Everybody likes ice cream, but not everybody can have it – people whose bodies cannot digest lactose avoid dairy products suffer from a syndrome called lactose intolerance. If they consume lactose-containing products, their stomach feels sick which may lead to diarrhea.
Lactose intolerance cannot be healed, so if you have it, the best way to live with it is to be informed about your lactose tolerance limits and to know what you can consume instead, and this article can help you with that.
How does lactose intolerance develop?
People are rarely born lactose intolerant. The disease usually develops over time and can present itself at any age. It can come as part of another digestion disease or just by itself. Lactose intolerant people lack lactase, an enzyme which is supposed to break down lactose when a person consumes dairy. As a consequence, the person suffers from digestion problems When a person is diagnosed with lactose intolerance, they should change their eating habits and make an ingredient list of what they are allowed it eat and what not.
What should lactose intolerant people avoid?
It is very important to take a food intolerance test to identify trigger products. Not all lactose intolerant people are the same: some can drink a little milk with no problems, while others cannot even eat yogurt. This is why knowing your limits is important: see if you are able to eat things like ice cream, cottage cheese, whipped cream, or any products containing milk at all. Read the labels carefully while grocery shopping: some manufacturers specify if the products contain lactose are not.
What foods can replace milk?
When you are not drinking milk, you may not be getting enough calcium, which is extremely useful to our body, especially for bones, teeth, and hair. Compensate for the lack of calcium with nuts and cereal or buy calcium vitamins. When you order coffee in a shop, ask what kinds of milk they have: when you cannot drink whole or skim milk, you can always opt for soy, coconut, or almond milk – they are lactose-free.
In big supermarkets, you can now even find lactose free ice cream, sour cream, and other dairy substitution products. They would still contain some of the elements that dairy products contain, plus you will not miss on the fun when everybody else eats ice cream in the summer.
If you would like to know more about an intolerance test then please log on to www.testyourintolerance.co.nz and find out more about how Test Your Intolerance can help you.
