I've been feeling for a while that something has been causing problems, and, after a little research, I've found that lactose is the most likely offender. To test this hypothesis, I'm switching to lactose-free and non-dairy alternatives and seeing how I feel.
I've got myself some lactose free milk, which tastes almost the same as regular milk, except, perhaps, is a little sweeter. The way this is produced is by treating milk with lactase, the enzyme that breaks down lactose in the human digestive system. Lactase breaks down lactose into galactose by the following mechanism:
People suffering from lactose intolerance either don't produce lactase, or don't produce enough of it. You can also suffer from a lactose sensitivity, which means that you can still eat a lot of milk-based products, but it's not recommended that you drink milk products on their own. I'm hoping that I have a sensitivity rather than an intolerance, since that way I can still eat chocolate and have cheese with crackers! I do love my brie.
Another benefit to the lactose-free milk is that it's the only truly suitable substitute for milk in baking, which is fantastic for me, since I love to bake. It's also not that much more expensive than milk, whereas soy mik, almond milk, etc are sometimes more than twice the price of your average liter of semi-skimmed, pasturised milk.
