Intolerance to milk: Living without lactose

Lactose intolerance or cow's milk is a mode other than allergy to cow's milk. Lactose is the main sugar in milk and metabolized by the body by an enzyme called lactase. In lactose intolerance, this enzyme exhibits partial or total lack of, resulting in inability to digest milk. Lactose intolerance is a condition common and not life threatening.

The amount of lactase which produces man decreases after the age of two years, although the West many adults produce enough lactase to be able to digest milk.

Lactose intolerance causes nausea, abdominal pain and abdominal cramps, flatulence (bloating), gas and diarrhea. These symptoms usually occur shortly after drinking milk, but can occur several hours later. If a person produces small amounts of lactase, usually able to tolerate small amounts of milk and present symptoms only after the consumption of large quantities.

How much disruption will cause the milk in the body depends on how serious the lack of lactase. The 60-80% can consume a glass of milk without expressed unpleasant symptoms and about half can consume even two glasses of milk.

    Dairy creating problems: simple milk, butter milk, acidophilus culture milk, cream, cheese, butter, yogurt that has undergone heat treatment, whey, all milk used in processed food (milk powder, emulsifiers).
    Milk which does not create problem: yogurt, chocolate milk.

Lactose may contain the following foods:

    Bread and pastries
    Cakes and biscuits
    Sugar confectionery (eg candies)
    Ready mix for mashed
    Margarine
    Many prescription drugs, including oral contraceptives and drugs not prescribed as tablets
    Ready dough mixes for pancakes, biscuits, and the like
    Breakfast cereals, which have been treated
    Salad dressings
    Soups.

Yogurt proved salutary

The yogurt is considered safe because the body processes it so that it becomes easily digestible. The bacteria contained in yogurt assume the role of the enzyme is absent and digest for our account sufficient quantity of the milk sugar. Make sure you eat the yogurt contains live cultures, which happens with most yogurts on the market.

The dead bacteria do not have the same effect. Simple yoghurts neutralize lactose better than those containing added flavoring. To butter milk and milk acidophilus culture, despite having been fermented, still cause the most unpleasant symptoms like plain milk.

Caution in yogurt that has undergone heat treatment. When frozen yogurt, sometimes pasteurized again, which kills bacteria.

What should you eat if you experience lactose intolerance?

    You can add to your milk tablets, which provide the enzyme that is absent from the body.
    You can consume especially dairy products, which contain reduced amount of lactose. This allows you to drink milk and thus hire calcium that your body needs.
    There are also drops of the enzyme lactase. If you have lactose intolerance you can put drops of lactase in your milk before drinking.
    Less consuming milk more often.
    Consume milk combined with meals, because it is easier to lactose is digested when eaten with other foods.
    Go for whole milk versus skim.
    You can consume the non-dairy beverages such as soy, almond milk and rice milk, which are often reinforced with nutrients remodeling bone like calcium and vitamin D.
    Avoid butter milk, milk acidophilus culture and yoghurt has been heat treated.

People with lactose intolerance need to know and the other calcium sources.

Calcium is very important to the health of our bones. Consumption of milk and dairy foods made from milk are the main way to supply our body with calcium.

If someone has trouble drinking or consume these products may have calcium intake problem.
For this reason, people with lactose intolerance should know and other foods that are rich sources of calcium such as:

    Fish eaten with bones
    Sardines
    Broccoli
    Leek, radish and spinach
    Pulses
    The soft cheese soybean
    Cabbage
    Almonds
    The wholemeal bread with seeds
    The yolk of the egg.

He writes: Alexopoulou Maria-Christina
Clinical Dietitian - Nutritionist