If you feel that you might be lactose intolerant, it is important to be properly diagnosed so that you can work with a doctor and dietitian to ensure that you are getting adequate nutrition while avoiding lactose. Lactose intolerance means your body isn't fully able to digest lactose and results in diarrhea, cramps, bloating, gas and nausea when it is ingested. The American Gastroenterological Association estimates that nearly 50 million adults in America are lactose intolerant. If you are one of them, you will have to limit or avoid dairy food products, including milk, cheese, ice cream and yogurt. Consult your physician prior to making significant changes to your diet.
Step 1
Keep a food diary. Write down what foods you eat and what symptoms you experience afterward. It is important to include all foods because you may be experiencing another intolerance in addition to the lactose, or you could be mistaking lactose intolerance for something else. Include the amount eaten, when it was eaten and how you felt soon after the meal. Symptoms of lactose intolerance generally appear 30 minutes to two hours after you eat a food containing lactose. Present this information to your doctor so that he can choose the right testing methods to determine if you are lactose intolerant or not.
Step 2
Follow an elimination diet. This requires completely eliminating lactose from your diet for a few weeks, then slowly reintroducing it. This will allow you to determine more specifically which foods are causing problems and in what quantities. Foods to avoid include those that contain whey or milk, butter, cream, margarine, sour cream, cheese, curds, ice cream, pudding, yogurt and most baked goods.
Step 3
Have a lactose intolerance test performed. This will involve drinking a liquid containing lactose. A couple hours after consuming the drink, you will have your blood drawn and analyzed for glucose levels. If your levels of glucose don't go up, it means your body isn't properly digesting the lactose from the drink.
Step 4
Perform a hydrogen breath test. This is usually done in a doctor's office. Again, you will drink a beverage with a large amount of lactose in it. Your physician will then measure how much hydrogen is present in your breath periodically for a short time. Typically, your body will digest the lactose and leave very small amounts of hydrogen behind. However, if you aren't able to digest lactose, your doctor will detect large volumes of hydrogen when you breathe out.
Step 5
Provide your doctor with a stool sample. This is usually done with children or for people who cannot undergo the previous two tests. If you are lactose intolerant, your stool will contain acids that indicate your body's inability to digest the lactose.
