LACTOSE is a sugar found only in cow’s milk which sometimes people can’t digest. This condition is known as lactose intolerance. This can lead to bloating, diarrhoea and abdominal pain.
Lactose is the main carbohydrate sugar in milk and other cow dairy products like cheese and yoghurt. Lactose intolerance is the most diagnosed adverse reaction to cow’s milk among younger and older people where we live.
Lactose is not digested in our guts because the enzyme ‘lactase’ that breaks down the lactose sugar is reduced in people with this condition. When lactose isn’t digested properly it can lead to discomfort in the gut. Lactose intolerance can be brought on by genetics or by damage to the lining of our guts from malnutrition, gastroenteritis or uncontrolled coeliac disease.
Once a person is diagnosed as lactose intolerant, complete avoidance of dairy is not always necessary. With careful experimenting, it is possible to find out the amount of dairy that can be tolerated without any bloating, diarrhoea or abdominal pain. Live yoghurt brands like Activia Gut, Onken, Glenisk, Yeo Valley, Greek yoghurt or Clandeboye that are made with live bacteria are usually better tolerated in people with lactose intolerance as these bacteria can aid digestion of the lactose. Hard cheeses like cheddar, Emmental, Edam and parmesan contain very little or no lactose at all. Certain milk brands like Arla have their own lactose free milk too as well as Asda, Sainsbury’s and Tesco. Don’t forget dairy is the best source of calcium, iodine and vitamin B12 in our diets where we live.
Lee McCusker (BA; MSc; MSc; MSc; ANutr; SENr) is a registered nutritionist from Belfast and can be found on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Email: attentivenutrition
@gmail.com
