Lactose Intolerant?

I love milk.

In my formative school years, breakfast cereal was my staple food before going to class. My early favourites were Kellog's Frosties, Honey Stars, and Coco Crunch. As I grew into my teens I went for more nutritious cereals which had more natural ingredients like wheat and nuts instead of just sugared flour.

I stopped that habit in my college years but maintained my love for yogurt and cheese somewhat. Recently I'm trying to get back to cereals for breakfast as I can't keep eating instant noodles first thing in the morning!

Recently however, I've been having mild diarrhea throughout the day. I'm not running to the loo every 30 minutes, but when I do go what comes out is hardly.... firm? Substantial? Not sure the right word.

I have a nagging feeling it's the milk I'm drinking. As part of my efforts to increase my caloric intake, I turned to the ever convenient powdered milk. Whenever I feel a hunger pang, I can get 159 calories just by mixing in some hot water.

Anyway, I noticed that when I have milk I will get some minor stomach ache and am more likely to visit the outhouse. Suspecting lactose intolerance, I have ceased eating any dairy products at the moment to see if my condition improves. In addition, I'm taking a probiotic supplement every morning to try to hasten my recovery from diarrhea.

I don't have a definite conclusion yet, but I'll definitely be disappointed if I have turned lactose intolerant. Milk has been such a big part of my formative life, and though biologically speaking there's no reason for me to be drinking milk anymore it's found in so many of my favourite foods that it could become a practical problem.