1. "The Complete Food Allergy Cookbook" by Marilyn Gioannini

2. "The Allergy Self-help Cookbook" by Marjorie Hurt Jones, R.N.

3. "Not Milk... NUT MILKS!" by Candia Lea Cole

Have you checked your local library for cookbooks? That's a good place to start.

There are also very good substitutes you should apprise yourself of. Having a lactose intolerant son and granddaughter, I've been there, done that.....and lived through it. A quick look in my recipe collection will find lots of dairy-free recipes I've found, or developed, over the years from lots of sources.

We've used several brands of whey-based milk substitute products for over 25 years, which is a low-lactose product that works like milk. It was suggested by my son's doctor, and we've used it ever since because it's much cheaper than regular milk.

Another thing to point out about lactose intolerance, most people can consume some foods containing lactose in small quantities. Their bodies still can convert small amounts - how much and how often is an individual thing.

The general rule - the more fat there is in a dairy product, the less lactose there is. So you'll find most people can consume cookies, cake, or other baked good made with butter, because it's very low in lactose, as are other high fat products, like cream cheese, etc. These are things I discovered on my own doing a lot of research on the subject of lactose intolerance.

Cultured dairy products (kefir, yogurt, quark, etc.) are also very low in lactose (especially if you make them at home and control the fermentation process). Neither my son or granddaughter have a problem using my homemade kefir. Kefir fermentation converts most of the lactose in ordinary milk into far more easily digested components. The remaining lactose content is so low that most otherwise lactose-intolerant people find that, through kefir, they can enjoy milk again. I use kefir as a substitute for buttermilk, cream cheese, and sour cream.

-Grainlady