Lactose intolerance is a chronic digestive condition characterized by an inability to properly digest the milk sugar, lactose due to a lactase enzyme deficiency. When someone with lactose intolerance consumes lactose, she experiences gas, bloating and stomach cramps. There is no way to increase the amount of lactase your body produces; however, you can reduce symptoms of the condition by following the proper diet.
Avoidance of Milk Products
According to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse, most people with lactose intolerance can tolerate small amounts of milk products. Because every person is different, it is up to you to determine what types of milk products your body can tolerate as well as the amounts. In general, people with lactose intolerance experience less symptoms when eating milk products, such as cheese or yogurt, than when consuming fluid milk. Fresh yogurt that contains live, active cultures may be the most easily tolerated dairy product. It can also be beneficial to consume milk in small volumes such as 4 oz. at a time. Consuming milk products with other types of food can also help slow the digestive process and decrease the absorption rate of the lactose.
Increase in Calcium Intake
Because milk products contain significant amounts of calcium, removing them from your diet may also drastically decrease your calcium intake. To compensate for this, you should increase the amount of other types of calcium-rich foods that you eat. Vegetables that are high in calcium include rhubarb, spinach, broccoli and lettuce greens. Canned tuna and sardines and salmon with the bones also contain significant amounts of calcium. You can also obtain calcium from fortified orange juice and soy milk.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is often added to calcium-rich milk products because of its vital role in allowing calcium absorption. Removing milk products from the diet also decreases vitamin D intake. You can obtain vitamin D from non-milk sources, such as cod liver oil, salmon, mackerel, tuna, fortified orange juice, fortified margarine, canned sardines and eggs, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements.
Considerations
Lactose is often used as an ingredient in commercially produced food. If you have lactose intolerance, it is important that you check labels to make sure that the products you eat do not contain lactose. Lactose may be disguised in processed foods under the names whey, dry milk powder, curds and milk by-products. The National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse notes that lactose may also be used in common prescription medications such as birth control pills and antacids.
