About Lactose Intolerance - Its Causes, Symptoms and Dietary Management

Rate it!

Currently 3 /5 Stars.
1
2
3
4
5

Lactose Intolerance Treatment:
There are no treatments available for LI, no drug to boost a body's ability to produce lactase enzyme. Relief from signs and symptoms can be found by reducing the intake of milk and dairy products. Special formulations & products are available for people with this condition.

Dietary modifications for Lactose Intolerance:
The best advice given by experts is "Consume fewer dairy products". This helps in reducing the signs and symptoms of lactose intolerance. In our daily diet, dairy products are the most convenient way to get nutrients especially Vitamin D and Calcium*. But we need to find alternative sources especially for calcium. rich foods such as -

Milk substitutes, e.g. soy, peanut and rice milk
Almonds
Bok Choy
Broccoli
Calcium-fortified products, such as breads and juices
Canned salmon
Kale
Oranges
Pinto beans
Rhubarb
Spinach
Tofu

Not everybody with LI needs to totally avoid dairy foods. Certain people can begin to or continue enjoying milk and dairy products without symptoms, provided it is cautiously introduced into their diet, slowly working on increasing the person's tolerance towards lactose.

NutritionVista

Previous Page Next Page

User Comments

10 November, 2010 | Emma Louise | Reply

How much milk and milk products like cheese, yogurt, cream etc can be consumed by a women with normal weight and no medical conditions. I do not like to consume milk but will not mind only in my cereals. So if I consume one cup of milk in my cereals then how much of milk products can I have in a day.

11 November, 2010 | Poonam | Reply

Hello Emma,
You can consume 2-3 servings of milk/milk products everyday. A serving consists of 8 oz milk or 2/3 cup of low fat yogurt. 1 oz of cheese or 1/4 cup of cottage cheese can also be eaten instead. Cream is a concentrated source of saturated fat and should be used only occasionally or if necessary.

09 November, 2010 | Aditi | Reply

I say buttermilk/yoghurt is the way to go!!! I'm infamous in my family even today, for all the trauma I (as a child) put mom through to drink milk. I wish my first words had been " lactose intolerance" and perhaps I would've been absolved! Never mind that mine is a very specific milk-taste-and-smell intolerance!!! Also, a red flag would be behavioural avoidances like spilling milk very often, pouring it down the drain or outside a balcony (ahem, case in point: yours truly!), tantrums at milk-times, etc. I overcame my dislike with addition of a few drops of coffee to milk - in retrospect, that coffee should ideally have been decaf. If only it were available 25 yrs ago!

08 November, 2010 | Kanika Jain | Reply

Dear Rishabh,
Milk and its products are often added to processed foods.According to The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), following food products may contain lactose(in varying amounts)-

-bread and other baked goods
-waffles, pancakes, biscuits, cookies, and mixes to make them
-processed breakfast foods such as doughnuts, frozen waffles and pancakes, toaster pastries, and sweet rolls
-processed breakfast cereals
-instant potatoes, soups, and breakfast drinks
-potato chips, corn chips, and other processed snacks
-processed meats, such as bacon, sausage, hot dogs, and lunch meats
-margarine
-salad dressings
-liquid and powdered milk-based meal replacements
-protein powders and bars
-candies
-non-dairy liquid and powdered coffee creamers
-non-dairy whipped toppings

08 November, 2010 | Rishabh Gaba | Reply

Are there any other products which may contain lactose?

08 November, 2010 | Shakthi Nene | Reply

My son who is 13 yrs old has stopped drinking milk regularly. He says that he feels a sort of discomfort if he drinks milk. Is this lactose intolerance or he just giving an excuse not to drink milk? He is underweight, catches cold and has chest congestion with slight wheezing more often. Please advise.

09 November, 2010 | Vijayalakshmi Iyengar | Reply

Dear Shakti
In our family many of my nephews and nieces used to cry off milk and would complain of feeling nauseous. Sometimes they even threw up. We substituted milk with thick buttermilk from freshly made curd and gave it as many times as required (equal to the amount of milk). The children grew up strong and healthy.
Many well wishers cautioned us about the children catching a cold or developing sinusitis, but in fact the reverse happened and the children built a good immunity as curd acts as a probiotic.

If your son is complaining I am sure there is some discomfort, try adding some flavouring agent to the milk or substitute with curd and see if it agrees with him. Some paediatricians recommend soy milk, so check with your son’s paediatrian for what is best for him as he does need Calcium for growth.
All the best.

09 November, 2010 | Sangeetha Narayana Swamy | Reply

Dear Shakthi,

If your son has had a episode of diarrhea, then he can show symptoms of temporary lactose intolerance but if he has not been drinking milk for some time then may be he dislikes the smell and taste of milk. You can try giving him flavoured milk, milkshakes, fruit yogurt, buttermilk, lassi etc that are good substitutes for milk in terms of nutrition.

At his age he requires good amount of energy and calcium, so do not to omit milk and milk products completely just because he dislikes them. Be innovative and try spiced lassi, smoothies with berries and fruits etc.

Post Comments

Contact Name:

E-mail:

(Will show your Gravatar icon)

Comments:

Notify me when new comments are added

User Rules

Dear User,

This is to inform you that this part of the site is moderated, and your comments will be published after the approval of the moderators. Your text comments can be modified or deleted at any time. All comments that are posted are moderated by paid employees to ensure appropriate behavior and monitor and prevent abuse and disrespect of users and readers. The moderators also ensure that all questions asked are forwarded to and responded by employees in a timely manner and by the appropriate and qualified employees. The moderators are the dietitians listed under "The NV Dietetic Team"

All users are by default considered as non medical professionals, unless explicitly stated. If you are a health professional giving medical information as a platform user, please list your status as a medical professional so as to be clearly identified.

Please note - We recommend you not include any personal data and will remove all advertising for a site or product.

All platform users and moderators must behave at all times with respect and honesty. If comments are inappropriate moderators may intervene and if a platform users is banned they will be warned or notified before being banned.

Please note regarding response time - The moderator’s is notified automatically with details the instant a comment is posted.

'The information provided on the NutritionVista.com website is designed to complement, not replace, the relationship between a patient and his/her own physician.' The minimum age for the use or participation in these platforms is 18 years of age and is strictly adhered to. By posting a comment all users of this platform undertake to disseminate only information that is true and correct in light of their knowledge.

Tags: Allergies, Anemia, Children's Health, Diet, Eat Healthy, Gastritis, General health, Healthy Lifestyle, Nutrition, Nutritional Supplements, Obesity / Weight Loss

© 2007 - 2024 NutritionVista.com. All rights reserved. A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. All articles and content written by the Nutritionvista.com team for NutritionVista.com are the sole property of J.L.S Healthcare Pvt. Ltd. Content may not be copied without express permission to do so. If you want to link back to an article, please ensure a working link to the article title is used and is functioning at all times.