any dairy at all. Unless you prepare the food yourself, you just never know. My lactose intolerance isn’t life threatening, but I can’t imagine how difficult it is for people with allergies that can legit go into shock and die from them. Eating out must be a nightmare, or just something they’re forced to avoid totally.
I have the same level as lactose and also wheat intolerance. I load and carry loperamide every time I leave a safe “toilet haven”. Lactase/lactrase pills don’t suffice. I also have some inconvenient and inconsistent allergies. So I am always at maximum 30 minutes from my home or hotel. In almost all European countries I have been to however, restaurants tended to know their shit. Literally. (Save Serbia and Bulgaria, could you not at least learn from your neighbours?)
The amount of lactase needed is a function of how much lactose you consume. I don’t think I make any lactase at all and it’s not exactly possible to overdose on lactase so I down multiple 20,000 unit pills every time there could be lactose in something and that seems to work quite well. If I’m eating a dairy-based meal like pizza or something with a lot of cream then I take a few pills with every few bites.
Thank you for this tip. I didn’t think of it that way, I just kept going with the assumption that lactase pills just didn’t have any effect at all since I followed my doctor’s recommendations for specific amounts. I’ll try your tip (safely at home).
I feel your pain!
I had a manager once who was allergic to citrus. Like your allergy it was more “ruin her day” not “send her to the ER” but it was nearly impossible for her to avoid unless she made everything from scratch.
While avoiding food with lactose is a legit way to deal with it, if you’re not aware, I believe that there’s enzymes that you can take with the food to break it down, same way that you can take Beano to break down the sugars there to avoid flatulence after eating beans.
hits Wikipedia
Sounds like it. I’ve never used it, so I can’t personally endorse it:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactase
https://www.amazon.com/lactase/s?k=lactase
Lactaid sucks and it’s much easier to just avoid dairy. I’m vegan now but when I occasionally ate dairy I used lactaid and it was like “this turns a terrible situation into a moderately bad situation, that is still pretty awful and uncomfortable”
Yup, it sucks. You can’t trust it to work and you never know how much you need, or if it will work at all.
Oh yes, I’m well versed in lactase tablets. I always have these on hand, both Lactaid and Lactojoy (the hard stuff from Germany with 14,500 FCCs of lactase). The issue is that if you keep eating the food with lactose, you have to keep taking the lactase tablets, because you’re body doesn’t produce it (or very little) on its own.
I accidentally ate something with lactose (Chinese food, of all things) last month and had to take 8 Lactaid pills and 2 Lactojoys just to keep myself off the toilet for the rest of the day. There’s no way to tell how much lactose I consumed, how much lactase I need to counteract it, etc. It’s just not a game I’m willing to play, especially out in public. It’s like poisoning myself intentionally and then gambling with how much antidote to take before the pain sets in. Dairy just isn’t worth it.