Lactose Intolerance and Dairy Sensitivity
Lactose Intolerance or Dairy Sensitivity is not usually a serious medical problem.
As long as you avoid dairy in all its forms, the symptoms will disappear. But many people don’t know that they lactose intolerance or sensitive to milk; all they know is that they feel lousy a lot of the time.
Milk drinkers are often full of mucus, they tend to have more sinus infections, coughs, headaches, ear infections, post nasal drip, and colds than non – milk drinkers.
In some people, dairy foods may cause other, more serious problems, such as gallbladder attacks, irritable bowel syndrome, and even ulcers.
Milk, it’s up there with mum and apple pie as a national icon, a nutritional necessity (or so we’re told) for strong bones and sparkling teeth.
Milk is not such a perfect food, as is frequently advertised and can cause allergic symptoms of all kinds as above including diarrhea, asthma, ear infections, rashes and hives.
Milk is a misunderstood and vastly overrated food. Ironically while milk products are one of the most commonly consumed foods, milk is one of the two or three most common food allergens in the western diet.
Most of the allergic symptoms caused by milk products don’t show up right away, which is why most people don’t suspect milk as an allergen.
Along with the symptoms listed, milk allergy can cause blood loss from gastrointestinal bleeding. At the same time, it can inhabit the absorption of iron, and iron deficiency is a common nutritional problem today. Plus, whole milk contains heart-hurting saturated fat.
Milk should not be part of the average person’s diet. It is believed that the great majority of people worldwide are allergic to milk or are lactose intolerant, meaning that they lack the lactose enzyme necessary to digest milk sugar, called lactose.
So if you have the digestive symptoms of lactose intolerance (bloating, cramping, diarrhea, and flatulence), or other symptom that keeps coming back, you may want to experiment with dairy-free, lactose-free diet.
DAIRY-FREE DIET: Try it for 10 days
To find out if you are sensitive to milk, cut out all dairy products for 10 days and see how you feel. If your symptoms vanish during the 10 days and then return when you reintroduce dairy into your diet, you probably do have a sensitivity.
You’ll want to avoid obvious sources of lactose, such as milk, yogurt, ice cream, creamed soups, frozen yogurt, powered milk and whipped cream, you’ll also need to be wary of dairy products used in bakery items, biscuits, hot dogs, lunch meats, milk chocolate, most non-dairy creamers, pancakes, protein powder drinks and dressings. Look at the ingredient lists on food packages and avoid anything that contains the dairy components casein, lactose, sodium caseinate or whey.
MILK SUBSTITUTES: Satisfaction for the Sensitive
If you find that you’re lactose-intolerant or sensitive to milk but don’t want to give up entirely, try a milk substitute drink LACTOFREE milk or soy milk, rice milk , almond milk or any other that is on the market.
LOWER-LACTOSE DAIRY: You may be able to eat it
Some people with conditions such as lactose intolerance or milk sensitivity can tolerate small amount of plain yogurt, processed cheese, goats milk, or fat free milk, all of which have smaller amounts of both lactose and some of the allergy-causing components of whole milk.
CALCIUM: You Have to Get it
There are many sources of calcium other than cow’s milk. Good fish and many seafood sources include canned salmon, sardines, shrimp, clams, crab, oysters, cod and haddock. Good vegetable sources include kelp, collard greens, turnip greens, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, parsley, watercress, romaine lettuce, summer squash and onions.
Among grains and nuts, you can get good amounts of calcium from pistachios, sesame seeds, oat flakes and brown rice. White beans, chickpeas, dried figs and soy products like tofu.
Since milk is among the most concentrated sources of calcium, you will need to take a calcium supplement to replace what you’re giving up, also almond milk has double the calcium than cows milk which you can get from all good Health Shops.
Roberto Garcia (Health and Fitness Specialist)
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