In a message dated 8/7/01 11:59:54 PM, LeAnne Deardeuff <[log in to unmask]>
writes:
>How long do you expect people to be off dairy before
>they out grow it? Years?

Yes. My nephew, now 15, also seems to have outgrown his lactose intolerance.
He was diagnosed as lactose-intolerant when he was about 2. Any exposure to
any dairy made him violently ill, and my sister maintained a completely
dairy-free diet for him, with no exceptions. Just about the time he hit
puberty his ability to handle dairy increased dramatically. He now has no
dietary restrictions at all, with no health problems that we can see. But
that was 13 years of no dairy at all.

Incidentally, in answer to the question of whether or not it's even necessary
to reintroduce dairy - he hasn't, much, actually. He had become a very
judicious eater over the years, like most dairy-intolerant or allergic kids.
In addition, he's now a vegetarian, and his own food choices continue to be
surprisingly healthy, albeit in that bizarre-teenager-weird-food way. But he
had missed a few things, specifically cheese and ice cream, which he can now
have.

And, like other members of this list have mentioned, the biggest improvement
is in simply not having to police every bit of food that comes his way; he
can have pizza with his friends, we can make ordinary cakes and pasta.
There's no giant influx of dairy products into their house, but we don't have
to guard against them, either. As someone pointed out, the social benefits
are far greater than the dietary changes.

Libby Rock