Lactose Intolerance Home Remedies
Many folks relish the thought of downing a frosty-cold glass of milk, polishing off a bowl of creamy ice cream, or biting into a piping-hot slice of cheesy pizza. For close to 50 million Americans, though, the aftereffects of indulging in these dairy delights may force them to forgo such foods or suffer some decidedly unpleasant consequences.
The common condition these people share is lactose intolerance. That means they don’t properly digest lactose, which is milk sugar found in all milk products. This problem is usually due to a shortage of the enzyme lactase, which normally breaks down milk sugar in the small intestine into simple parts that can be absorbed into the bloodstream. The end result of this lactase deficiency may be gas, stomach pains, bloating, and diarrhea. The severity of the symptoms varies from person to person.
Who is lactose intolerant? It’s not an equal opportunity problem. It affects some ethnic groups much more than others. The National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases estimates that 75 percent of African-American, Jewish, Native-American, and Mexican-American adults and 90 percent of Asian-American adults have this condition. Only about 10 to 15 percent of adult Caucasians are lactase deficient, says David Alpers, M.D., a professor of medicine and chief of the Gastroenterology Division at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Though you may not fall into any of these categories, keep in mind that as we get older, we all lose some of the ability to digest lactose in milk.
Some people figure out that they are lactose intolerant on their own; for others, it takes a trip to a doctor to pinpoint the problem. “Among the black or Asian community, it’s kind of folk ? wisdom that these people don’t do well with milk, so they tend not to drink as much,” says Alpers. On the other hand, he says, “There’s also a significant number of people who are having symptoms from milk sugar and really have no idea of what the problem is.”If you suspect you may be lactose intolerant but you’re not sure, it may be worth a visit to a physician to rule out other possible problems. Once you know that you are indeed lactose intolerant, you may want to follow these helpful tips to ease your symptoms:
Determine your level of lactose intolerance. The degree of intolerance differs with each person. The easiest way to do this is first to get all lactose out of your system. “That means having no dairy food and no lactose for about three to four weeks,” says Jane Zukin, author of The Dairy-Free Cookbook and editor of The Newsletter for People with Lactose Intolerance and Milk Allergies. Then start with very small quantities of milk or cheese. Monitor your symptoms to see how much or how little dairy food you can handle. Once you know your limits, management becomes a little easier.
Stick with small servings. While you may not be able to tolerate an eight-ounce glass of milk all at once, you may feel fine drinking a third of a cup in the morning, a third of a cup in the afternoon, and a third of a cup at night. “If you have ‘x’ amount of lactase enzyme in your body that can only digest `x’ amount of lactose, it will be easier if you take in less lactose over a longer period of time than if you overload,” says Zukin.
Don’t eat dairy foods alone. If you eat some cheese or drink a little milk, plan to do so with a meal or a snack. “Having more in your stomach to digest slows the digestive process and may ease your symptoms,” says Zukin.
Color your milk chocolate. A study by researcher Chong Lee at the University of Rhode Island in Kingston found that 35 lactose-intolerant people digested more lactose when they drank milk with?cocoa and sugar added than they did when they drank plain milk. They also experienced less bloating and fewer cramps. No one is sure why this is so, but Alpers says it may be because “chocolate delays the emptying of your stomach.” A slower emptying rate may mean fewer symptoms.
Supplement your diet. Lactase-enzyme supplements can supply your body with some of what it lacks. They’re sold in tablet or liquid form, without a prescription. The tablets are chewed with or right after you consume a dairy product; you add the drops directly to milk. “These work quite well for some people,” says Zukin. You can also try lactose-reduced milk.
Try yogurt. “By and large, lactose intolerant people tolerate yogurt pretty well,” says Alpers. This holds true, however, only for yogurt with active cultures, which you may have to buy in a health-food store. If you can tolerate yogurt, it’s to your advantage to include it in your diet, because this creamy food is a great source of calcium.
Choose hard cheeses. If you find yourself drawn to the cheese aisle at your grocery store, pick hard, aged cheeses such as Swiss, cheddar, or?Colby, advises Elyse Sosin, R.D., Supervisor of Clinical Nutrition at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. They contain less lactose than soft cheeses.
Avoid processed foods. Lactose is used in a lot of processed foods where you might not expect to find it. “It’s best for people to stick to as much fresh food as possible, and skip the cans, frozen foods, and stuff?that comes out of a box,” says Zukin. One added benefit to this strategy: You’ll be eating a healthier diet.
Get calcium from other foods. Lactose intolerant people, especially women and children, should make sure their calcium intake doesn’t plunge. Green, leafy vegetables, such as collard greens, kale, turnip greens, and chinese cabbage (bok choy), as well as oysters, sardines, canned salmon with the bones, and tofu, provide lots of calcium. If your diet is calcium poor, you may want to take calcium supplements; talk to your doctor for a recommendation on proper dosage.
Watch out for medications. Lactose is used as a filler in more than 20 percent of prescription drugs (including many types of birth control pills) and in about 6 percent of over-the-counter medicines. This may not matter to someone who takes medication only occasionally, but Zukin says, “for the person who takes medication on a regular basis, this can be a problem.” Complicating matters is the fact that lactose may not be listed under the inactive ingredients on the label. To find out if what you’re taking contains lactose, Zukin advises first seeking help from your doctor. You might also check with your pharmacist or write directly to the drug manufacturer.