For cereal or smoothies, you can choose between rice milk, soy milk, almond milk, and oat milk. All can be found in natural food stores and many supermarkets. Buy a small box of each one and see which you like best. My personal favorite is WestSoy Lite Vanilla. I use it in my morning tea, cereal, and smoothies.

Look in the frozen food section of major supermarkets and natural food stores for Amy's brand non-dairy entrees. You can enjoy lasagna, pizza, Mexican dinners, and other foods that traditionally contain dairy made with soy cheese.

For non-dairy alternatives to Ensure and other high-calorie drinks, try WestSoy's VigorAid (240 calories for eight ounces) and Imagine's Power Dream (290 calories for 11 ounces). Unfortunately, many sick and frail people with poor digestion drink milk-and-sugar, high-calorie beverages that only add to their digestive problems. Since sugar feeds bad bacteria in the intestines, increasing intestinal discomfort, you may want to try Power Dream, which uses rice syrup instead. The rice syrup feeds beneficial bacteria.

If you're looking for a dessert treat that's quick to make, delicious, and dairy-free, Mori Nu, Inc. has recipes for pumpkin pie and creamy chocolate pie that will fool even the most discerning palate. Call 800-NOW TOFU (800-699-8638) for free recipes. Mori Nu also has packages of low-fat pudding mix (vanilla, chocolate, or lemon) that you blend in with a box of their tofu. I've made these desserts for finicky teenagers who were embarrassed to discover they actually liked something made with tofu!

Eating dairy safely
Not all dairy causes digestive problems in lactose-intolerant people. Butter, for instance, contains no lactose. It's just a fat. Fermented dairy, like yogurt, uses up lactose during fermentation resulting in a low-lactose food you may be able to digest. Lactaid milk, which has had some of its milk sugar removed and is low in lactose, may not cause problems.

You can always take lactase pills with a meal that does contain dairy. Lactase is measured in FCC units (milligrams of lactase). You will probably need about 3,000 FCC lactase units or 200 mg of lactase for a meal with a little dairy. High-dairy meals may require more.

Acidophilus and lactose intolerance
As its name suggests, lacto (milk) bacillus (bacteria) acidophilus means that this friendly bacteria eats milk sugar (lactose). Acidophilus also makes the enzyme lactase. So taking acidophilus supplements could help improve mild lactose intolerance, especially over time.

With fermentation, the levels of friendly bacteria in dairy products increase. Although eating yogurt, even daily, won't eliminate lactose intolerance, it can help improve your digestion.

What about calcium?
The most common misconception is that we need large quantities of calcium every day. Since dairy products are high in calcium, many people believe they will have porous, brittle bones unless they eat dairy or take high amounts of calcium supplements. This isn't true. As I’ve said before, a healthy diet, including beans, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and green vegetables, is high in calcium. These foods are also high in magnesium, which you need to get calcium into your bones. Don't worry about not getting enough calcium. Just stop eating dairy if it's contributing to your digestive problems.

Davis, Brenda, RD. Dairy-Free & Delicious, Book Publishing Company, 2001.