Lactose intolerance -- the inability to digest milk sugar -- affects approximately 75 percent of the world's population to some degree, according to the Merck Manual. Since their bodies do not produce enough of the enzyme lactase to digest milk sugar normally, lactose-intolerant individuals experience mild to severe bloating, diarrhea, gas, nausea and abdominal pain within 30 minutes to two hours after consuming dairy products. Symptom management may require dietary changes and over-the-counter medication.
Food Diary
Step 1
Record your food intake in a diary for at least three days. Write down the date and time, what you ate and how much.
Step 2
Record the date, time, type and severity of any digestive symptoms that occur during the three days, including nausea, gas, bloating, vomiting, diarrhea or abdominal pain. To indicate severity, mark the entry as Severe, Moderate or Mild.
Step 3
Mark the dairy products in your food diary -- milk, cheese, cream, ice cream, yogurt, half-and-half or whipped topping -- with a colored highlighter. Use a different colored highlighter to mark nondairy foods that contain lactose. If you are not sure, check the food label for any of the following ingredients that contain lactose: milk, whey, casein, dry milk products, cream, cheese or curds.
Step 4
Circle lactose-containing foods that you ate 30 minutes to two hours before digestive symptoms occurred.
Step 5
Divide a piece of paper into four columns. Label the columns as follows: Severe, Moderate, Mild and None. In the first column, list all lactose-containing foods that you ate 30 minutes to two hours before a bout of severe digestive symptoms. Do the same for foods eaten before a bout of moderate symptoms and mild symptoms. In the fourth column, list any lactose-containing foods that were not followed by an episode of digestive symptoms.
Changing Your Diet
Step 1
Review your list of lactose-containing foods that cause varying degrees of symptoms. If you have nothing listed in any column except the one for severe symptoms, you may need to eliminate all lactose from your diet. If, however, you can eat at least some lactose-containing foods without severe symptoms, you may have a milder case of lactose intolerance.
Step 2
Limit the foods that cause severe symptoms or eliminate them altogether.
Step 3
Eat foods that cause mild or moderate symptoms as part of a meal rather than by themselves. Eating them with other foods helps slow the digestive process and may reduce or relive symptoms.
Step 4
Eat smaller portions, up to 4 oz. at a time, of foods that contain lactose to reduce or relieve symptoms.
Step 5
Select products designed for lactose-intolerant individuals but read food labels carefully. A lactose-reduced product, such as milk or ice cream, has some lactose in it, so a severely lactose-intolerant individual should choose lactose-free milk or an alternative product such as rice, soy or almond milk.
Medication and Other Solutions
Step 1
Take over-the-counter lactase enzyme tablets before eating a food containing lactose to prevent or reduce symptoms.
Step 2
Add over-the-counter lactase enzyme drops to milk to break down the lactose before you consume it.
Step 3
Take over-the-counter probiotic capsules to help with lactose digestion or eat yogurt with live and active bacterial cultures once a day to improve digestion. Results may vary according to the severity of your condition.
Tips and Warnings
- Consult your health care provider if your symptoms continue after you make changes to your diet. You may have another condition, such as irritable bowel syndrome or celiac disease, that causes symptoms similar to those of lactose intolerance.
- Do not try to diagnose lactose intolerance in a small child as other conditions may cause similar symptoms. Consult a health care provider for advice.
Things You'll Need
- Food diary
- Over-the-counter lactase tablets or drops
