Lactose Intolerance: Find Your Own Tolerance Level

If you think you may be lactose intolerant, definitely check it out with your doctor.

Once you know for sure, then you have to find your own level of intolerance to milk products. Some people can have lactose throughout the day in small amounts. Others find that they cannot tolerate any dairy products at all.

Image via Wikipedia

You may be able to eat yogurt with your meal. Yogurt is an excellent source of calcium and natural bacteria that does help break down the lactose.

Hard cheeses are usually easier for the lactose intolerant person to digest. Try the cheddar, provolone, and mozzarella cheeses. Stay away from the soft unripened cheese like cottage cheese or cream cheese.

Low-fat milk is easier to digest if you have it with a meal. You may find that you don't need the lactaid enzyme tablets when you drink milk with food already in your stomach.

The NIH Consensus Development Conference on Lactose Intolerance and Health feel that (as posted on the Science Blog):

"Without lowfat and fat free milk and milk products in the diet, it's hard to meet nutrient needs, and available research suggests people with lactose intolerance can tolerate at least 12 grams of lactose (the amount in about one cup of milk) with no or minor symptoms. Plus, gradually re-introducing dairy into the diet can help manage symptoms and help those diagnosed benefit from dairy's unique nutrient package, including calcium, vitamin D, protein, potassium and other nutrients that are critical for bone health and beyond."

Experiment with your diet until you find your level of comfort. Just don't think that because you have been diagnosed as lactose intolerant, that you can never enjoy milk or cheese again!

Whole Wheat Pancakes

Enjoy these thick and fluffy pancakes. Not only are they dairy free, but they are healthy because the recipe calls for whole wheat pastry flour instead of white flour. The almond extract leaves just a hint of almond flavor. Great breakfast for a cold winter day. Don't forget to heat up your maple syrup before serving!

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
3 tablespoons soy flour
2 tablespoons white sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups plain almond milk (may substitute rice or soy)

Directions:

1. Preheat griddle to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large mixing bowl combine dry ingredients.
3. In another large mixing bowl combine eggs, oil and almond extract.
4. Whisk eggs, oil, and extract until combined.
5. Stir in soy milk.
6. Slowly add wet ingredients to dry ingredients while whisking until combined.
Batter should be slightly thick. If necessary, add a little more soy milk.

Pour batter by the 1/4 cup full onto hot griddle. Cook until edges look dry and bubbles burst. Flip and cook another minute or so until golden brown. Serve warm. Top with fruit or warm maple syrup.

Why Can't I Eat Easy Mac and Cheese?

Are you one of those who can't eat the Easy Mac without experiencing symptoms of lactose intolerance? Maybe you know some friends or relatives who are lactose intolerant but they can eat macaroni and cheese without suffering too much?

Let's look at the Easy Mac. After eating a bowl of this macaroni and cheese, you experience stomach cramps and diarrhea. You feel awful. You just want to curl up somewhere.

Take a quick peak at the ingredients:

Ingredients for Easy Mac: Enriched Macaroni Product (Wheat Flour, Durum Wheat Flour, Glyceryl Monostearate, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate [Iron], Thiamin Mononitrate [Vitamin B1], Riboflavin [Vitamin B2], Folic Acid), Cheese Sauce Mix (Whey, Corn Syrup Solids, Palm Oil, Maltodextrin, Modified Food Starch, Salt, Milkfat, Milk Protein Concentrate, Calcium Phosphate, Contains less than 2% of Medium Chain Triglycerides, Sodium Tripolyphosphate, Natural Flavor, Whey Protein Concentrate, Monosodium Glutamate, Citric Acid, Guar Gum, Sodium Phosphate, Lactic Acid, Calcium Phosphate, Milk, Apocarotenal [Color], Artificial Flavor, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Enzymes, Cheese Culture.

Lots of processed stuff and foreign sounding words. Look again and you will see numerous sources of dairy products:

Whey, Milkfat, Milk Protein Concentrate, Whey Protein Concentrate, Milk, Cheese
Culture.

Those items are the culprits causing the symptoms.

For each person, the onset of the symptoms will vary.

1. For some, the symptoms may be immediate. For others, you may not feel any discomfort for hours.

2. Sometimes the symptoms will last for a few hours, sometimes much longer. If my daughter eats the wrong thing, she can still have abdominal distress the following day. And nothing helps in relieving the symptoms once they start.

3. The severity of the symptoms of lactose intolerance can vary dependent on the type of dairy product, how much was eaten, and over what time period.

