Lactose Blues

We all inherit different traits from our families -- physical, behavioral, and medical. Daniel is just a week shy of 16 months, and he seems to be a fascinating combination of me and Peter. Sure, there are things about myself that I hope Daniel does not inherit: poor eyesight, perfectionism, and a tendency towards envy. Peter's personality is much more stable than my own. He is easy to get along with, friendly, and hugely optimistic. But he is not perfect -- the poor thing is lactose intolerant! Imagine having to go through life avoiding cheese and ice cream! Peter's downfall is that he indulges in these foods and ends up sick as a dog. I could basically live on cheese and ice cream for the rest of my life -- that's how much I love these foods. Daniel certainly takes after my love of cheese. He can't seem to get enough. Ice cream hasn't caught on yet. When I see his playgroup pals gobbling it up, though, I know he'll learn to love it in time.

Why all this talk about lactose? Well, I haven't been feeling well recently. I'll spare the reader the details, but my ailments have included nausea, cramps, and massive amounts of gas and bloating. Unsure of the cause, I've hypothesized that it may have something to do with my intake of lactose. Call me crazy, but I fear that I may be allergic to the foods I love most. Just my luck, right? I'm embarking on an experiment this week: NO lactose (or as little as I can control. I'll use soy milk with my cereal, soy cheese on my sandwiches (the stuff is barely palatable), and avoid ice cream and pizza like the plague. Best case scenario, I'll feel much better and maybe even lose some weight! Worse case scenario...well, without cheese and ice cream, I'm pretty much living it.

Only time will tell whether or not lactose is my friend. In the meantime, I will live vicariously through Daniel as he devours cheese like it's going out of style. And I'll keep my fingers crossed for him that he will never see the day when his beloved lactose will be forbidden.