Lactose intolerance
Nowadays many people worldwide suffer from Lactose intolerance, which is also one of the most common intolerances in New Zealand. The good news is that we are used to milk products in New Zealand and therefore only a small amount of the population is affected. Back in the days European settlers brought their farming practises with them, which are still practised throughout the country´s cattle & sheep farms. But what exactly is lactose intolerance? It´s the inability to digest the type of natural sugar called Lactose. It can be found in dairy products like milk and yogurt. If someone suffers from lactose intolerance, he or she is unable to fully digest the lactose in food or drinks. The symptoms of a lactose intolerance occur within 30 minutes to 2 hours after eating or drinking milk products which contain lactose. Typical symptoms include the following:
- abdominal bloating and the feeling of fullness
- abdominal pain
- diarrhoea with runny poos
- gas
- nausea and the feeling of being sick
- tummy pain or stomach cramps
Test Your Intolerance NZ
The condition can also be called lactose malabsorption, which is normally harmless but has the side effect of a uncomfortable feeling. Often confused with a milk allergy, lactose intolerance has similar but different conditions. Lactose tolerance usually appears at an older age whereas milk allergy occurs between the age of 1-3 years. And most people with a milk allergy can´t tolerate even the smallest amount of milk products but people with a lactose intolerance in most cases can. If you really want to make sure that you suffer from lactose intolerance, we can highly recommend the website www.testyourintolerance.co.nz. It is a great and easy way to be tested without even making an appointment at a GP. You simply have to send in a hair sample and they´ll let you know within the next 7 working days if you´re lactose intolerant or not. If you are tested positive you still don´t have to worry, as most people with a lactose intolerance can still eat small amounts of dairy products. It can be said that regular milk is tolerated better than reduced fat or skim milk. We recommend online shops like Sunshine Speciality Foods, Metoo Foods, and Retro Organics which are specialised on lactose free products for Kiwis. Retro Organics is the first company in New Zealand which offers lactose-free yogurt and milk, which is actually made from cow milk in their farm located in Southland. The three biggest supermarket chains in the country are New World, Pak´n Save, and Countdown and all of them offer dairy free products including Like Licks Dairy free ice cream with Almond & Rasperry, Oat & Chocolate, and Soy & Hockey Pokey flavour or dairy free ice cream from the brand Little Island. The company Liddells is also specialised on lactose free products including light sour cream, lactose free full cream milk or lactose free cheddar cheese. Great alternatives to milk are coconut milk, almond milk and soy milk and yoghurt alternatives are soy or coconut yoghurt.
