Hi Gina,

Re: lactose intolerance - there are some very good soy milks out there that have all the nutrients of cow's milk. Personally, I like Silk and on occasion drink goat's milk as well, it's expensive though. Rice milk is another option for your daughter as well but it doesn't tend to have all the calcium and vit. D that cow or soy milk have.

Re: probiotics - the best, easiest, and least expensive way to get the "good bacteria" that we all need is with yogurt. Because of the fermentation process it does not contain lactose and is usually well tolerated. Buy a good quality organic yogurt that has live active cultures like acidophillus, bifidus, bulgaris, etc.

If you want to go with the pill form there are now hundreds of options. Some people find Digestive Advantage helpful others, like me, find it makes them uncomfortably bloated, you'll just have to try it and see how your daughter tolerates it. The best probiotic pills are typically those found in the refrigerator section of health food stores as they truly have live and active cultures that are kept alive by the cooler temperatures. Personally, I would find a good quality yogurt (not Yoplait, Activia, etc. which are filled with sugar, etc.) and see how she does.

Just so you know, the probiotics won't necessarily help the lactose intolerance but it might help it a bit.

Good luck,

Elizabeth