How to Discover if You Suffer from Dairy Intolerance?

CCaldwell | Dec 20, 2010 |

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Dairy intolerance comes in a number of forms and with a variety of symtoms. This article will help to inform you about the sorts of dairy intolerance, as well as their various symptoms, as well as what to do about diagnosing and living with them. Future articles will cover each type, such as lactose intolerance, with lifestyle and wellness articles as well.

Things You Will Need

Step 1

Dairy Free LIving Basics

Many people around the world suffer from lactose intolerance which stems from the lack of lactase enzyme in the gastro-intestinal tract. The most common symptom is bloating, and individuals may be able to tolerate some amount of dairy in their diet before symtoms appear, especially after eliminating liquid milk. Lactose intolerance is not life threatening, nor does it typically cause a radical lifestyle change in most peoples lives, although consuming a dose of lactose without realizing it can cause a lot of discomfort and inconvenience.

Some people become more lactose intolerant as they get older, as there system produces less lactase enzyme naturally. Even if you suffer from severe lactose intolerance, you may be able to take a lactase enzyme supplement before consuming dairy products and avoid any severe symptoms. Keep in mind that for some people, lactose intolerance may be a symptom of intestinal damage due to celiacs disease, which is a gluten intolerance. If your symptoms do not improve after eliminating dairy or taking a lactase enzyme supplement, go to your doctor and asked to be tested for both gluten and dairy intolerance.

Step 2

Dairy intolerance can take other forms as well. Some people make include milk allergies, which are potentially life-threatening immune reactions. If you suspect you may suffer from this condition, visit your health care professional immediately. Note that most of the time milk allergies are outgrown as infants
.

Dairy protein intolerance is another form of dairy intolerance. The most frequent offending protein is casein. The onset of symptoms can be anywhere from almost immediately to many hours. As a result, those who are either unaware of what condition they suffer from, or else unaware of what food was cross-contaminated, may find it very difficult to pin down the food which may have been consumed at any time over the past day.

The best recommendation is to eliminate dairy and see if the symptoms disappear. This is a better strategy than going on a rice and fruit diet for two weeks, for example. If your symptoms all clear up them you will not know what food you were intolerant to. It could be gluten, dairy, soy, corn, or others, or several. You do not want to then go to your doctor and say test me for everything. You would also not know how to go back onto a balanced diet. That really is the key. You really want to make sure that at the end of the journey you end up with a balanced diet, even though its make-up may be different after you eliminate the food you are intolerant to.

As always, before beginning any new diet or vitamin or mineral supplementation visit with your health care professionals.