Travelling with lactose intollerant child

[Snowbear20]

We are looking at booking a holiday with some friends for later in the year, once DS2 has arrived and the dust has settled.

Their DD is lactose intollerant so they've not so far left the UK for fear of her not been catered to.

Where is good to go? She doesn't eat 'kids food' other than chips, genuinely prefers adult style food. We usually all stay in places which are less commercial and touristy (not massive AI fans,we like exploring a bit more).

Can anyone recommend countries which are easier to travel to? I said I'd do the research for the trip stupidly

My daughter is lactose intolerant. I found places with international standard proper menus much easier than all-inclusive buffet places which were a nightmare.

Also, I suggest they look into Lactaid which contains the missing digestive enzyme. My dd can eat some milk products (not ice cream or cream but many other things) if she takes a Lactaid. Not suitable for milk allergy which is different.

Am I being thick here, it’s quite easy to avoid lactose, surely? Not sure why a lactose intolerance has rendered them afraid to leave the UK?

Different if you were talking about an allergy or something... are you sure it’s lactose intolerance and not a milk protein allergy?

Vera, I presume it's in case they can't read labels sufficiently, so see that crisps and bread contain lactose, or can't get their message across sufficiently to explain she'll be ill if she eats it.

Remember all the tales 20 years ago about vegetarians trying to explain in France that they couldn't eat meat, so being given fish, or told to pick the ham out? That kind of thing only with added stomach upsets.

Yes, being unable to tell whether a dish contains milk is an actual problem. Not sure why that is controversial in this day and age.

How adventurous are you looking for?
I wouldn't want to vouch for the labeling or knowledge but much if the far east is low dairy.
Israel's kosher rules would mean many dishes are dairy free and they would be able to answer the question, if not the reason.

I'd look for diets low in dairy (probably not Europe!) And work from there.

@TenCornMaidens i will suggest they look into that! Is there a minimum age for using it?

Sorry to be clear, they've worried travelling to places such as Italy that butter/cheese are used lots in cooking. Greece from personal experience could be similar.

As a group we would previously have gone to the restaurant with no brits and just asked for a selection of whatever they deem to be good. I know in areas of Turkey allergies are not even considered to be a thing, MIL has a severe nut allergy and had an issue as they just couldn't comprehend it

Definitely just lactose, happily has lacto free milk/cheese/yoghurts and is under a hospital dietician. Normal dairy leads to explosive diarrhoea.....

I find Greece really easy as a lactose intolerant. Unlike Italy a lot of the meals are unconstructed so you can ask them to leave bits out. So a Greek salad can be served without the feta, and the dolmades without the tzatziki. Olive oil is the most common oil and I rarely see butter. Lactose free milks are also available in the supermarkets alongside all the dairy free alternatives. Also in the tourist areas most people speak English so its really easy to explain what you need, and there's always Google translate of you're struggling

@muddledmidget thats great news, we all love greece so nice to know that would be an option open to us

I've been all over crete, mykonos, santorini, tinos, andros, Athens and the peloponnese and found it easy in all the places. Everywhere has grilled fish/meat and chips/oven potatoes as an option even if you can't find something more exciting, but I usually did, and a pita gyros can definitely be found everywhere and served without tzatziki (bread with kebab meat, chips and salad folded up, my favorite meal!)

My little boy is allergic to diary, sesame and egg. We have taken him abroad to France, India and Sri Lanka. All absolutely fine. The one that was amazing was Sri Lanka, the hotel we stayed in had a huge vegan section and so he was able to eat a massive range food. In France we went self catering and so wasn't a problem. And in India, they listened to his allergies and catered for him.

@muddledmidget gyros without tzatziki is just upsetting though....eaten far too many during a mispent youth as a holiday rep . Really pleased to hear Greece is a viable option. We may even be able to look at a yacht charter for the week which is always a good laugh. Thank you!!

@Cric great that youve found everywhere so accomodating! I think after hearing my MILs issues my friend has been assuming the worse when it comes to other countries and allergy awareness. Its not life threatening but a few days of a horrible tummy is really not ideal on a holiday