Six Food Intolerance Living

That's right, Lactose Free DOES NOT equal Dairy Free!

Okay, sorry, I know I'm mostly preaching the choir here. But, it's just so annoying. I can't tell you how many times I have had this conversation or one just like it:

"I'm sorry I can't eat that item/dish, I have a dairy intolerance."
"Oh, I understand. - my (insert type of relative) is lactose intolerant too. There is this product called Lactaid that was made for people like you. You can even find it in the regular old (insert name of local grocery store). You should try it."
"Thank you for information, but I'm not intolerant to lactose, I am intolerant to casein. Lactose is a type of sugar in milk, casein is a type of protein found in milk."
"Well, my (relative) can't have milk either - and they can have Lactaid - and he/she really likes it."
At which point I realize that I won't get anywhere, so I just stop arguing and change the subject.


I really, truly applaud the lactose free community for educating the public so well about their concerns. I'm hoping that it will pave the way for other food intolerances, but I am just so overthis. Why do so many people assume that being dairy free means you lactose intolerant? People choose to be dairy free for lots of reasons. Yes, it's true that some people are intolerant to lactose, but others (like me) are intolerant to casein, and still others are intolerant to anything from a cow but can have goat products. Furthermore, there are Vegans who do not consume any animal meat or any animal byproduct by choice and then there are people living Kosher who have strict rules about dairy. And there are probably others that I am not thinking of right now ...

So, if you are not dairy free, please keep in mind that just because someone is dairy free, does not necessarily mean that they are lactose intolerant. Again, I know I'm preaching to the choir. Probably 99% of you who are reading this are well aware of this, maybe even more so than I am. So, for those 99%, I apologize for this post, but for the other 1% who are here that don't know, maybe this helps clear a few things up about dairy.

Oh, and while I'm at it, real BUTTER IS DAIRY! There are a few types of margarine that are dairy free (mostly made of soy), however, most butter that I have come across contain at least whey and/or casein. Therefore, BUTTER (and usually margarine, too) IS DAIRY and therefore cannot be used in food for a dairy free person!

Thank you for letting me get that off my chest, please return to your angry free life ...