If you find that after eating certain foods that contain dairy products makes your stomach hurt, you have gas and abdominal pain, you are probably lactose intolerant. Lactose intolerance is not a life-threatening ailment. It just means that your body is sensitive to dairy products, such as milk and cheese. And it lacks an enzyme called lactase that is needed to absorb and digest milk sugar. Instead, the lactose stays in the intestine where it is fermented, causing stomach discomfort.
Lactose intolerance is common in that 70 percent of people the world over are sensitive to dairy products. A person who is lactose intolerant will experience stomach problems if they consume anything that contains a dairy product. The best way to determine if you are lactose intolerant is to not eat or drink any dairy substance for a period of two weeks. If you do not have stomach problems during that time, then chances are it was the dairy products that were making you sick.
If you come to the conclusion that you are lactose intolerant, your life of consuming dairy products is not over. After all, dairy products contain calcium, riboflavin and Vitamin D, which are important in helping us, maintain strong and healthy bones. Your body still needs them whether it likes it or not! Something that helps many people with this intolerance is taking a lactase enzyme, which comes in both pill and liquid form. When taken right before eating or drinking dairy, this enzyme helps your body digest the lactose. It works great because it also stops your stomach discomfort before it starts and allows you to continue eating the dairy foods you love.
If the lactase enzyme does not work for you, there are other ways to get around this intolerance. You can change your diet. Begin by switching your milk to lactose free milk or soymilk. While many brands fortify these products with calcium, you can also get calcium from various brands of orange juice.
Some dairy products are actually low in lactose.
These foods may be easier for the lactose intolerant person’s body to digest. Swiss and cottage cheese are two types of food that are both naturally low in lactose. Yogurt may be okay to eat as well because it contains live bacterial culture, which aids in lactose digestion.
It is important to note that if you are lactose intolerant, you should read the labels on food products. Several foods that you may not have considered do actually contain dairy. Products such as cookies, cakes, various cereals, hot chocolate mixes and some soups have milk as one of their ingredients. These products could affect the lactose intolerant person as well. If the product has the word “cream” in its name or if it appears to be a creamy substance, it problem has milk in it. Other ingredients to watch out for are whey, curds, milk by-products, dry milk solids, and nonfat dry milk powder.
Always be aware of how what you put in your body affects your body. You will enjoy your meals more. And most importantly, you will not have to worry about feeling sick afterwards.