Living with lactose intolerance is not a tough job to do if you know how to manage your condition. Lactose intolerance is generally not considered a problem or a health issue in non-dairy communities as the majority in such communities do not consume milk or milk products. Whereas in dairy communities, milk becomes the staple diet of living. Dairy products are included at every level of food habits and lactose intolerance in such a scenario is too much to ask for. However, lactose intolerance can be tolerated if handled with care.
Lactose Intolerance – All is not that ill: All is not that worse with regard to lactose intolerance. Many people manage to live with it, thanks to the availability of lactose free foods, lactase supplements and other nutrient supplements. It is not also a life-threatening condition which, at the maximum causes only painful symptoms like bloating, gas and diarrhea. The basic problem is the inability of the lactase enzyme in the small intestine to digest lactose into glucose and galactose. The remaining, undigested lactose absorbs all water, creating an “osmosis†like condition in the intestinal tracts. The result is excessive gas production, bloating and stomach discomfort.
Though lactose intolerance can be managed with intake of lactase enzyme-inducing supplements, the condition as such, is a natural occurrence. It has been found out that mammals have a decreased production of lactase after the first few years of the weaning period. This is why adults show increased ratios of lactose intolerance. Also, there is the other issue of genetic mutation. It is said that a certain genetic adaptation happened some 5000 years ago, resulting in human adaptation to lactose in certain pockets of the world (like northern Europe, east Africa, India etc.). With all these natural conditions and acquired knowledge, it is quite easy to cruise through lactose intolerance if you know how to change your food habits.
Lactose Free Foods: The best and easiest way to combat lactose intolerance is to eliminate milk and milk products/dairy products from your food routine. Reduced lactose does not mean all is well. Lactose is an essential nutrient to the body that supplies energy in the form of glucose. Hence, there needs to a substitute for the lapse in glucose. Also, lactose helps in the absorption of calcium, phosphorus and magnesium into the body. These are essential minerals and lack of them can be detrimental to your bone health. So, after eliminating lactose foods from your habits, you need to take a lot of calcium supplements to cater to the body’s calcium needs. Lactose intolerant patients can take calcium-fortified orange juice which can be helpful in substituting the necessary nutrients to the body.
Several commercial preparations in the market also help in digestion of lactose in the intestine. Most of this is lactase drops which can be added to milk (to make it digest easily) before taking it. There are also safe, lactose-free foods which include lactase-treated milk, live-culture yogurt, aged and fermented cheeses, cultured buttermilk, cultured sour cream and dry cottage cheese.
As with every other condition, the severity of lactose intolerance depends on the symptoms a patient experiences. While some cannot tolerate even a minuscule amount of lactose in the food, others can take limited amount of lactose-only foods. Treating lactose intolerance is basically about treating people based on the intensity of their symptoms.
