Fewer Canadians are reaching for a glass of milk these days and health experts say that could result in a rise in lactose intolerance.
In Canada, about one in nine people are lactose intolerant.
A cold glass of milk may be the perfect companion for a chocolate chip cookie, but for someone who is lactose intolerant, it can spell gastro-intestinal trouble.
“Bloating, gas, diarrhea, sometime nausea even and in children, can cause weight loss eventually, down the road,” says dietitian Angela Dufour.
Lactose is the sugar found in dairy products. Dufour sees plenty of clients who just can’t digest it.
“Basically, they’re missing or have a limited supply of the enzyme lactase, which actually breaks down that sugar in milk or that lactose sugar,” says Dufour.
There are varying degrees of lactose intolerance based on how much, or how little, of the enzyme is present in the body so intolerance doesn’t necessarily mean complete avoidance of dairy products is necessary.
“A lot of people aren’t able to have a glass of cow’s milk, for example, but are fine with a little bit of cheese or a little bit of yogurt,” says dietitian Krista Leck-Merner.
Leck-Merner says small quantities of dairy products lower in sugar, such as Swiss cheese, are a good option.
For those who do cut out dairy completely, soy, almond and rice beverages are popular alternatives. Not only can they replace the milk in your cereal, they can also provide vitamin D and calcium.
“The good thing with a lot of the alternatives that are on the market now is that they’ve often been fortified to meet the nutrition that’s normally in a dairy product,” says Leck-Merner.
However, not all alternatives are fortified, so health experts say it’s important to read labels to ensure you are getting all of the nutrients you need to stay healthy if you have to be dairy-free.
Calcium can also be found in vegetables, such as spinach. However, it isn’t absorbed as well. Vitamin D helps calcium soak into the bones, so it is important to ensure you are getting both nutrients.
