Lactose intolerance

[Joan1]

Can someone give me some ideas of what is available for anyone that cannot have any lactose

We are traveling next year with family members where one has been diagnosied and want to make sure there are options for the little one, 3 yr old.

She drinks Lactaid at home as she doesn't like soy milk. I am also concerned with restaurants and character meals since most character meals are buffets

Thanks for any advice

[clanmcculloch]

If she drinks lactaid at home, does that also mean that they don't avoid milk that's cooked into foods? If yes then it's really easy as they don't need to worry about regular foods (chicken tenders, hamburger buns, etc) or even baked goods.

For treats, here are some suggestions that are lactose free. This is not an exhaustive list and there are also other options as well.

• popcorn at all the snack carts all over the parks
• jumbo pretzels at all the snack carts all over the parks
• frozen strawberry and frozen pineapple bars and popsicles at all the frozen carts all over the parks (the frozen bananas do have milk)
• dole whips
• chips (read the packages as some flavours may have milk; regular and bbq are milk free)
• Goofy's packaged candy (read the packages as some flavours may have milk)
• fruit
• pickles (I love those packaged pickles)
• roasted nuts
• Tofutti (soy) or Rice Dream (rice) ice cream

At the all you can eat restaurants including buffets, there will be items that are already safe and if she's drinking lactaid then cross contamination is likely not a concern so you can easily grab some foods from the buffet. In addition, you can ask to speak to a chef to find out about things like dairy free mac & cheese or dairy free pizza if that's something that she'd like (some places can make these, others can't; the chef will let you know what they're able to do). Dairy free cheeses are all soy cheese. Feel free to go over all of your options with the chef before getting any food as the chef will definitely go over with you what is safe and what isn't.

I don't know if any restaurants carry Lactaid or not. I don't think I've read any reports of it around. Lots carry Kikkomann soy milk (plain, vanilla or chocolate) and some carry Pacific rice milk.

[Joan1]

Thank you

They do avoid items cooked with milk at home. For example they now make mashed potatoes with lactaid instead of regular milk or cream
She is not allergic to eggs just any milk product and all cheeses

[jennilouwho]

Can you get soy or rice ice cream at any of the ice cream joints or only at table service restaurants?

[TDC Nala]

Any ADRS you make, including buffets, should indicate that there is a person in the party who is allergic to dairy products.

I don't know if they will come up with Lactaid. A lot of the places have soy or rice milk and I don't know what they will offer if that is also unacceptable. You could also try the DisABILITIES board which has a lot of information on dealing with food allergies or intolerances at WDW.

[BebopBaloo]

I'm lactose intolerant and have had many many wonderful meals at WDW at table service, quick service, and snack areas. Note on the ADR that you have an allergy. The chef will come to your table and help you choose. Many places even create special items, or keep them in stock. Sanaa at Animal Kingdom Lodge actually has individual menus for each type of allergy.

At quick service locations, just tell the cashier, they will get a manager, and you can check out their notebook.

Even places that just have snacks should have a notebook, except in World Showcase at Epcot..not all the kiosks there have the notebook. The table service and counter service places can work with you though. Actually, for a snack there's Kaki Gori in Japan (shaved ice w/ syrup).

Ice cream places do often have rice cream or soy options.

Oh! Dole Whips in Adventureland..soft serve non-dairy pineapple treats. Yum. Yum. Yum.

[happymommy]

My son is dairy allergic (has had anaphylaxis twice and could have died) and we've been to Disneyworld so many times. They do a wonderful job with food safety. He's never had a reaction at any Disney restaurants (they even change their gloves to handle his food).

At a buffet, a chef will walk the parent through with the child and go over each safe item on the buffet. Then, they also will offer to make anything special (like for my son a few times it was plain grilled fish and fries).

