Ever since I can remember, going Dairy Queen for a family outing after dinner has been important family activity. This is especially the case during the summers when we would pile in the car late at night, often in our PJs and go through the drive through. Stops at the DQ were rewards, family bonding opportunities, and, most of all, a way to get some of the best darn sweets around.

However, this stopped for me when I found out I was severely lactose-intolerant at the age of 13. It all made sense when I found this out because I would always get a terrible stomach ache after eating any ice cream, especially from DQ. I was devastated by this discovery though because ice cream (especially delicious soft serve) is one of my absolute favorite foods. And I know I'm not alone.

An average of 40 million Americans suffer from lactose intolerance and another 90 million Americans are dairy intolerant or have dairy related allergies. This isn't just about one person wanting some DQ soft serve, this is about every single one of those 130 million Americans who want DQ soft serve but can't have it due to their natural biology. Lactose is a naturually occuring sugar in dairy products that, when digested, gets broken down by an enzyme called lactase. Those who are lactose intolerant have a lactase deficiency and therefore the lactose cannot be broken down properly, causing an extremely uncomfortable and often painful build up that causes gas and constipation. Dairy intolerance can be caused by many different factors but can have even more severe consequences than lactose intolerance if dairy is consumed.

There are so many alternative sources to dairy products available in today's world that making this happen isn't impossible. There are products sourced from coconut milk, almond milk, soy milk, rice milk, and so many more. Food science has advanced so that dairy products without lactose are being sold everyday.

Please help fellow ice cream loving Americans join in on the joy of DQ soft serve!