How a simple dietary trick can make a world of difference. Say "bye" to bloat, indigestion, and food fears.
Let's start off with a little back story. I am no stranger to indigestion and food intolerances--heck, even allergies. Before the age of 5, I was diagnosed with the following allergies: dairy, egg, peanuts, and cats--not a food, but still... that's a lot of allergies. I know that you're probably thinking that this list is not that long, but think about how many ingredient lists say "may contain peanuts" and everything that has eggs in it. Pastas, breads, ranch dressing, and ice cream all have egg in them, in addition to the long list of more commonly thought of items like cookies, donuts, pies, brownies, and cake--yeah, there was no cake for me at any birthday parties growing up :(
Enough with the pity party, let's get to the good part. By age 18, I had outgrown dairy and experimented with my first small bite of scrambled egg. I was free! I switched up my breakfast routine but still avoided peanuts at all costs. Life was good.
Fast forward to 2016. My dairy allergy had somehow come back. I think it was probably provoked by the family-related stress I was dealing with but who can really say. I was beyond sad and felt extremely limited. It was as if I had to completely rework my way of eating and being. After having so many allergies in life, it is such a heartbreak to go back to not eating what you thought you could finally handle. Every meal out becomes a chore, every social event an explanation.
After about 4 years of almond milk, macadamia nut butter, and cashew cheese, I discovered Lactaid. And I was STOKED. This simple little white pill gave me a magical free pass to eat as much dairy as I could inhale within 30 minutes. Heaven, right? Well, it wasn't as flawless as I imagined. My first few attempts were misfires, but finally I discovered that 2 of the fast action pills were my secret to success. Sometimes, I would take more, "just to be safe." I was fine with this and happy to be free of food fear again--with the exception of that pesky peanut allergy.
I began to enjoy dairy almost daily. That means I was taking 2 pills of Lactaid on the reg. While I loved the freedom they brought me in terms of enjoying a wide range of foods again, I began to wonder if the other ingredients were really doing me any good.
OTHER INGREDIENTS: CROSPOVIDONE, DICALCIUM PHOSPHATE, MAGNESIUM STEARATE, MANNITOL, MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE, POLYALDITOL, SILICON DIOXIDE, SODIUM CITRATE.
Doesn't sound like it. After researching just a few of the ingredients in Lactaid, turns out, they're NOT. Crospovidone is apparently a polyvinyl and can cause death after repeated ingestion. Dicalcium Phosphate is a known skin irritant (why would one want this to go inside of them?). Mannitol can cause a slew of digestive issues on it's own... Shall I go on?
Enter The Confidence Co.
The Confidence Co's founder, Lexi Aissa, reached out to me at just the right time. She started the company as a gal with gut issues herself and explained to me that
their digestive enzymes have clean ingredients (literally just the digestive enzymes) and are vegan and gluten free. And, important to me, they include lactase to digest lactose. It was just what I was looking for. She sent me my first sample kit and I used ALL of them up within a week and a half. That's 30 pills!
How and why did I use them so quickly? At first, I was totally skeptical about using them. I had tried other brands in the past (I won't name names) and nothing had been strong enough. Lexi was my friend though, and The Confidence Co had the best scientists in the game creating their digestive marvels. I had to be brave. I had to try them and believe that they would work.
I took my first pill with a dinner of Banza chickpea pasta, pesto, sautéed veggies, and sausage. Banza + veggies is a lot of fiber, which can be hard to digest. I waited about 1 hour after eating to journal about my experience. I checked in again 3 hours later, just to be sure. The verdict? I felt better after that meal than I ever had eating the same meal in the past. I was full but not stuffed or bloated, had no tummy issues, and had great energy after. Bring on the next meal!
The next day, I tried the pill with a sandwich (wheat bread, deli meats, and lots of veggies) and 1 with a breakfast burrito the morning after that. After each meal, I felt better than the last. With a new bout of optimism, I decided to finally try the digestive enzymes with ice cream. 2 pills this time, just to be safe. This was the ultimate test of The Confidence Co's lactose-defeating powers. The pills passed with flying colors and I felt better than I ever had after just taking my Lactaid with dairy. I realized that it was not just about eating dairy and not getting sick, but about eating dairy and actually feeling energized and well--the way we should all feel after eating, in a perfect world. This dairy feat was all I needed to confirm my new loyalty to Lexi's company, and to start writing this article from the bottom of my heart.
After taking The Confidence Co with dairy and gluten to fatty steak and fibrous legumes, I am sure that this is the pill for me and would implore anyone who is having digestive issues (especially those of you who are lactose intolerant, like moi) to try these pills. They have the punch of Lactaid but with sustainable ingredients that you can ingest long term. They deliver the lightness and increased energy that only comes with taking the correct probiotic and sticking with it for long enough--both important elements of using a probiotic, which users who give up on probiotics often forgo. These digestive enzymes are user-friendly, easy to order and take, and worked for me immediately (no adjustment period needed)!
If you are interested in trying The Confidence Co's digestive enzymes use my code: LINDSYOGS for 10% off your first order at the checkout and let me know about your experience in the comments section below!
With Love and Light,
Linds
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