Lactose intolerance is the inability to digest lactose, the sugar found in dairy foods. The condition usually develops at an early age, but can also develop during adulthood. The inability to digest lactose results from a lack of lactase in the digestive system: Lactase is the enzyme responsible for the breakdown of lactose in the stomach.

I have been sensitive to certain dairy products for a few years. Recently, more foods cause me to have the same symptoms associated with lactose intolerance. This dietary restriction is just a little upsetting when it happens later in life, and here's why:

1. Breakfast.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I used to enjoy waking up and having a bowl of cereal every morning, but not anymore. Sure, I could always just eat the cereal without milk, but dry cereal is nowhere near its milky counterpart in terms of taste. I tried soy milk and other alternatives, but they just didn't taste the same.

2. Drinks.

In the middle of winter, most people delight themselves to a cup of hot chocolate. Most hot chocolate is made with milk. There are some that you can make with water, but that's just like adding chocolate powder to water: nobody wants that. On the opposite end of the spectrum, summer is a nice time to drink a cool, tasty milkshake. Both components of a milkshake are dairy. Milkshakes were a childhood favorite, but now I can't go anywhere near them.

3. Cheese.

When I was little, I used to put cheese in a lot of foods I ate. There is an abundance of cheese-related foods which I can't eat anymore, including pizza. This is very problematic because I work in a pizza shop. I get a salad every now and then, but the only time I get to enjoy pizza is when I get it with vegan cheese (the taste isn't all that great) or simply without cheese. Honestly, I miss cheese the most.

4. Going Out To Eat.

Whenever I go out to eat, I have to find things on the menu that don't have any dairy in them. It's not too hard and you can always ask for something without cheese or the dairy product it comes with, but then I feel like I'm that annoying guy at table three who sent back his burger because it had cheese on it. It's also saddening to watch your friends order milkshakes or cheeseburgers when you can't have them anymore.

5. Repeating Myself.

I don't know if this happens to many people, but I constantly have to remind my friends of my lactose intolerance, especially while we're out at a restaurant or trying to order something to eat. It generally sounds like this:
"I'd love to get that, but I can't."
"Why can't you?"
"Because I'm lactose intolerant."
"Oh yeah! I forgot about that."
Maybe I just don't see my friends enough or I just don't usually eat with them, but it's a little bit annoying to have to repeat myself all the time.

6. Forgetting.

I often forget how many things have dairy in them. I've only been fully lactose intolerant for a couple months now, so it's understandable that I'd forget every now and then. It's very problematic when I do forget, though. I'm sure you can figure out why.

This is a very common condition in the world. Millions of people have it and I'm determined to figure out how to live with it, just like they did.