Lactose Intolerance Symptoms
And Remedies

If you want a sustainable relief for lactose intolerance symptoms, your best bet is to rely on natural home remedies.

What is lactose intolerance? Lactose intolerance is a situation that prevents your body from absorbing lactose ( sugar in milk) in your digestive system.

There is a particular enzyme known as lactase, which is in the lining of small intestine. It assists the body in digesting lactose.

A low level or absence of the lactase bacteria in the stomach triggers the fermentation of lactose. This may lead to rumbling stomach, pain in the abdomin , gas, abdominal bloating, diarrhea, and nausea.

People who usually identify with lactose intolerance are children, people with stomach surgeries, and those with celiac disease.

Low production of thyroid hormones can develop into thyroid disease which may also cause lactose intolerance.

You can use some simple tests to determine whether you are lactose intolerant. One of the tests is to eliminate foods that contain lactose for a few days and reintroduce them to see if symptoms return.

Another test, is to get a blood sugar levels test before and after you drink liquid containing lactose. The final test is to drink a lactose solution, and the doctor tests your breath for hydrogen which is only present if the lactose is fermented.

Treatments for lactose intolerance symptoms

Lactose intolerance is harmless, and there are natural ways to treat it.

Diary free diet

The first remedy is to stay away from foods you are sensitive to, such as milk, for 10 days. If possible, prepare your meals at home for these days.

If you eat processed foods, do check them for hidden sources of diary products. Whey and dry milk for example have more lactose than other foods, and are frequently added to processed foods.

Reintroduce some of the sensitive foods into your diet step by step. If lactose symptoms come back then it’s best to avoid those foods, or find substitutes.

Milk substitutes for lactose intolerance symptoms

If your body cannot tolerate lactose, or you are affected the milk you love, you may try using milk substitute.

You can use lactaid milk which has enzymes for digesting lactose, or soy milk, and other similar substitutes in the store.

Lactase supplement with meals

You still can have pleasure eating diary foods if your system cannot tolerate lactose. Use lactase supplements like lactaid in drops, capsules, or tablets with food that contain diary products. You can find the supplements in supermarkets.

The only issue with the liquid drop is whether you add enough. It’s a matter of trial and error, because each person has a different degree of lactose intolerance.

There is no herbal cure for lactose intolerance. However, some of its symptoms can be addressed with herbs.

Gentian for lactose intolerance symptoms

Gentian can ease digestion due to lactose intolerance. Boil 1g in ½ cup of water for 5 minutes to make a liquid decoction. Take it 30 minutes before meals, 4 times a day.

Chamomile - lactose intolerance diet

Chamomile has anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, and soothing effects on gastrointestinal tissue. These effects may be due to two main classes of compounds (the volatile oils, and flavonoids).

Put 1 teaspoon in a cup of hot water for 10 minutes to extract the medicinal compounds, and take it several times a day for treatment of indigestion due to lactose intolerance.

Lower your lactose diary

Some people whose bodies cannot tolerate lactose or are sensitive to milk can still accommodate little quantity of plain-yogurt, processed cheese, and fat-free milk.

These products have little quantity of lactose and constituents that cause allergy in whole milk. Start with small amount and see how it goes with you.

Hard cheeses are best because they are most fermented. Swiss cheese and extra-sharp Cheddar cheese contain less lactose.

Calcium for lactose intolerance symptoms

There are numerous avenues to get calcium apart from the milk from cow. Some other avenues for calcium include:

Yogurt for lactose intolerance symptoms

Eating yogurt is helpful for the lactose intolerant because it is predigested. The bacteria from the yogurt replaces the missing enzymes, and digest much of the milk for you.

Make sure that the yogurt has live bacterial cultures. Most of the commercial yogurts do have live bacterial cultures. Plain yogurt has less anti-lactose activity than flavored yogurts. Buttermilk and acidophilus milk, although fermented, have less lactose than plain milk.

Buttermilk contains less lactose per 1 cup serving than whole fat-free and other varieties of milk in between. Butter milk has less fat, and less cholesterol than even 2 percent milk.

However, acidophilus milk does not help much though its organisms are beneficial for digestion, they colonize the large intestines and pass-by the small intestines where lactose digestion takes place.

Watch out for frozen yogurt. Frozen yogurt is sometimes reheated, and this kills the bacteria. It may not be helpful for people with lactose intolerance.

It is probably good to eat fat-free yogurt, because it is believed that yogurt with fat in it, sits in the stomach for a long time and the stomach acids may have a chance to kill the beneficial organisms.

Chocolate milk remedy

Chocolate milk does not cause much distress in most lactose-intolerant people. A test in the food science department of University of Rhodes Island shows that 1½ teaspoons of cocoa added to a cup of milk, block cramping, bloating, and other signs of lactose intolerance in 51 percent of people tested.

You may try the remedy used by the university. Wait 2-3 days after drinking the chocolate to see if there is any reaction. If there is, reduce your intake.

The simplest and best way to approach lactose intolerance symptoms is through natural home remedies.

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