I miss the brain freeze you get when eating a good pint of ice cream.  I didn’t give up ice cream voluntarily, my body decided for me when I started experiencing lactose intolerance symptoms in my early 30’s. Once I was diagnosed, I became the food buzz kill at restaurants (according to my friends) when I asked a plethora of questions “what has dairy in it and can it be made without butter or cream, etc.”   I try not to be a PIA but I don’t want to get sick and ruin the night out. Thankfully food allergy menus are available (more often online) and you can show food allergy cards in multiple languages to make eating out anywhere in the world a bit easier.

When I travel, street vendors and buffets are pretty much off limit so I go to reliable standbys albeit a bit boring (chicken and veg, meat and potatoes, over easy eggs with fruit). Traveling with Lactose Intolerance has taken some time to get used to and find a routine that works for me.  The key is finding what works for you when you travel because it’s not always as simple as “does this have dairy in it”.   Below are a few tips for traveling with lactose intolerance as well as my experiences with travel vendors that accommodate food allergies and intolerances.  Did you know more than 60% of people have a decreased ability to break down lactose and can experience symptoms? So you are not alone even though it often feels that way eating plain chicken and a dry baked potato (or French fries).

Lactose Intolerance Diagnosis

It took years of navigating the US health care system to finally get a lactose intolerance diagnosis.  My GP kept dismissing me saying “women’s issues” – ugh! (I ended up dismissing him).  I tried to self-diagnose by keeping a food journal with incidents to figure out trigger foods but I was getting sick daily even when I thought I ate no dairy that day (dairy in the frozen vegetables? Seriously?).  I finally said “no more” and booked an appointment with a gastroenterologist.  She listened to my symptoms and ordered a hydrogen breathe test to test for and measure lactose intolerance.  The test involved ingesting a medical drink high in lactose (medical drinks never taste good no matter what they tell you it tastes similar to) and then breathing into individual testing bags every ten minutes.  I would exhale into the bag and seal it.  I would do this for almost two hours.

I wasn’t surprised when the doctor called to tell me I was severely lactose intolerant which meant that my reaction would start within twenty minutes of ingesting cow’s milk foods (i.e. – ice cream, cheesecake, cheese, etc.).  I was finally happy to have a proper diagnosis but didn’t realize how my travels would change.  I was now teetering on the verge of “will this get me sick?” so avoid it and “is it worth getting sick for” let me eat it. Let’s say it’s still a learning curve many years later.

Symptoms of Lactose Intolerance

Typical symptoms of Lactose Intolerance aren’t pretty – they range from mild to severe and can include gas, bloating, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Symptoms can begin ½ hour to 2 hours after eating and vary with each person, quantity of lactose ingested and how your body reacts.  For some, it might be mild discomfort, for others it may involve multiple bathroom visits. Your body, lacking the lactase enzyme to break down the sugar (lactose) in cow’s milk can’t process the food eaten so tries to expel it (trial and error is no fun). You can try to supplement with Lactaid pills (available in the US over the counter) which replace the enzyme (take pills with food) but it doesn’t always work for some people (for me they don’t work with ice cream or cheesecake or other heavy cream based).   So when I started traveling more frequently for work and then to new countries for vacation, I had to adjust my travel research, schedules and ensure I brought a food allergy card with me.

Note that I say “food allergy card” – this also covers food intolerance and medical issues.  I do not have a dairy allergy which is a whole other ballgame.

Lactose Free Airline Special Meals

Many foreign airlines will offer you a special meal menu (request in advance) to accommodate a good number of food allergies, intolerances, religious diets and special diets (low sodium, low carb, etc.). Your travel agent can add it to your booking or you can call direct after booking to add.  British Airways (BA) allows me to choose online.   The special meal request isn’t guaranteed if you have delays, changes, etc. Of special note is that you won’t be upgraded if you have a special meal in your reservation.  For some folks, this is a big deal so they don’t book the special meal.

A special meal request is just that – “special”. This is a trial and error in my experience because frankly a rice cake as dessert doesn’t work for me (I’ll bring my own cookies), neither does a fish dinner.

