I grew up watching my mom suffer bouts of diarrhea every time she drank a glass of milk or ate a slice of pudding. At that time no one knew what exactly was the matter with her and put it to her being under the weather. It was much later that all of us realized that she was lactose intolerant.
Lactose intolerance. This word is so well understood these days... the inability to digest lactose because of the absence of the enzyme lactase in a person’s digestive system. Or sometimes the enzyme is present but not in enough strength in order to digest the lactose. Hence, within an hour of eating it, or even 20-30 minutes later, the person has an upset stomach or experiences other related problems, such as nausea, cramping, flatulence, bloating of the stomach. Symptoms may range from mild to severe. And will depend on many factors – such as the amount taken, age, ethnicity, etc.
Lactose intolerance is usually considered a medical condition and not a disease as such and therefore, requires proper handling. It is quite easy to manage if you are aware of your body and know how much of a dairy product you can tolerate. Some people are able to override this condition if they stick to small portions of dairy products. Some are unfortunate enough to not be able to digest even a bite. Some have learnt the trick of eating a combo meal – one small dairy product and the rest foods that do not contain lactose. This keeps their stomach far from all troubles.
My mom too learnt to monitor her lactose intake. She had, after a time, realized that when she ate yoghurt, she did not suffer from stomach upset. Even cheese was pretty harmless whenever she ate that. But she felt most comfortable with yoghurt. And yes, yoghurt is considered safe for most lactose-intolerant people because though it contains lactose, the active bacteria culture in it helps to produce some of the lactase enzyme which is required to digest the lactose.
It is believed that around 50 million Americans may be suffering from lactose intolerance. This, therefore, makes it quite a common condition. But a condition that can be kept under check if there is awareness followed by some smart eating.