Things You'll Need:
- An ability to read labels on all food purchased
- A pharmacist who will do appropriate research
- Internet access
-
Step 1
It is pretty easy to find whey listed on labels in the grocery store. But they must be read carefully. If you see the word whey on the lable, put the product back on the shelf. It will cause you discomfort. You will find whey in most breads, in cereal, in most low fat products, in cookies and crackers. Whey is almost everywhere. Milk, butter, cheese and ice cream are all milk products.
-
Step 2
You cannot stop at looking for just whey. Lactose is the component of whey that is the culprit for the lactose intolerant person. Lactose is usually in smaller letters on the food label, so you must look harder. Sometimes you must read a label two or three times before you are sure it is OK.
-
Step 3
As you start reading labels, you will notice the prefix 'lac' or 'lacto' on many labels. Unless you are sure if it is a safe form of lactose, avoid the food.
-
Step 4
Another big problem for the lactose intolerant individual is eating in restaurants. Most sauces have lactose or whey in them. Butter is full of lactose because it is made from milk. So is cheese. These foods must be avoided. Often the restaurant staff has no idea what is in the food they serve, so asking the wait person will rarely get you a good answer. So much of restaurant food arrives at the the restaurant already prepared and is only combined and heated for the customer, so the cook or chef is also not aware of the presence of lactose.
-
Step 5
Medications are the most difficult to avoid. Almost 100% of generic medications use lactose as a filler. Your pharmacist can advise you. You can also check online by typing the name of the medication and the manufacturer in a search engine and find out for yourself.
