About a year and a half ago I started to experience my first bout of digestive issues. A few consultations with a dietitian at school and she predicted that I most likely developed a lactose sensitivity/intolerance. This was devastating to me because I absolutely loved my cheese and Ben & Jerry pints. While the lactose intolerance made life a bit difficult, I refused to give up my beloved dairy. 

As I started to feel more of the affects of this new found gut issue, I started to try and cut back on the dairy intake. I've never been a huge milk drinker so that wasn't hard; same with yogurt. Ice cream was not a daily indulgence so that proved to be easier than I thought. Cheese was a different story. I tried vegan cheese, which was not terrible but not great. I decided that cheese was going to be impossible to give up and I accepted my fate. 

So I lived with my lactose intolerance and cheese-eating habit until last summer when I was give a game-changer.

My doctor suggested I take a probiotic for gut health. I was skeptical but desperate to find something to make my dairy-filled lifestyle livable. I picked up Align probiotic, and after one day I noticed a huge difference. A week later it was like a miracle. I didn't experience any usual symptoms after eating dairy and could also notice that I could easily digest other foods. 

I'm not saying the probiotic is a cure or has completely resolved my issues. But it's made life easier. I'm definitely limiting my dairy intake now, but with Chicago deep-dish, it's a challenge. All I know is that I'm grateful for my probiotic and I definitely notice when I forget to take it.

Even if you don't have an intolerance, I highly suggest trying a probiotic for a week to see if you notice a difference in your gut health. They say a happy gut is a happy life (or something like that).