In our household, my daughter can eat the Easy Mac as long as she takes Lactaid right before eating. Unfortunately, she found out the hard way not to long ago that she cannot eat homemade macaroni and cheese as a meal. You know the kind - thick with sharp cheese and milk. She can eat a small portion, accompanied by other foods. But, she cannot eat the macaroni and cheese alone.

Experiment to find out what kind of dairy products you can eat and how much you can tolerate. Start with small amounts of foods that have dairy products and make sure that you eat something else when you have that dairy product. This sometimes helps alleviate the symptoms that can accompany a meal filled with dairy products or ingredients.

And remember to take Lactaid right before you eat. Taking Lactaid helps prevent symptoms of lactose intolerance

Lactose Intolerance and Osteoporosis - Beware!

What People With Lactose Intolerance Need to Know About Osteoporosis

What Is Lactose Intolerance?

Lactose intolerance is a common problem. It happens when your body does not have enough lactase, which is an enzyme produced in the small intestine. Lactase is necessary to digest lactose - the natural sugar found in milk and other dairy products. In the intestines, undigested lactose leads to the buildup of gas. Within 30 minutes to 2 hours after eating dairy products containing lactose, people with lactose intolerance start to develop stomach cramps and diarrhea. These two symptoms must be present for a person to be diagnosed with lactose intolerance. Between 30 and 50 million Americans are lactose intolerant. The disorder is more common in some ethnic groups than in others. For example, up to 75 percent of all adult African Americans and Native Americans and 90 percent of Asian Americans are considered to be lactose intolerant. In contrast, people of northern European descent are less likely to be lactose intolerant.
What Is Osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is a condition in which bones become less dense and more likely to fracture or break. Fractures from osteoporosis can result in pain and disability. Osteoporosis is a major health threat for an estimated 44 million Americans, 68 percent of whom are women.

Risk factors for developing osteoporosis include:

* being thin or having a small frame
* having a family history of the disease
* being postmenopausal or having an early menopause
* not having menstrual periods
* using certain medications, such as glucocorticoids, for a long time
* not getting enough calcium
* not getting enough physical activity
* smoking and
* drinking too much alcohol.

Osteoporosis is a silent disease that often can be prevented. If it is not detected, it can progress for many years without symptoms until a fracture occurs.
The Lactose Intolerance — Osteoporosis Link

One of the primary risk factors for developing osteoporosis is not getting enough calcium in your diet. Since dairy products are a major source of calcium, you might assume that people with lactose intolerance who avoid dairy products could be at increased risk for osteoporosis. However, research exploring the role of lactose intolerance in calcium intake and bone health has produced conflicting results. Some studies have found that people with lactose intolerance are at higher risk for osteoporosis, while others have not. Regardless, people with lactose intolerance should follow the same basic strategies to build and maintain healthy bones, and pay extra attention to getting enough calcium.
Bone Health Strategies

Calcium and vitamin D: A diet rich in calcium and vitamin D is important for healthy bones. Besides low-fat dairy products, good sources of calcium include dark green, leafy vegetables and calcium-fortified foods and beverages. Many low-fat and low-sugar sources of calcium are available. Also, supplements can help people with lactose intolerance meet their daily requirements of calcium and other important nutrients.

Studies have shown that people who have at least some intestinal lactase can increase their tolerance to lactose by gradually introducing dairy products into the diet. These people can often eat small portions of diary products without developing symptoms. The key for them is to consume small amounts of dairy products at a time so that there is enough lactase available in the intestine to digest the lactose. When the lactose is fully digested, symptoms do not develop.

Also, certain sources of dairy products may be easier for people with lactose intolerance to digest. For example, ripened cheese may contain up to 95 percent less lactose than whole milk. Yogurt containing active cultures also lessens gastrointestinal symptoms. A variety of lactose-reduced dairy products, including milk, cottage cheese, and processed cheese slices, are also available. Lactose replacement pills and liquid are also available to help with the digestion of dairy products.

Vitamin D plays an important role in calcium absorption and bone health. It is synthesized in the skin through exposure to sunlight. Vitamin D is also found in some foods, such as fish oil, egg yolks, fortified margarine, and breakfast cereals. While many people are able to obtain enough vitamin D naturally, older individuals are often deficient in this vitamin due, in part, to limited time spent outdoors. They may require vitamin D supplements to ensure an adequate daily intake.

Exercise: Like muscle, bone is living tissue that responds to exercise by becoming stronger. The best exercise for your bones is weight-bearing exercise that forces you to work against gravity. Some examples include walking, stair climbing, and dancing. Regular exercise can help prevent bone loss and, by enhancing balance and flexibility, can reduce the likelihood of falling and breaking a bone.

