Like most of the folks on this list, I've found that the best way to avoid
reactions to dairy (in my case, it's the delight of severe stomach pains,
diarrhea, vomiting, chills--lots of fun when you're out in public) is to
eat at home--where I can control the things that go into my own personal
food preparation habits. Fortunately, I don't have to deal with reactions
of hosptial-worthy proportion, but even in the most cautious situations,
I'm REALLY careful.

For instance, I had to travel for business on Northwest Airline last week.
Because of my dairy intolerance, I have a standing order for non-dairy
meals on all business trips, obviously. Well, my first-class breakfast
consisted of cereal with skim milk (ugh), banana, bagel with cream cheese
(ugh again), apple sauce, and yogurt (ugh one more time). I couldn't
believe that this is what the catering department considered a non-dairy
meal! Needless to say, I skipped all the obvious dairy things, but if I had
eaten that stuff, I probably WOULD have ended up in the hospital instead of
at a crucial meeting with three top executives of 3M. Beware all of you who
fly on Northwest.

When it comes to food allergies, you really can only trust yourself and
your own fastidiousness. Frankly, food preparation professionals really
don't care--nor do they understand that it's not just a "fussy eating" or
dieting thing. Thank goodness I don't have to worry about my child...at
least not yet.

Thanks to everyone on the list. I hope my input helps.

Heidi Schwartz