NETDOCTOR AND LACTOFREE
18th April 2008
We’ve recently become a sponsor of NETDOCTOR.co.uk, the UK’s leading independent health website as we try to get the word out about relief from lactose intolerance.
Check out our article HERE or below:
From Netdoctor.co.uk:
Can’t stomach milk? The easy way to deal with lactose intolerance
Imagine life without milk on your cereal or in your daily cup of coffee. If you or someone in your family is lactose intolerant, you may have switched to soya or rice milk in your weekly shop, but your family still craves the taste of real milk. With Lactofree, the UKs only lactose-free milk drink, you and your family can once again enjoy the taste and nutritional benefits of cow’s milk, without the nasty symptoms some people experience.
What is lactose intolerance?
Lactose intolerance is far more common than people realise. It affects between 2% and 15% of the white population, 75% of Afro-Caribbeans and a huge 95% of Asian people.
Lactose intolerance is caused by a deficiency of lactase, an enzyme present in the lining of the small intestine which is needed to absorb and digest lactose (milk sugar). People with lactose intolerance don’t have enough of this important enzyme to break down the lactose. It remains undigested in the large intestine, where it is fermented by bacteria, creating uncomfortable symptoms. One of the most common symptoms is bloating, although symptoms can vary from stomach pain and cramps to nausea and diarrhoea.
How do I know if I am lactose intolerant?
The easiest way to find out for sure is to follow a simple elimination diet. The diet means cutting out foods containing lactose from your diet for a period of two weeks.
Keep a diary during this period to keep track of what foods you eat, and what, if any, symptoms occur. After two weeks, you can gradually re-introduce lactose to your diet. If the symptoms reappear, then lactose intolerance is highly likely.
Healthcare professionals agree its important foods are not unnecessarily excluded from the diet, leading to poor nutrition and in the longer term, nutritional deficiencies. We all know that women and children need a diet rich in calcium, so try and get calcium from other sources while you’re on the elimination diet – green leafy vegetables, fortified cereals and juices, soft bone fish, seeds, nuts and pulses are all great sources.
Try following the elimination challenge diet at http://www.lactofree.co.uk, which has been reviewed by the British Dietetics Association.