text: could i be lactose intolerant? everytime i eat ice cream i feel either bloated or throw up. its the same with milk but whenever i eat something with chesse i feel fine. you probably have lactose intolerance. that is, your small intestine doesn't produce enough lactase, the enzyme you need to digest lactose, the natural sugar found in dairy products. never fear, it's not dangerous.  the obvious thing to do is decrease the amount of milk and dairy products you eat until your symptoms go away.  if milk is your main source of calcium and you cut back on milk, then you should supplement your diet with substitutes like;  sardines with bones, or spinach or broccoli. calcium supplements are another option, as are lactase enzymes, pills, or lactase-treated milk.  never drink milk alone. some people find their symptoms disappear if they take their dairy products with meals. as you mentioned " eat something with cheese".  eat yoghurt. the organisms that make yoghurt what it is, also produce lactase to digest the lactose contained in yoghurt. secondly, the bacteria themselves also probably break down the lactose in the milk.   yoghurt is made from pasteurized milk. but sometimes manufacturers repasteurize the yoghurt before they freeze it. this would kill the beneficial organisms that produce lactose. so try to find yoghurt that has not been repasteurized. it means choose regular yoghurt over frozen one.  eat yoghurt before ice cream. if you eat yogurt 5 to 15 minutes before you eat ice cream [or other milk products], probably any symptoms of lactose-intolerance would be less.  try cheese, too. cheese has less lactose in it than milk. hard cheeses are the best,because they're fermented the most. swiss cheese or extra sharp cheddar cheese contain only a trace amount of lactose and are thus less likely to produce digestive upset.