Single Girl Review | A2 Milk and My Lactose Intolerance Journey

So I have been drinking A2 milk (no-affiliate) on and off since the beginning of 2018 because I can't digest milk. I think I've always had trouble digesting milk because in childhood I would get diarrhea often but without regularity.  Milk was in everything and not a known allergen at the time.

My story

I thought cheesecake hurt everyone's stomach after two bites. But I had no trouble with my first love - ice cream. At church potlucks, when I would get diarrhea after gorging on cream of chicken casserole dishes or dairy filled sweets, I thought I just ate too much other-people food.  At birthday parties, I thought you were supposed to take the cheese off pizza before you ate it. It tastes better when you know you won’t get a stomach ache afterwards. Duh.  But I had no problem with chocolate chip cookies or puppy chow or cake and ice-cream.

In college, I thought it was just unsanitary conditions in my school's cafeteria that gave me diarrhea when I ate the cheeseburgers because it only happened sometimes.  Or when I ate the cafeteria's cereal with milk and got diarrhea, again only sometimes, I thought I just got a bad batch of something. I mean sometimes they did leave some spoiled milk in those dispensers. When I missed my college graduation events because of some cheese dogs I ate the week before, I just thought it was nerves about leaving the comfort of college (and cheese dogs).

It wasn’t until I was living on my own and cooking for myself that I began to really pinpoint what I was eating that was not agreeing with me. Most of the times it was cheese, specifically cheeseburgers. So I thought it was only American cheese. So I stopped eating American cheese. And so it went until I realized I could not properly digest dairy in any form.

What came next was a years-long foray into milk alternatives. It started with soymilk and ventured into Lactaid, Lactose Defense Formula, Almond Breeze, vegan cheeses and spreads, and the like.  Eating out really became inconvenient because I would have to check allergen menus beforehand and of course those are posted, if at all, for big chains and fast food joints. So long, local diner! So long, food truck! So long, trendy hot spot and fine dining!

I’ve adjusted I suppose, what choice did I have. But it was really hard to let go of baking. After several tries of vegetable oil spread sticks, this vegan butter and that vegan plant oil spread, I found Smart Balance and that really does taste like what I remember butter tasting like. So I can still make several of my tasty treats.  However, I personally have grown weary of milk-alternatives in any shape or form to the point where I don't really buy it anymore.

Then after some effective marketing, A2 milk popped up on my television channels. After months of commercials, I decided to give it a try. And try I did. So I thought I'd share my experience here in this handy chart in case there are some fellow lactards out there who are looking for an alternative.

A2 Milk Review - How does it compare

[caption id="attachment_1181" align="aligncenter" width="1087"] A2 Milk Review Comparison Chart[/caption]

A2 Milk Review - Summary

For first time users of A2 milk, I recommend easing into it. You won't suddenly be able to drink milk three times a day without effect. It's a new food. Your body likely hasn't had it before or hasn't had milk of this kind in a long time. I know with my body, when I introduce new food items, it has to be done gradually over time.

Additionally for some reason, A2 milk doesn't taste cold. I have enjoyed it best with an ice cube. I suspect this may be why this gene was phased out, but this is currently unsubstantiated. I imagine eons ago some clever ad girl started marketing ice, cold refreshing milk and so that's what the people wanted. Demand went up and A2 cows were phased out. At least that's my speculation. 

Overall, A2 milk is a viable alternative for lactards for whom Lactaid or lactase supplements do not work well. It has a real milk taste (because it is real milk), but it is not cold and refreshing like milk you may be used to drinking. Single Girl does not recommend A2 milk for daily use, but if you want to enjoy it for your weekend hot cocoa or cold cereal + reality TV binge watch, it is an option. I do hope they come out with ice-cream sometime soon.

Your turn

Have you tried it yet? If so, what'd you think? Are you one of the lucky humans that can still digest cow's milk (you know mammals aren't designed to drink the milk of other mammals, right?)?