My lactose intolerance got a lot worse shortly before going on the SBD last fall, and it was really hard because there's such an emphasis on dairy. Since then I've learned two things I can do to get around this problem. If you're had a problem with dairy for a long time, this may not be news, but I wanted to share the info in case anyone else is having trouble with it.
First, there's the sort of classic lactose intolerance workaround: goat's milk cheese. If you go to "fancy" grocery stores like Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, etc you can often find a good variety of goat cheese, and even other dairy products (I think; personally I haven't fully explored my local stores). But even my local stores typically have feta, plain goat cheese crumbles (way less strong than feta), and some kind of hard goat cheese like cheddar.
The trouble is, low-fat goat cheese is hard (if not impossible) to find. So you have to go easy on it, since you're not supposed to have full fat dairy on SBD. (Also, I think some folks still have a reaction to goat cheese.)
Which brings me to the other option, Veggie Shreds. This is a brand name, and there are other soy-/veggie-based fake cheeses out there, but these are by far the tastiest and easiest to find in my experience. I wasn't thrilled with the shredded "cheddar" but their shredded "mozzarella" and plastic jars of "parmesan" have totally saved me. My sweetie didn't even mind it at all in the breakfast quiche we made. As a bonus, they are very low in fat and have healthier fats than real cheese, plus they have fiber which real cheese doesn't have.
Anyhow, I just wanted to share this info since I really struggled with finding tasty SB friendly meals for a while there. I hope this helps some one, and if you have any other advice on how to eat dairy free on the south beach diet, please share!
