We are planning a visit to Paris in late fall and I am already concerned about ruining my vacation (including watching my children constantly raise their eyebrows)because of some serious stomach issues that have recently surfaced. It seems almost oxymoronic to go to Paris and not be able to eat anything made with butter but I am determined to go. How does one tactfully mention to a waiter that my food cannot contain any dairy products? What about all of those incredible bakeries?

Lactose pills don't seem to work.

I remember the days when I could just get on the plane....

Why not go to restaurants specializing in the regional cooking of regions that do NOT rely too much on butter and cream, i.e. avoid restaurants specializing in the cooking of Normandy. I think the primary fats used are duck or goose fat in the southwest and olive oil in Provence, and both of those regional styles of cooking are delicious and will probably be available in Paris. I'm mildly lactose intolerant and had no problems at all in the Dordogne or in Provence. There's plenty to eat without having milk, though I hope you can digest cheeses. (For some reason I can tolerate yogurt and most cheeses just fine, though milk, cream, "too much" butter, and very fresh milky cheese like ricotta are all a little hard for me to digest. Possibly you may have the same tolerance for cheese?) I have not yet met a French cheese I don't like, and I'm only just beginning to get acquainted.

Marsha, you may want to try a bit of something and see. It sounds crazy, but I was terribly lactose intolerant here in the US. I decided to risk it once on some cheese in France when I didn't have pills with me. I had no problems. I tried other things, still no problems. I've had gelato in Italy, Bailey's in Ireland, and lots and lots of cheese all over Europe, no problem. But here, it's a different story. My doctor thinks I'm actually reacting to the preservatives in the US-versions of the products instead of lactose itself. Not sure if you want to try or not, but it is a thought...

I have quite a problem with lactose in the US but not in Europe. My doctor said his mother is the same. He thinks it may be a difference in processing the milk products, and that in the US too much of the helpful bacteria is removed in the pasturization.

I agree w/ the others - try it and you might be just fine. I'm not lactose intollerant - but I went to the UK and Paris for 3 weeks with a freind who is. She avoided as best she could for a few days and then had something or other - I think it was profiterolles (sp?) w/ cream. Anyway she managed just fine and had dairy several times after that w/ no problems. She has been back to Europe since then and can handle just about any sort of dairy (but still can't in the States)

I agree w/ the others - try it and you might be just fine. I'm not lactose intollerant - but I went to the UK and Paris for 3 weeks with a freind who is. She avoided as best she could for a few days and then had something or other - I think it was profiterolles (sp?) w/ cream. Anyway she managed just fine and had dairy several times after that w/ no problems. She has been back to Europe since then and can handle just about any sort of dairy (but still can't in the States)

don't know how that happened?? I only clicked "post" once - honest . . . . . .

topping

If lactose pills don't work and/or if butter bothers you, then perhaps your dairy problem is something other than lactose intolerance. And lactose intolerance expresses itself in the intestines; if it's literally your stomach that's bothering you, then that's another indication that lactose is not the problem. Various proteins, hormones, additives etc. could be sources of allergic reactions.

Most people with lactose problems can tolerate a small amount of lactose, and butter has hardly any; likewise, in some cheeses all the lactose has been broken down, and live cultures in yogurt tend to break down a lot of the lactose for you.

You can also buy pills (lactase enzyme tablets) that help your system break down the lactose. Don't count on asking the waiter--many products used in preparing food contain lactose, and the waiter probably won't be aware of them.

The butter problem can just be that some of us are not used to butter. I like butter, but I'm accustomed to olive oil as my primary fat. If I eat food cooked in butter every day on a two-week vacation, or if cook too much meat and therefore eat meat every day for a week or twice a day for a few days, I just feel "off." But milk, cream, ice cream, ricotta, or eggs (yes, I know that's not lactose) cause a different feeling--sort of bloated. I think that's lactose intolerance, but in my case, pretty mild. Yogurt and most cheeses don't bother me at all. I think some people can tolerate goat or sheep milk more easily than cow's milk, but I'm not sure what's at work there.

I appreciate all of your responses.

Truthfully, I haven't separated out products one by one; I used to get very sick (horrible stomach pain, bloating, and gas, pardon the expression) until I stopped eating ALL dairy products two years ago. No medical tests were done. Within one week, stomach problems gone and, without losing weight, one dress size smaller.

So, can anyone identify particular French cheeses that have low or no lactose? I could try them, one at a time, before we leave.

I am not sure that the French cheeses that are imported to this country are processed the same way than the ones you will have in France. There may be different requirements for the ones that are exported.

I suspect that you will just have to try in France and see what agrees with you there. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Lactaid doesn't help me, but now I am taking Nexium for another reason, and it actually has also made me more able to have milk products- probably an indication that I may not really have lactose intolerance but some other sensitivity to milk products.

All the growth hormones in American milk products is what's probably giving millions upset stomachs.

I would really doubt you'll have a problem in France. It's easy enough to avoid dairy products altogether, and I really doubt that a bite or two of most French dairy products, which are usually minus all the hormones American companies put in stuff, will hurt you.