Right, so I'm lactose intolerant... now what?

From personal experience, living with lactose intolerance really isn't that bad. Sure it is extremely annoying, especially for a college student where pizza is often the go-to food, but it's not impossible to live with. The best way to deal with it is to learn to cook. Over the years, I've made almost everything, from Broccali Cheddar Soup to Pizza to Eclairs to Pumpkin Pie. With the right ingredients and the many cheeses, margarine and milk products that are lactose free, it is possible to satisfy almost any craving. The hardest thing is often waiting for the food to cook. There is no more running to the corner pizzeria or ordering out late night after a night of drinking (with the exception of chicken tenders and fries). You learn to control cravings and not binge on certain foods because, well let's face it, no diet I've ever heard of makes you sick if you don't follow it. You learn control because you have to or you will pay the price.

Other Options:

Of course if you don't have it that bad yet, then you are in luck. Lactaid makes a pill that contains the lactase enzyme to help those with lactose intolerance break down the milk proteins. This enables most people with lactose intolerance to enjoy whatever meal they would like. There are many other Lactaid products for people with lactose intolerance, such as Ice Cream (I know! you can still have it!), in Chocolate, Vanilla, Cookies and Cream, Strawberry Cream and Butter Pecan, Cottage Cheese, Milk and even Eggnog. The great thing is that Lactaid is no longer the only company that makes Lactose Free products. Most Kraft cheeses are lactose free. Cabot Cheese and Finlandia Cheeses are almost all lactose free. There is a great butter substitute, that actually has a buttery taste rather than the oily taste left by margarine, called Earth Balance. With all these products it is possible to enjoy almost all the food you could before becoming lactose intolerant.