Milk Question

Why would you want to give him lactose free milk if he is not lactose intolerant? It is not only more expensive, but lactose free milk goes through quite a bit more mechanical and chemical processing to remove the lactose from it.
If he is only going to be drinking lactose free dairy products, when given full lactose dairy in other situations, he may develop a sensitivity: not an allergy mind you, but the body becomes "used" to what you give it, and regular dairy might start to give him gas, constipation or diarreaha. There are also many health benefits to full lactose milk, so why ruin a good thing?

Hi K.,
My daughter IS lactose intolerant and her doctor told me the only difference between regular milk & lactose free milk is that they add the lactase enzyme to the milk to break down the lactose. My daughter is 2 1/2 so she drinks 2% but her doctor also said that 1% or fat free is even better. The plus to lactose free milk is it is sweeter because the lactose, or milk sugar, has already been broken down. I have found that Safeway and Raleys carry Sunnyside and Lucerne brands so you don't have to buy Lactaid, which is more expensive.
L.

PS After reading the advice after mine, I wanted to state that lactose reduced milk has the same nutritional content as regular milk per Wikipedia AND my pediatrician. He also told me that it isn't uncommon to become lactose intolerant as an adult.

Hi K.,
My daughter drank lactose free milk as a baby because she couldn't handle the lactose in dairy products. There were no concerns at all because it has all the same vitamins and nutrients - read the label. She did however, eat other dairy products as she got older. So, there was no longterm effect or built up intolerance.

good luck

K.,
It does not matter if your child is drinking laSctose-free milk even though he is not lactose intolerant. Do you have this milk in your home for a special reason? Would he be interested in drinking soy milk?

The only disadvantage that I can think of is the vitamins he's not getting.

Hi,
My name is A. and I am a mother of three, 9,4,and 2 1/2, I have raised them all vegan. They are extremely healthy and have lived perfectly without milk. You can visit vegan sites for more information on why it is best not to use dairy. Good luck!

A.

K.,
If your son is not lactose intolerant, please do not give him lactose-free milk! By doing so, you will increase the chances that he will become lactose intolerant. I am lactose intolerant (a lactose maldigester, technically, as I can have small amounts of cheese, etc., without getting symptoms). Everything I've read in the 16 years since I was diagnosed at 22 says that it's important for people in my situation to keep having at least a little lactose in our diets so that our bodies do not create even less lactase enzyme. If your son's body realizes it doesn't need as much lactase enzyme (which is what breaks down lactose, a complex sugar, into two simple sugars that are digestible), it will likely start producing less, causing a problem that isn't already there. Please do check what I'm telling you with a pediatric gastroenterologist if you have some other reason for wanting to switch your child to lactose-free milk. Our pediatric GI wanted our son on regular milk eventhough both my DH and I have difficulty with lactose. He is one of the most respected pediatric GIs in the Bay Area (practices at UCSF). Please do not make this switch without at least checking with a specialist!
K.