Lactose intolerance is much different than dairy allergy. It's more common in adults; it's something that develops when the intestines don't need to produce lactase anymore due to lack of milk in the diet. I would suggest to carry chewable Lactaid just in case, to offset any stomach issues. Also calling ahead to ask if the restaurant carries Lactaid milk is a good idea.

[Joan1]

Thank you everyone

Originally Posted by happymommy

My son is dairy allergic (has had anaphylaxis twice and could have died) and we've been to Disneyworld so many times. They do a wonderful job with food safety. He's never had a reaction at any Disney restaurants (they even change their gloves to handle his food).

At a buffet, a chef will walk the parent through with the child and go over each safe item on the buffet. Then, they also will offer to make anything special (like for my son a few times it was plain grilled fish and fries).

Lactose intolerance is much different than dairy allergy. It's more common in adults; it's something that develops when the intestines don't need to produce lactase anymore due to lack of milk in the diet. I would suggest to carry chewable Lactaid just in case, to offset any stomach issues. Also calling ahead to ask if the restaurant carries Lactaid milk is a good idea.

Thank you - this is a 2yr old, 3yr next year that cannot handle milk or cheese products at all. I will have her look into the chewable Lactaid not sure if it is something a three year old can have.

They went to DLand over the summer this year and had a hard time with the meals even though it was noted on the reservations and they spoke to a chef when they were there. They were paying for the meal since it was a special order one and not "free" for a 2 yr old

[clanmcculloch]

Originally Posted by Joan1

Thank you

They do avoid items cooked with milk at home. For example they now make mashed potatoes with lactaid instead of regular milk or cream
She is not allergic to eggs just any milk product and all cheeses

When I asked about items cooked with milk I meant where the items are cooked after the milk is added such as baked goods. With mashed potatoes, the milk is added after the cooking. Believe it or not, there is a difference. If she eats baked goods that contain milk then her options are much simpler and greater. That being said, there are still LOTS of options for those who can't consume even a trace of milk.

Originally Posted by jennilouwho

Can you get soy or rice ice cream at any of the ice cream joints or only at table service restaurants?

The ice cream parlours all carry soy ice cream and I think also rice ice cream as do the resort CS locations. Sometimes you'll also find it at Sunshine Seasons and the American pavillion at Epcot but those are more hit and miss. Frozen Coke is also milk free. I forgot to include that in my previous list.

Originally Posted by BebopBaloo

Oh! Dole Whips in Adventureland..soft serve non-dairy pineapple treats. Yum. Yum. Yum.

Dole Whips are NOT non-dairy. They ARE lactose free. For those of us dealing with milk allergies, there's a HUGE difference. Lactose is the sugar component of milk. Milk allergies involve the protein casein or in some people the milk solid whey.

[Cheshire Figment]

I would suggest going to the disABILITIES Forum and look at Post #3 of the disABILITIES FAQs. There is a large section in that post dealing with special dietary needs, as well as many related links. You can get directly to the disABILITIES FAQs by following the link in my signature.

This is a very common topic of discussion in the disABILITIES Forum.

[jennilouwho]

Originally Posted by clanmcculloch

The ice cream parlours all carry soy ice cream and I think also rice ice cream as do the resort CS locations. Sometimes you'll also find it at Sunshine Seasons and the American pavillion at Epcot but those are more hit and miss. Frozen Coke is also milk free. I forgot to include that in my previous list.
.

Thanks so much! We usually do Disneyland since we can drive there, but they don't have as many options for those allergic to milk. My son is 4, we're saving to go to WDW in 2014. It would be nice if he can get a treat or two!

[BebopBaloo]

Originally Posted by clanmcculloch

Dole Whips are NOT non-dairy. They ARE lactose free. For those of us dealing with milk allergies, there's a HUGE difference. Lactose is the sugar component of milk. Milk allergies involve the protein casein or in some people the milk solid whey.

MAJOR apologies!!! I have always been told on this board that they were non-dairy. I do know there is a major difference between being intolerant and dealing with an allergy. Thank you for informing me.