Healthy lifestyle: Smoking is bad for bones as well as for the heart and lungs. Women who smoke tend to go through menopause earlier, which triggers earlier bone loss. In addition, smokers may absorb less calcium from their diets. Alcohol also can negatively affect bone health. Heavy drinkers are more prone to bone loss and fracture because of poor nutrition, as well as an increased risk of falling.

Bone density testing: Specialized tests known as bone mineral density (BMD) tests measure bone density in various parts of the body. These tests can detect osteoporosis before a bone fracture occurs and predict one's chances of fracturing in the future. People with lactose intolerance should talk to their doctors about whether they might be candidates for a bone density test.

Medication: Like lactose intolerance, osteoporosis has no cure. However, there are medications available for preventing and treating osteoporosis. Several medications (alendronate, risedronate, ibandronate, raloxifene, calcitonin, teriparatide, and estrogen/ hormone therapy) are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the prevention and/or treatment of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. Alendronate and risedronate are also approved for use in men and in women and men with glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis.

Resources

For additional information on osteoporosis, visit the NIH Resource Center's Web site at www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Bone/default.asp or call 1-800-624-2663.

For Your Lactose Intolerant Child - How to Add More Calcium to Your Child's Diet

Are you running out of ideas for foods with calcium for your child? If you are a parent of a child who is lactose intolerant, then you know what kind of a challenge it can be to provide foods with plenty of calcium.

Watch this video from Parent's TV to get more ideas on how to supplement your child's diet. You might be surprised by some of the suggestions.

For Your Symptoms of Lactose Intolerance: Yogurt Does the Body Good

You probably know by now that a real concern with lactose intolerance is making sure that you get enough calcium in your diet. Your body requires calcium, no matter what age you are. Long term dietary deficiency of calcium can cause bones to become weakened and prone to fracture.

Our children need calcium to ensure they have strong bones. As a woman, you need calcium, especially if you are approaching or have reached the age of perimenopause. You want to do everything you can to help ensure against any further bone density loss.

There is a dairy product that you may not want to exclude completely from your diet - yogurt. It seems that the yogurt organisms actually release lactase, which in turn helps with the absorption of the dreaded lactose. And it is the lactose that leads to your symptoms of lactose intolerance.

The New England Journal of Medicine reports that “Ingestion of 18 g of lactose in yogurt resulted in only about one third as much hydrogen excretion as a similar load of lactose in milk or water, indicating a much better absorption of lactose in yogurt."

You can read the abstract from the NEJM here.

An 8 ounce serving of yogurt can provide between 400 to 450 mg. of calcium. That is about one third of a child's requirement, and almost one half of an adults calcium requirement.

My daughter, who is lactose intolerant, does eat yogurt. And she takes one of the lactase enzymes right before she consumes any yogurt. To date, she has not experienced any lactose intolerant symptoms afterwards. I hope it stays that way, because it is a big relief knowing that she has this healthy source of calcium.

This is something you will have to experiment with. Start by eating small amounts of yogurt and see if you experience any of the lactose intolerant symptoms. If you don't have any problem, then add a little more to your diet. If you can eat yogurt, it is a good source of calcium for you diet.

So go try some yogurt.

If You Are Lactose Intolerant, Make Sure You Read Your Food Labels!

Watch out for hidden lactose, commonly used in pre-packaged foods. Foods with certain ingredients can trigger your lactose intolerant symptoms. Either eliminate these items, or take some form of lactase enzyme, such as Lactaid, to supplement your diet.

Lactose is a commercial food additive used for its texture, flavor, and adhesive qualities. It can also be listed on food labels as:

• Whey

• Curds

• Casein

• Caseinate

• Lactoserum

• Lactoglobulin

• Milk Byproducts

• Milk Solids

• Modified Milk Ingredients

You will find the lactose ingredients added to foods such as sliced breads, breakfast cereals and bars, baked goods, instant potatoes and soups, lunch meats, sausage, hot dogs, and many other foods. So, read your labels!

Some of you may be able to eat a small quantity of these foods without experiencing any symptoms of lactose intolerance. You will have to go through a trial and error period. Often, the foods can be eaten in moderation if you take one of the lactase enzymes with your food. One that works, and can be easily purchased here is Lactaid.

Symptoms of Lactose Intolerance and Calcium Replacement

Have you stopped drinking milk because the symptoms of lactose intolerance make you feel so uncomfortable?

If you no longer drink milk, you may be asking what can you do for calcium replacement in your diet. This is a concern for any person of any age who is unable to consume milk products.

