Be-Well: The Pizza That Changed My Life

I still remember the day I discovered I was lactose intolerant.

Ironically, it all started with a pizza.

At the time, I had recently been laid off from a job I had dedicated many years to. I was exhausted from searching for work and emotionally drained from spending day after day at home.

One afternoon, while watching television, a pizza commercial appeared on the screen.

It looked irresistible.

Triple cheese.

Golden crust.

Stretchy melted mozzarella.

Before I knew it, I had ordered a medium pizza.

When it arrived, I was genuinely excited.

I opened the box, sat down in front of the television, and happily started eating.

Halfway through, I realised I had made a terrible mistake.

Not because the pizza wasn’t delicious.

Because I had ordered far too much for one person.

I felt incredibly bloated. My stomach was so full that I could barely breathe.

I put the remaining pizza in the refrigerator and went back to watching television.

A little while later, my stomach started making strange noises.

Then came the sprint to the bathroom.

I had terrible diarrhoea.

My first thought was stress.

After all, I had just lost my job.

Surely my stomach was reacting to everything that had been happening.

I took some medication, went to bed, and tried not to think too much about it.

The next morning, I felt completely normal.

Naturally, I blamed it on a stomach bug.

Until lunchtime.

I looked at the leftover pizza in the fridge and thought,

“Well… if it really was the pizza, I’ll soon find out.”

A few hours later…

I was back in the bathroom.

That was the moment I started asking questions.

Could It Be Lactose Intolerance?

After hours of searching online, I came across something I had never really thought about before: lactose intolerance.

The symptoms sounded surprisingly familiar.

• bloating

• stomach cramps

• diarrhoea

• excessive gas

Still, I wasn’t completely convinced.

The following week, I had a cheeseburger and a milkshake.

Nothing happened.

I thought I had imagined the whole thing.

Then, later that afternoon, I ordered a cappuccino.

Within a short time…

There I was again, desperately looking for the nearest bathroom.

That was when the pieces finally started coming together.

Learning to Live Without Dairy

I began avoiding milk and reducing dairy products.

No more café lattes.

No more cappuccinos.

No more pizza whenever I felt like it.

At first, it felt like giving up many of my favourite foods.

But something else happened.

I felt better.

Much better.

Over time, I realised I could tolerate very small amounts of butter or cheese, but anything more would leave me feeling bloated, uncomfortable, and occasionally running for the bathroom.

Everyone’s tolerance is different.

Mine simply isn’t very high.

What Is Lactose Intolerance?

Lactose intolerance isn’t the same as a milk allergy.

It simply means your body doesn’t produce enough lactase—the enzyme needed to digest lactose, the natural sugar found in milk and dairy products.

Without enough lactase, your digestive system struggles to process dairy, leading to symptoms like:

• bloating

• diarrhoea

• abdominal cramps

• excessive gas

If you’ve ever noticed these symptoms after eating pizza, ice cream, milk, cheese, yoghurt or creamy desserts, it may be worth discussing them with your doctor.

Living With Lactose Intolerance

Thankfully, things are much easier today than they were when I first discovered my intolerance.

Supermarkets now carry a wide range of lactose-free products and plant-based alternatives, including:

• lactose-free milk

• soy milk

• almond milk

• oat milk

• coconut milk

I’ve also found lactase enzyme supplements incredibly helpful when I occasionally want to enjoy foods that contain dairy.

They aren’t a cure.

They simply help my body digest lactose more comfortably.

Looking Back

It’s funny how life sometimes teaches us important lessons in unexpected ways.

Mine came through a pizza.

I never imagined that one takeaway meal would completely change the way I looked at food.

Today, I still enjoy pizza.

I still enjoy coffee.

I simply understand my body much better than I used to.

Sometimes our bodies whisper.

Sometimes they shout.

Mine chose pizza.

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Be Well. Listen to Your Body. Keep the Faith.