Abdominal pain and diarrhea can really wreak havoc on your day. Some people have to be very careful about the foods they eat because it can cause gastrointestinal distress that may lead to malabsorption. If you are lactose intolerant or suffer from steatorrhea, you need to be extra cautious about the foods you include in your diet to not only prevent abdominal pain and diarrhea, but to also ensure adequate nutrient intake.
Lactose Intolerance
If you are lactose intolerant, your body is deficient in the enzyme lactase, which is needed to digest the sugar lactose found in milk and milk products. It most commonly occurs in adults, but can also affect children. Common symptoms of lactose intolerance include abdominal pain, nausea, bloating, gas and diarrhea. Symptoms usually occur from 30 minutes to two hours after you've consumed milk or a milk product, and can vary depending on the amount of lactose consumed. While lactose intolerance is common, diagnosis may require testing by your doctor.
Treatment of Lactose Intolerance
You can manage your lactose intolerance by making changes to your diet. Most people can tolerate a small amount of milk in their diets without symptoms, whereas others can tolerate milk and milk products if they eat them with food. Others may need to avoid lactose-containing milk products all together. Because milk is an important source of calcium, if you need to limit or eliminate milk from your diet, it is important that you find alternative sources of calcium. You can try lactose-free or lactose-reduce milk or use lactose enzymes when consuming dairy products. Other calcium-rich foods include calcium fortified soy milk or orange juice, tofu, sardines with the bones and spinach.
Steatorrhea
Steatorrhea is a type of diarrhea that occurs because of your body's inability to digest fat. While it is normal to excrete 2 to 5 g of fat in your stool a day, individuals with steatorrhea can excrete up to 60 g. Steatorrhea is characterized by large, foamy, foul smelling stool, and requires a fecal fat test for diagnosis. Steatorrhea is a symptom of a disease, and treatment requires knowing the underlying cause of the malabsorption. There are a number of diseases that cause steatorrhea, including pancreatic insufficiency, cystic fibrosis, celiac disease and ulcerative colitis.
Treatment of Steatorrhea
Treatment for steatorrhea first requires a diagnosis and management of the underlying cause. You can also make changes to your diet to decrease symptoms and improve nutritional status. Weight loss is common, and it is important that you consume enough calories to prevent further weight loss. To limit malabsorption, most of your calories should come from lean proteins, such as beans, fish and poultry, and carbohydrates, such as bread, cereals, fruits and vegetables. Medium chain triglycerides, a synthetic fat, are also sometimes used as a source of calories and fat, which are more easily absorbed than fats found in oil and food.
References
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disorders; Lactose Intolerance
- "Krause's Food, Nutrition and Diet Therapy"; L. Kathleen Mahan, MS, RD, CDE, Sylvia Escott-Stump, MA, RD; 1996