In 1997, the National Institute of Medicine released a report recommending new requirements for daily calcium intake. The amounts were increased from the previous RDA levels. Listed below are the current recommended calcium amounts listed by age groups.

Children 9-18 1300 mg

Adults 19-50 1000 mg

Adults 50+ 1200 mg

An 8 ounce glass of milk contains about 300 mg of calcium. That one glass of milk is about 25% of your total daily recommended calcium intake. That is a significant amount. It is important that you find dietary alternatives containing calcium. Before lactose intolerance, you could drink 3 glasses of milk and receive the remaining calcium requirements from a healthy diet. Now you have to make an effort to find that calcium in other foods.

Here is a list of good alternatives with plenty of calcium.

Cheese: One ounce of Swiss cheese contains about 270 mg of calcium. An ounce of cheddar has about 200 mg.

Yogurt: One cup of any kind of yogurt contains about 400 mg of calcium, although that amount can vary. Make sure you read the label.

Calcium-fortified orange juice: Many of the fortified juices have about 300 mg per serving. The citric acid in the juice also allows the body to absorb the calcium more easily.

Tofu: Some types of tofu are made with calcium sulfate, which provides about 200 mg in a half-cup. Read the label to make sure it was made with calcium sulfate.

Dark green leafy vegetables: The best vegetables are broccoli, kale, chard, mustard and other greens. The calcium in leafy greens is released more easily if the vegetables are frozen. Spinach is not a good calcium source. Its calcium is tied up in an organic complex that can't be digested.

Fish: Tinned sardines and mackerel, as well as canned salmon, contain calcium. Canned salmon is a good source of calcium if you mash and eat the bones.

Cereals: Some ready-to-eat cereals are fortified with calcium.

Note: The calcium-laden foods listed above are from the Penn State site.

10 Ways to Avoid the Dreaded Symptoms of Lactose Intolerance

You are probably asking a lot of questions right now if you know or suspect that you are suffering from symptoms of lactose intolerance. I know I did when we first learned that my daughter is lactose intolerant. How do you control the symptoms? Do you need to avoid all dairy products? Can you eat anything dairy?

Let's start with things you can do to avoid the symptoms of lactose intolerance.

1. You can, of course, avoid all milk and dairy products.

2. Consume smaller quantities spread throughout your day instead of one large serving of any dairy product. You may learn that you can drink 2 to 4 ounces of milk at a time, but not 8 ounces without suffering the consequences.

3. Supplement your diet with over-the-counter Lactase Enzyme Dietary Supplements. You are probably familiar with the brand name Lactaid.

4. Add the lactase enzyme to your milk 24 hours before you drink it.

5. Stick with hard or aged cheeses. Choices that include cheddar and swiss are much better than American or mozzarella.

6. Drink soy milk.

7. Hard ice cream is a better choice than a softer ice cream, like soft serve. The school nurse told us that one.

8. Eat other foods when you have milk or dairy products. Your digestive system is slowed down and you are less likely to have any symptoms.

9. Eat yogurt that includes an active culture.

10. Read labels carefully to avoid all milk and milk solids.

By following these steps, you should be able to avoid the dreaded symptoms of lactose intolerance.

Are You Experiencing Symptoms of Lactose Intolerance?

For starters, do you have:

1. Abdominal cramping

2. Rumbling abdominal sounds

3. Abdominal bloating

4. Gas

5. Diarrhea

Not pleasant. The symptoms of lactose intolerance usually occur within 30 minutes to 2 hours after you eat or drink some kind of a dairy product.

The intolerance is a result of not being able to digest lactose, a natural sugar found in milk. And you can't digest lactose because your body is not producing the enzyme called lactase that is needed to break down the lactose.

Your intolerance level can vary, depending upon different factors, such as the amount of lactase produced, age, and ethnicity. Your tolerance level can vary from being able to eat small amounts of dairy products to having zero tolerance to any amount.

By now, you may be asking, “How do I know for sure if I am having lactose intolerance symptoms?”

The most obvious way, of course, is to abstain from any kind of milk product. This can be tricky, because you have to read all labels to make sure you avoid all forms of milk products.

Next, you can ask your doctor to administer the Hydrogen Breath Test. In this test, you are given a lactose-loaded drink. If you are lactose intolerant, the lactose is undigested in the colon. It is then fermented by bacteria, producing various gases, including hydrogen. The hydrogen is then passed through the bloodstream to the lungs. For the next 2 to 3 hours, the hydrogen levels are measured by having you exhale into a tube. Raised levels of hydrogen indicate lactose intolerance, resulting in symptoms of lactose intolerance.