Did you know?
According to Times Of India 60 percent of people in India alone face some or the other form of lactose intolerance and many of them don’t even get to notice it. Many times we also ignore that why do we experience stomach ache, bloating and gas attacks after drinking milk. But we usually ignore that thinking that it is normal.
But, hey! What is it?
And do we need to make certain changes in our diet so that we don’t face that gain?
Certainly yes, you need to. That may be because you are suffering from lactose intolerance.
The entire article is based on lactose intolerance, how to identify it, what preventive measures you need to take and how ayurveda will help you deal with the problem of lactose intolerance.
But What Is Lactose Intolerance?
The sugar present and found inside the dairy products is known as lactose and lactase enzyme present in our intestine is responsible for utilizing this sugar i.e. lactase. When your body just does not have the right amount of lactase enzyme to digest the lactose sugar then your body reacts differently to it and shows weird symptoms which bothers your health.
Like this, your body becomes intolerant to milk and various other milk products. But lactose intolerant does not mean that you have an allergy to milk.
Many people confuse lactose intolerance to milk allergy but these are 2 totally different things. Milk allergy is caused due to the allergy to milk proteins namely casein.
And it happens if someone has a problem where there is a certain problem with the body’s immune system or the malfunctioning of the immune system due to which it attacks the milk proteins.
In that condition our immune system mistakes casein to be a foreign organism which might harm us and performs necessary functions to expel it out from the body, that leads to various problems including allergic reactions.
Here are listed various signs and Symptoms that will show that you are lactose intolerant
If the problem aggravates then you will notice the following symptoms
- Cramps in the stomach
- Abdominal pain
- Bloating
- Indigestion
- Vomiting
- Gas
- Nausea
- Frequent urination
- Occasional constipation
- Diarrhea
If you are lactose intolerant then you must avoid all these: Milk from cows, goats, or even sheep.
Also, various dairy products like yogurt, cheese, and cream should be avoided.
Sometimes even the ingredient used for making a product that has lactose in it can harm you. Avoid eating, chocolates, cakes, bread, cereals, processed meat, instant meat, and sometimes even certain medications also contain lactose sugar.
Certainly ,sometimes you might not be able to avoid foods containing lactose no matter how much you try.
As people who are intolerant to lactose might miss on a lot of vital nutrients and minerals, therefore, eating the following foods will help in getting a balanced diet.
- Spinach
- Sardines and salmon (with bones)
- Orange juice
- Green leafy vegetables
- Soy milk
- Broccoli
- White tuna
- Bone broth
- Almonds
Some dairy foods that you can consume:
There are certain dairy foods that you can unexpectedly consume, or the foods which you might not be knowing are having less amount of lactose.
People who are not having severe lactose intolerance, rather a mild intolerance can consume these foods.
- Less or No fat milk
- Buttermilk that contains lesser fat
- Cheese like swiss, parmesan and cheddar have low amount of lactose
- Try low fat yogurt (lactose-free yogurt for safer side) – it might have little amount of lactose but it also contains good bacteria might can aid in digesting lactose
Or rather try to consume dairy products in a controlled manner, that means you can still drink milk but in low quantities but make sure to record how much quantity your body is being able to tolerate.
If you are unable to ignore dairy products but you are highly lactose intolerant then you can also try dairy foods that are lactose-free.
Once you fix your diet or make certain changes , you can start following natural remedies that may help you cope up with your condition.
Natural Remedies to Treat Lactose Intolerance or compensate lactase deficiency :
- Soy milk
- Cocoa powder
- Chocolate milk
- Hard cheese
- Yogurt
Ayurvedic Remedy for Lactose Intolerant bodies:
Vitamins
Increase the intake of the foods that have high vitamin content in them like fatty fish, fortified orange juice, soy milk, egg yolks, and poultry.
Apple Cider Vinegar
You must consider taking this remedy daily. When you consume apple cider vinegar it will turn alkaline once when it enters your stomach and it helps aid the digestion of the dairy sugar. It helps to relieve you from the symptoms of nausea, gas and bloating.
Take 1 glass of warm water and add 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar to it. Drink the mixture.
Essential Oils
Just as the name suggests these too are really very important for the human body.
In a glass of cold water put one drop of lemon essential oil and drink it after mixing it really well.
The lemon essential oil will neutralize the acid present in the stomach and that will relieve you from your digestion problems that are caused due to the intolerance to lactose.
Peppermint Oil
Put 1 drop of peppermint oil in a glass of water and then drink the concoction. The peppermint oil is known to soothe the digestive function. It will aid in digestion and relief from bloating.
Eggs
The diet which does not include the dairy products in it can lead to the deficiency of Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D in your body and eggs will compensate for that.
Aloe Vera Juice
Consume a ½ cup of aloe vera juice daily at least two times daily as it will help soothe the disturbed stomach with the power of the aloe vera’s properties.
Aloe vera also restores your stomach’s pH balance, thanks to its magnesium lactate composition.
Bone Broth
Consume it daily and consider it to be part of your diet daily.
You need to drink it daily in your diet as it is really healthy for your overall health. It is a rich source of calcium and it also contains collagen and gelatin that will make your gut take the lactose in a better way if you accidentally consume it.
Coconut oil
Replace butter with coconut oil in your diet.
It will smooth the stomach and it has great properties that will compensate for the lost nutrients.
Cooking food in coconut oil will help in healing your gut and also it is really healthy.
USA
Various Ayurvedic remedy for lactose intolerant bodies will slowly and steadily show results. You just need to start trying them today!
Also Read: Top 10 Detox foods – Foods that detox your body in 24 Hours
Lactase Enzyme Supplements
You can always try lactase enzyme supplements which will provide you lactase artificially and can help you in consuming other dairy products with any complication.
Lactaid Caplets, Lactase Enzyme Supplement
Books to Recommend
There are always some books in the market on which you can rely on. Such books contain important information on how you can take precautions and what diet you need to follow to cope up with problems that you face due to lactose intolerance.
Lactose Intolerance: Discover This Practical Guide To Living A Healthy Lactose Free-Dairy Free Lifestyle
Eating raw cheese
By eating raw cheese you can not only avoid lactose but you will also get the right amount of calcium that you desire for.
Don’t consume dairy product alone
You can always add fruit to a little amount of milk or yogurt which will not only enhance its nutritional value but also will help you to digest dairy products.
Consumption of dairy products at midday
Our digestive system is super active at midday so you can always consume a little amount of milk in the midday hours .
Always try to avoid heavy milk rather than try to replace it with low fat milk.
And discontinuance of milk consumption is preferred when you experience any symptoms like stomach ache or gas attack
Conclusion
Milk and dairy products contain essential vitamins and amino acids that cannot be eliminated from diet.
You don’t really need to avoid dairy products if you are facing lactose intolerance . What you can do is just reduce the amount of dairy products you consume and always try to understand your body. Your body will tell you how much you need to avoid lactose in your diet and how much your body can tolerate.
Sometimes even people that suffer from mild lactose intolerance don’t even realise it.
Moreover , people develop lactose intolerance because they stop consuming milk or dairy products due to bad eating habits.
So you should always keep an eye on what foods you are consuming and should never avoid essential foods and important vitamins if you want to lead a healthy life.
