Panera

Word of caution: I went to Panera for lunch and went to the effort of asking about the ingredients in the white balsamic dressing on the Fuji Apple Chicken Salad to ensure there was no milk. The cashier was not sure, so he pulled out the ingredient list for me to examine, which got the all clear from me: no milk. Little did I know that the salad would arrive and be a landmine of gorgonzola cheese, which very clearly is A MILK PRODUCT. Thanks Panera guy for being great at your job and failing to warn me that the salad was covered in CHEESE! I always order things and by default say, "no cheese," but it slipped my mind since I was worried about the dressing.

If only Panera would LIST the ingredients of the salad (e.g. Mixed greens, walnuts, gorgonzola, white balsamic dressing, chicken, apple chips, etc...) ON THE MENU! Most restaurants at least include the basics, not just the title like Panera.

Just keep reminding yourself that everybody else is ignorant to your digestive issues and it is your own fault if you don't ask every time!

Whole Foods Run

Trials and tribulations with milk

Welcome to my new blog! I am going to try to enter my thoughts as I navigate through daily life as a severely lactose intolerant foodie. Eating every-day foods can feel like the entire world is trying to sabotage you! The American food industry has been reliant on the cow's milk industry for so long. With recent studies suggesting that about 60% of adults suffer from some intolerance of cow's milk, I hope that people will learn about their own digestive systems and be better equipped to deal with the mass of milk ingredients used in many prepared foods.

History: To get my history of lactose intolerance out of the way, I have known of my "issue" for about 5 years now, but I suspect I have been intolerant for 6 or 7 years. As a baby, I was allergic to milk and was breastfed until I was 2 years old.

Products: I have tried taking various mitigating agents, such as acidophilus and Lactaid supplements (or the store brands -- lactase enzymes). The acidophilus did not help reduce symptoms at all, but I was mainly still afraid to try eating milk products. Lactase supplements make my stomach churn and have actually made me throw-up several times, so I stopped trying to take these. Oddly enough, I can drink Lactaid milk (or the store-brand) and I personally do NOT like the fat-free versions of lactose free milk, as it tastes strangely chemical to me. Breyers Lactose Free Ice Cream (vanilla) is a MUST! One of the main things that I craved for such a long time was straight-up, delicious ice cream. Breyers saved the day! Goat's milk yogurt (Redwood Hill Farm) is so delicious and sits well in my system, and their kefirs are wonderful. Those are my two main *crave* foods, since I can't have either cow's milk yogurt or any ice cream, gelato, or frozen yogurt/custard concoctions.

More product suggestions and stay-aways to come...