Lactose Intolerance

I've always thought I had hereditary lactose intolerance because my aunt the medical doctor who collected the family history said so. She's even more sensitive to small amounts of dairy than I am, but we both get the bloating with painful cramps and borborygmi sound effects before we race to the nearest bathroom. I can usually eat cheese and yogurt, but milk is tough. Now I'm not so sure it's lactose intolerance.

The last three times I ate 1/2 cup of greek yogurt (that I strained myself) as a snack, it was some of the worst doubled-up-with-cramps I've ever had. Either greek yogurt concentrates lactose while draining the beneficial enzymes out with the whey (my first theory), or (since most of my Google results say Greek yogurt is lower lactose with the same enzymes and bacteria) this isn't lactose intolerance.

The rule of thumb is that food intolerance is to sugars (like lactose or fructose), and food allergy to protein (like casein or gluten). The two protein sources in yogurt are whey and casein; greek yogurt is yogurt with most of the whey (and tangy taste) drained off. So it's higher in casein, and now I wonder if I have a casein allergy instead. Guess I'll ask my doctor -- not my aunt, she's already made her diagnosis.

But for now, greek yogurt is off my snack list. It hurts!