Why are We Lactose Intolerant and How To Manage?
Individuals may be diagnosed as being lactose intolerant, which simply means that you cannot digest foods or drink that, has lactose (the sugar found in milk and foods made with milk). You may notice that your stomach hurts or that you have gas, diarrhea or that your stomach seems to have become swollen after you have taken in milk or milk products. The diagnosis was probably done with a breath, blood or a stool test. We learn to manage our lactose intolerance through dietary measures or by taking pills or drops that are designed to aid our digestion of milk and milk products.
It is not a serious health issue, being lactose intolerant, it just means that you will need to either avoid or limit your intake of milk or foods made with milk or you will need to use pills or drops that aid in the digestion of lactose. You may also need to take calcium supplementation if you do not get enough calcium through your diet alone. The major source of calcium in our diet is from milk and foods made from milk, so this is common to need a calcium supplementation if you have lactose intolerance. You may hear the terms, dairy product intolerant, lactase deficient, or milk intolerance, all terms that refer to the same lactose intolerance.
The small intestine is where milk and milk products are usually broken down. This is where the enzyme, lactase is put into action. When your small intestine does not have enough lactase present to digest the milk and milk products that you have consumed gas and stomach cramps can be the result.
The milk and milk products that you have consumed and are not able to be digested are then sitting in your small intestine unable to be absorbed. The gas, diarrhea, and stomach swelling that you experience makes you very uncomfortable.
To make the diagnosis of lactose intolerance, your doctor will instruct you to drink a sweet drink that will contain lactose. Your doctor will then either test your breath, your blood or your stool for undigested lactose. The stool sample is often the way babies are tested for lactose intolerance.
If it is found that you are indeed lactose intolerant, you will need to manage your intolerance by dietary methods of management, which include food avoidance or limitation, or by taking supplements.
Managing your lactose intolerance:
Some individuals can get enough relief from their discomfort simply by limiting the amount of dairy products they eat or by only eating certain types of dairy products. An example is yogurt. Yogurt contains natural bacteria that aids in digestion and therefore some individuals can eat yogurt and be lactose intolerant but have no symptoms when they consume yogurt. Frozen yogurt however, is a different story altogether so do not confuse the two, they are not the same.
Foods that are made from milk may include: ice cream, ice milk, sherbet, cream, butter, certain cheeses, cottage cheese, and also yogurt. Prepared foods that you should watch out for that may be a surprise to you that they contain milk are: breads, cereal, lunchmeats, salad dressings, cakes and cake mixes, cookies, pancakes, biscuits and frozen dinners.
You will need to be an expert at reading food labels to determine if the item contains milk or milk products. If you see any of the following words on the label, then it contains milk or milk products: butter, cheese, cream, creamed, dried milk, lactose, milk, milk solids, powdered milk, skim milk, whey, and also whey solids.
As mentioned earlier, some individuals may not notice symptoms when they eat small portions of certain milk products such as small portions of some cheese or when they eat a container of yogurt, but have symptoms when they drink any milk product. Aged cheeses such as cheddar and Swiss cheese contain only a little lactose, so you may be able to consume these without noticing any symptoms of discomfort.
Managing with Aids:
It is possible to purchase pills or drops in a drug or grocery store that are made to help you digest milk and milk products. The pills are lactase enzyme caplets and the liquid drops are lactase enzyme drops. These pills or drops are taken prior to eating or drinking milk or milk products. You should read and follow all instructions before using these products.
You can also purchase special milk that has either less lactose (lactose-reduced milk) than regular milk or they are lactose substitute products such as soymilk.
Calcium is an important need for your body, so individuals with lactose intolerance will need to eat other foods that contain calcium such as canned salmon, sardines, collard greens, turnip greens, broccoli, or tofu.
It is also possible to have your doctor advise you about taking a calcium table on a daily basis to ensure that you receive the proper amount of calcium in your diet.
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