 

 

• On Singapore Airlines, I used the “book the cook” feature to pre-select my food catering when traveling in Business Class from Singapore to Melbourne on an award.
• On British Airways, I’ve moved from Lactose Free to Low Calorie which is generally grilled chicken with vegetables (simple and easy).
• LAN Chile (JFK to Santiago, Chile) served one of the better special lactose free meals I’ve had in the air.
• On US Airlines, I bring my own food as it’s much safer and I won’t go hungry.

I will ask the flight attendant what’s in my “special meal” before they heat it up to serve.  If something I’m not keen on, I will order off the regular menu (usually the red meat and potato option) and eat my Lactaid pills as needed.

 

Travel Food Intolerance Cards Multiple Languages

When traveling on a Baltic Cruise to Russia, I wasn’t worried about the cruise ship (they are awesome to accommodate food issues – see below) but it was the two-day private guide tour in St. Petersburg that concerned me.  I ordered my lactose intolerant food card in Russian from SelectWisely.  The cards are laminated and have the language translated on one side and the photos on the other.  I showed my tour guide who was able to deal with the restaurants directly which was good.

 

Lactose Intolerance – Finding the Toilets

My niece laughs that I know where all the bathrooms are in every place we go.  Not unlike someone who scans for all of the exits, it’s important for me to know where to go….literally.   I carry coins for the train station (pay to pee) bathrooms and scope out the nicer hotels or restaurants in the area. It’s more peace of mind because you never know how your body will react to food and drink while traveling.  I once had orange juice and was sick, so I give up on trying to figure out what will make me sick (cow’s milk dairy is a definite, everything else questionable).

The key to using the hotel or restaurant bathrooms is to look like you belong as some cities don’t allow free access to bathrooms if not a paying guest of the hotel or restaurant.  I fly on the aisle to ensure access to airplane bathrooms and will ask bus tours if they stop along the way or have a bathroom on board.

Bathroom Apps:  SitOrSquat by Charmin and Where To Wee sponsored by Cintas.

Lactose Intolerance Adjust Your Travel Diet

 

To be honest, I’ve adjusted my travel diet as much as possible but also take into account the local delicacies. I travel alone so any discomfort or consequences will only affect me and not traveling companions. I’m not going to ask a French chef to hold the butter or crème – I’m going to enjoy the fresh croissants,  the steak frites with herb butter, the chocolate mousse and everything else that makes Paris (and France) wonderful.

When I’m in Europe, my symptoms seem to be less severe than at home.  In the UK, I can buy lactose free butter, cream cheese, milk and other products to cook with (sadly I don’t live in the UK).  In Italy, I will eat gelato twice a day just because I can without getting sick.  Again, each person’s tolerance level will differ depending on quality, quantity, day of week and ingredients mix in my experience.

 

 

At home, it’s much easier of course to make what you want especially with all of the cookbooks, online cooking community and recipes available.

 

 

Other Milk and Dairy Products

When I visited Barcelona and signed up for a Devour Food tour, I indicated lactose intolerance and they arranged to swap out the cow’s milk cheese sample to include sheep and goat milk cheeses.  It had been over 10 years since I ate cheese plain like that.  It allowed me to participate in the group and not exclude myself. I gotta say that it was the creamiest tastiest cheese I’ve had in a long time.  Knowing I wouldn’t get sick was awesome.

You can eat cheese again just not cow’s milk – look for goat’s milk, sheep milk, Feta (Greek), Pecorino (Italian) etc.  In Philadelphia, I go to DiBruno’s Rittenhouse to get my cheese fix. In London, Neal’s Yard Dairy is a favorite and Eataly NYC (multiple cities) also had a great cheese selection.

 

Times It’s Worth Getting Sick

During my travels, there have been some foods that I knew would get me sick and yet I was ok with that.  At Rudy & Paco’s in Texas, I met the owner who regaled me with tales of growing up and family recipes.  His grandmothers Cuatro Leche was a dessert drenched in four milks.  I didn’t have the heart to say I can’t eat that especially as it was complimentary as he sat to talk with me at the bar while I ate the dessert.  I’ll be honest, it was one of the best desserts I’ve eaten and worth getting sick over.  Luckily, the hotel was close to the restaurant and I dealt with the consequences later.  There have been other situations I’ve been in where I had to eat the food lest I offend someone or the culture so I did my best.

