Easy Solutions for Lactose Intolerance and Dairy Sensitivity.

Ah, milk. It's right up there with Mom and apple pie as a national icon, a nutritional necessity (or so we're told) for strong bones and sparkling teeth. Well, many alternative practitioners say that all of those good things that you hear about milk are white lies.
"Milk is not a perfect food, as is frequently advertised," says Jacqueline Krohn, M.D., a physician in New Mexico. Milk, she says, can cause allergic symptoms of all kinds, such as diarrhea, asthma, ear infections, rashes, and hives.

"Milk is a misunderstood and vastly overrated food," agrees James Braly, M.D., an allergy specialist in Boca Raton, Florida. "Ironically, while milk products are the most commonly consumed foods, milk is one of the two or three most common food allergens in the American diet," he says.
Most of the allergic symptoms caused by milk products don't show up right away, which is why most people don't suspect milk as an allergen, he adds.
Along with the symptoms listed above, milk allergy can cause blood loss from gastrointestinal bleeding. At the same time, it can inhibit the absorption of iron, and iron deficiency is the most common nutritional problem in the United States. Plus, whole milk contains heart-hurting saturated fat.
Milk should not be part of the average person's diet, says Dr. Braly. "I believe that the great majority of people worldwide are allergic to milk or are lactose intolerant, meaning that they lack the lactase enzyme necessary to digest milk sugar, called lactose," he explains.

So, if you have the digestive symptoms of lactose intolerance (bloating, cramping, diarrhea, and flatulence), or other symptoms that keep coming back, you may want to experiment with a dairy-free, lactose-free diet

DAIRY-FREE DIET: Try It for 10 Days
To find out if you're sensitive to milk, cut out all dairy products for 10 days and see how you feel, says Elizabeth Lipski, a certified clinical nutritionist in Kauai, Hawaii. If your symptoms vanish during the 10 days and then return when you reintroduce dairy into your diet, you probably do have a sensitivity, she says.

You'll want to avoid obvious sources of lactose, such as milk, yogurt, ice cream, creamed soups, frozen yogurt, powdered milk, and whipped cream. But, says Lipski, you'll also need to be wary of dairy products used in bakery items, cookies, hot dogs, lunch meats, milk chocolate, most nondairy creamers, pancakes, protein powder drinks, and ranch dressing. Look at the ingredient lists on food packages and avoid anything that contains the dairy components casein, caseinate, lactose, sodium caseinate, or whey
If you're not sure whether a food contains dairy, avoid it during the 10-day period. During the test, "it's probably best to eat all your meals at home or prepare all food yourself," Lipski says.

MILK SUBSTITUTES: Satisfaction for the Sensitive
If you find that you're lactose-intolerant or sensitive to milk but don't want to give it up entirely, try a milk substitute, says Lipski. Look for Lactaid milk, which includes the lactose-digesting enzyme, lactase. Or try soy milk, rice milk, almond milk, or any one of the many other milk substitutes on the market.

LACTASE:
One way to enjoy dairy foods if you're lactose intolerant is to take a lactase supplement such as Lactaid in drops, tablets, or capsules, lake the supplement with any meal that includes dairy foods, following the directions on the label, says William B. Salt IT, M.D., clinical associate professor of medicine at Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health in Columbus. The enzyme in the supplements will help you digest the lactose in dairy foods, he explains.

LOWER-LACTOSE DAIRY:
Some people with conditions such as lactose intolerance or milk sensitivity can tolerate small amounts of plain yogurt, processed cheese, goat's milk, or fat-free milk, all of which have smaller amounts of both lactose and some of the allergy-causing components of whole milk, says Skye Weintraub, N.D., a naturopathic physician in Eugene, Oregon.

CALCIUM:

"There are many sources of calcium other than cow's milk/' says Dr. Braly. Good fish and seafood sources include canned salmon, sardines, shrimp, clams, crab, oysters, cod, and haddock. Good vegetable sources include kelp, collard greens, turnip greens, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, parsley, watercress, romaine lettuce, summer squash, and onions.Among grains and nuts, you can get good amounts of calcium from pistachios, sesame seeds, sesame butter, oat flakes, buckwheat, and brown rice. White beans, pinto beans, chickpeas, dried figs, and soy products like tofu also offer adequate amounts.Since milk is among the most concentrated sources of calcium, you may need to take a calcium supplement to replace what you're giving up, says Dr. Krohn.

For maximum absorption, look for a chelated supplement that contains calcium and magnesium in a 2-to-l ratio, she recommends. (Don't use calcium lactate if you are sensitive to milk, because it is milk-based.) People under the age of 50 need 1,000 milligrams of calcium a day, and those over 50 need 1,500 milligrams daily.