Lactose Intolerance
Lactose intolerance leads to unpleasant digestive symptoms but luckily can be very easily managed. Most people with lactose intolerance can still consume dairy products but may have to limit the total amount and the frequency of when they enjoy them. Dairy foods contain many nutrients important for our health including calcium, protein, vitamin D, vitamin A, riboflavin, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium. If you or a loved one suffers from lactose intolerance, read on to learn some tips to help better manage your symptoms while on Seattle Sutton’s
Healthy Eating.
• Try consuming smaller portions of dairy foods throughout the day. If a meal is particularly lactose heavy, you could try saving a component to enjoy with a meal that contains less dairy to help lessen the amount of lactose your body is digesting at one time.
• Choose Lactaid milk for your skim milk servings. If you choose to add additional dairy options choosing hard cheese, Greek yogurt, and cottage cheese are simple ways to lower your lactose intake while still including dairy in your diet.
• Include lactose-containing foods during meals with other foods. Enjoying a glass of milk or other dairy food with other solid foods slows down the release of lactose into the small intestine making it easier to digest.
• Probiotics from live and active cultures in yogurt or kefir help to breakdown lactose and make these foods more tolerable for people with lactose intolerance. If you are unable or prefer not to drink skim milk or Lactaid, greek yogurt or kefir may be a great alternative.
• Experiment with dairy alternatives. There are many cow’s milk alternatives such as almond, cashew, coconut, soy, and pea protein milk. Remember, many of these are not the same nutritionally as cow’s milk, most nut milks have very little protein, calories, and are void of vitamins unless they are added to the milk. If you are looking to replace cow’s milk with a milk alternative, soy milk and pea protein milk compares most similarly with dairy milk.
Remember, most people can tolerate small amounts of lactose but dairy alternatives are an option for those who are very sensitive or choose to avoid cow’s milk altogether.
We are committed at Seattle Sutton’s Healthy Eating to make sure our meals are nutritious and delicious. By making a few simple swaps we can make sure you can enjoy our meals without lactose intolerance being a barrier.
Related Blogs:
Managing Lactose Intolerance Symptoms
National Dairy Month Spotlight: Yogurt