Lactose Intolerance on Cruise Ships

The cruise lines are superstars to accommodate food issues in the main dining and specialty restaurants but no so in the buffets.  Most cruise lines allow you to indicate food issue into the reservation if standard (i.e. gluten free, dairy free, etc.) but if you have a complicated diet (I’ve met some crazy folks with crazy medical diets), then let the maître d know the day of boarding.  I always go to the dining room meeting to ensure my lactose intolerance is noted.  I am then explained the procedure – usually order dinner a day in advance from the menu that your server will provide at the end of dinner.

When my family sailed on the Disney Magic Cruise Ship – my sister and niece were the gluten-free meals and I was dairy free.  To be honest, dairy free was more restrictive in my opinion on that cruise than other cruise lines I’ve sailed with (Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Princess, Carnival, Norwegian (NCL) and Holland America (HAL)) – I’m not sure why – the meals were fine but nothing to be excited by.

Special kudos to Celebrity Constellation on the Turkey/Greek Isles Cruise – the staff went over and above for me.

I followed the “order the night before” procedure but one night I didn’t like the next day menu so I wasn’t sure if I would eat in the main dining room.  The next day, I saw the maître d as I was wandering around the ship on the way to lunch.  He said he didn’t see me listed in the reservations, was I ok?  I told him I didn’t like the choices that night and might try my luck at the buffet.  He didn’t like that answer and asked me what I wanted to eat.  I replied “a simple dish I make at home – pasta, red sauce and asparagus”.  He told me to come to dinner at my normal time.  Low and behold, I was able to dine that night and eat my simple dinner that was dairy free. 

Also on that cruise at the crepe restaurant for lunch (extra fee). The staff didn’t understand why I didn’t order a dessert crepe.  I explained my lactose intolerance and they said “we’ll see what we can do”.  Later that day, a  crew member called my cabin to invite me back as they had tested a dairy free crepe and were excited to show me what they devised for me.  I felt weird being the focus of so much attention but happy to eat their crepe creations.

Disney World with Food Allergies and Food Intolerances

Disney World is fantastic to accommodate food allergies, intolerance and special diets.  They add it to your profile so when you go eat at the restaurants you are given a special menu with allergy ingredients listed.  At the buffets in their hotels (usually character meals), the chef will meet you to walk you around the buffet to tell you what you can eat.  I was with my family for dinner at The Contemporary Hotel otherwise I would know better not to book a buffet as not worth the price when you have lactose intolerance.  The chef walked me through the 30+ items on the bar and told me I could eat maybe 5 of them (carved meats, bread, baked potato and one vegetable).  I thought I could eat the green beans but he pointed out that he used whey and butter in the preparation.  Glad he told me.

 

 

Lactose Free Business Conferences & Networking Events

At business conferences, it’s a mixed bag.  If they cater a sit down meal, I would usually skip it and go to a local restaurant to eat. The downside is lost networking time but the upside is you don’t need to announce to the entire table you’re lactose intolerant.  I don’t know why people care why you are/aren’t eating. A sandwich box is often a maybe after I remove the cheese and dressings so I’m left with one slice of ham or roast beef – yummy!  I pack a lot of snacks (cashews, Kind Bars, etc.) when I attend business events with food to ensure that I’m eating throughout the day.  Some event planners will ask about food allergies and intolerances, if they do be specific (i.e. – lactose intolerant – no dairy – chicken good – no fish or salad) in your request.

I often pre-eat before networking events to avoid the finger foods or buffet and ensure I don’t faint from not eating.

Final Thoughts – Traveling with Lactose Intolerance

If you have been diagnosed with lactose intolerance, it’s not the end of the world – it could be worse.  I think about those who could die from food allergies.  Lactose Intolerance is annoying and challenging with a flavor palate when you remove butter and creme but there are surprising alternative options (almond milk, cashew milk, etc.) as well as Vegan desserts. With lactose intolerance, you need to learn how to manage your body and its reaction to cow’s milk dairy. When traveling, it’s gets a bit trickier depending on what part of the world you are visiting but with the right research, food intolerance cards and a good attitude, you can enjoy traveling the world – croissants, gelato and all.

 

Note: the post above contains affiliate links where I may earn a small commission (a few pennies here and there) should you choose to purchase from the vendor.  I promote items that I’ve used myself and think will add value to your travels with a food intolerance or food allergy.