Food sensitivities are getting more and more common these days with 25% of Indian population now showing allergic or sensitivity reactions to foods. It would not be an exaggeration to say that it’s possible that most of us have a sensitive reaction to some foods and we don’t even know it.
One such intolerance is lactose intolerance, which is fairly simple to detect most times. Lactose is a natural sugar found in milk and other dairy products. Lactose intolerance occurs when one has a shortage of an enzyme called Lactase in their body. In a normal individual the lactose in the milk gets broken down into its simpler components in the small intestine with the help of the enzyme lactase and gets absorbed into the blood stream. When there is lack of sufficient lactase in the body, the body is incapable to absorb lactose, and the lactose lands up in the large intestine where it is fermented by the bacterial colony hence causing symptoms such as nausea, cramps, diarrhoea, bloating and gas.
Breaking down lactose in infants is mostly not a problem. The problem becomes more severe in later years when the enzymes levels slowly drop. Lactose intolerance can also occur when the intestine lining is damaged or injured. This happens mostly in the case of stomach flu, chemotherapy, radiation and other intestinal illnesses.
The condition though is not immunity related but rather a physiological response to dairy often causes the individual experiencing it feel uncomfortable with self and at times feel embarrassed about his/her condition. This feeling of being different than the rest sometimes cause a lower self image, lack of confidence, lack of social eating or lack of socialising etc which overall hampers the quality of life of an individual. Health and Wellness coaches work in coordination with the client to formulate ways and to instil confidence in a manner that the client feels comfortable in his/her own body, breaks through the barriers holding him/her back and accepting him/herself as a whole.
Coming onto the treatment/relieving symptoms part
One of the most obvious ways of treating Lactose Tolerance is eliminating milk and dairy products from your diet. Learn to look for ingredients in packaged foods as sources of dairy. The following ingredients are lactose free and can be freely used without any harm – lactate, lactic acid,casein, caseinate, lactalbumin, lactylate. Lactose free milks are now easily available in most grocery stores. Lactaid and Dairyease are two brands that are easily available. Soy milk, almond milk or peanut milk are also good substitutes for milk and are lactose free.
Visit your Weljii Health and Wellness Coach for further assistance. Weljii Health and Wellness Coaches besides being behaviour change experts are also trained on nutrition and will not only guide you to eat well and develop a diet plan but will also help you bring about the necessary lifestyle changes in a holistic manner.
