You need to become a lactose detective if you want to avoid lactose foods. This is because, lactose is present almost in all bread, cream and milk related foods and the only way to avoid it is to avoid the foods that contain it. The best food plan for the lactose intolerant is to consume only lactose-free foods, especially eliminate foods that may contain high-fat and hidden lactose in them.
How do find the hidden lactose? Simple, read the labels and peruse through every other ingredient mentioned in the label. But it is not as easy as it sounds. Labels can sometimes hoodwink you into believing that the item is lactose-free, when it will have excess lactose in it. This article explains how you can avoid foods that may contain lactose.
Lactose Intolerance – Overview: Lactose intolerance is an intolerance to lactose in milk and other food products. Due to deficiency in the production of lactase, a key enzyme in the small intestine, lactose intolerance occurs in the body. The ingested, undigested lactose causes gas and other symptoms like bloating, stomach cramps and abdominal pain. Lactose intolerance is just a gastro-intestinal condition which can be treated only with avoidance of foods that contain lactose, especially milk and milk products. However, it cannot be said that lactose is present only in milk and milk products. It is present in several other foods which we know not of.
To set aright the lactose balance in your body, you need to go on a lactose fast, enabling your intestine to recover from the deficiency and produce adequate lactase to digest the lactose needed for body’s growth and sustenance. In order to that, you need to avoid all lactose foods. This is possible only if you know which foods contain lactose and which do not. The below ways can help you differentiate between lactose foods and lactose free foods:
1. Lactose in Breads: We may suspect lactose in bread. But it is there. Lactose is added to many breads and grains. Some bread have milk brushed on top of it to give it an added shine. Some have milk included it its very preparation. Certain breads, of the richer kind, contain milk in the dough itself. In this way, lactose can be found even in breads.
2. Lactose in grains: Prepared foods contain many milk products. Any prepared food that contains grains may also contain milk. Macaroni and cheese belong to this clan. They contain milk and lactose. Milk is added to some stuff during preparation. A chicken or a rice casserole is a perfect example of this. Prepared using milk, a casserole can trigger lactose intolerance to a great extent. Grains prepared with cream based sauce may also contain milk.
3. How to become a lactose detective: Check the labels. Always. Make it a golden rule to be followed before buying any food product. The time taken to do it may be far less than the time and energy expended in symptoms of lactose intolerance. Check food labels for milk, lactose, milk byproducts (like whey, curd), dehydrated milk products, non-fat dry milk powder, dry milk solids etc and avoid foods that contain these above. Be wary of non-dairy creams and non-whipping toppings. Hidden lactose can be found only if you are alert about labels.
