For some people, drinking milk causes digestive distress. If you are one of these people, you might experience gas, bloating and diarrhea within hours of consuming milk or other products with the dairy sugar called lactose. Suffering from lactose intolerance does not mean you have to give up all dairy products. Lactaid milk is a branded version of cow's milk with the lactose removed.
About
Available in many major supermarkets, Lactaid milk is regular milk with the lactase enzyme included. This enzyme helps you digest the milk sugar more readily, absolving you of the symptoms of lactose intolerance. Lactaid milk comes in whole, skim, 1 percent and 2 percent versions. Use Lactaid milk like any other cow's milk product. You can pour it over cereal, add it to baked goods, use it to dilute soups or blend it into smoothies. The Lactaid brand also produces cottage cheese, chocolate milk, egg nog, half and half, ice cream and digestive enzymes.
Significance
Lactaid can help you get the USDA recommended 3 cups of dairy daily without suffering. Milk is one of the richest sources of the bone-building mineral calcium. It also provides vitamin D to help with calcium absorption, protein and potassium. If you are lactose intolerant, you might be calcium deficient, which, over the long term, may lead to osteopenia and osteoporosis.
Considerations
If you have a dairy allergy, you cannot consume Lactaid milk. An allergy is characterized by wheezing, hives, vomiting and, possibly, digestive problems. The cause of the allergy is usually one of the two proteins in milk, whey or casein, which are present in Lactaid milk. Lactaid milk may taste slightly sweeter than regular cow's milk, but is identical in almost every other way.
Other Alternatives
If you are severely lactose intolerant, you may still have problems consuming Lactaid milk. Soy, nut and rice milks are other alternatives to cow's milk. Look for fortified versions to make sure you still get enough calcium. Nondairy sources of calcium include canned fish with the bones and leafy greens.
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