Lactose Intolerance

[lucia]

Help! - I think I'm reacting to dairy. I've been off gluten now for over 6 weeks, and I know sometimes people will develop lactose intolerance secondarily. My GI symptoms feel like what I get with gluten, but less severe. I'm also tired and cranky. Does this sound like lactose intolerance?

What does lactose intolerance really mean? I eat very little dairy already. I already drink and cook with soy milk. Can people tolerate goat's cheese? Do people avoid yogurt? Do I need to avoid all products made with milk? Including store-bought baked goods?

Do other people experience it like gluten intolerance, so that if I digest even a little bit of (cow's) milk I'll be sick? Again, this impacts whether I can have baked goods including gluten-free breads made with milk.

Thanks, everyone.

[mushroom]

I think I'm reacting to dairy. I've been off gluten now for over 6 weeks, and I know sometimes people will develop lactose intolerance secondarily. My GI symptoms feel like what I get with gluten, but less severe. I'm also tired and cranky. Does this sound like lactose intolerance?

What does lactose intolerance really mean? I eat very little dairy already. I already drink and cook with soy milk. Can people tolerate goat's cheese? Do people avoid yogurt? Do I need to avoid all products made with milk? Including store-bought baked goods?

Do other people experience it like gluten intolerance, so that if I digest even a little bit of (cow's) milk I'll be sick? Again, this impacts whether I can have baked goods including gluten-free breads made with milk.

Thanks, everyone.

If you had a positive intestinal biopsy (villi damaged) then lactose intolerance is pretty much guaranteed until the villi heal - because the lactase to digest it is made at the tips of the villi. I was intolerant to milk, cream, ice cream, frozen yogurt, but could eat butter (most lactose removed - all butterfat (lol)), cheese, sour cream, yogurt (all the cultured dairy products because the cultures "digest" the lactose). You will have to experiment for yourself and see what you can tolerate. Some poor folk are entirely dairy intolerant and that can be a permanent one, but I think most of us start off lactose intolerant to some extent. Lactose would give me terrible cramping and diarrhea- don't know if I was cranky or not but diarrhea tends to make me cranky, and it does tire one out.....all those trips to the bathroom!

[AlysounRI]

Hello Lucia:

Firstly don't fret!!!

Lactose intolerance is quite common anyway without having to deal with gluten intolerance.

I'll tell you what I am able to do.

I was taken off milk very young (6 months), just couldn't process/digest it.

The only dairy I have really been able to digest is butter and yoghurt, plain greek yoghurt being the best.

I can do a little hard grated cheese and sometimes some swiss cheese.

If I go over that I get terrible gas.

I used to be able to do kefir but it seems I cannot do that now. I get terrible gas.

I have now gone off of that -- too bad as it has all of the useful and important probiotics in it.

But I can't seem to do this now. I am hoping the ability to have kefir will come back at some point!!

I was used to having some kefir in a bowl with some nuts, ground flax seed and some dried cranberries!!!

Everyone is going to be different.

I can tell you one thing, however.

One of the reasons that goat and sheep dairy is easier to digest is because the protein chains are much shorter, and thus easier to break down.

Have you tried ingesting goats milk and cheese as opposed to cow's milk and cheese?

It's all so overwhelming at first, isn't it?

I hope it gets better for you soon!!

~Allison

[lucia]

How long do symptoms of lactose intolerance usually last for people? Is it like eating gluten, where a single incident can trigger symptoms for days? My poor tummy is so upset!

Allison, years ago I identified lactose intolerance for myself when I was recovering from fibromyalgia, but I could still eat goat's milk and yogurt. I hope that's the case now.

[Looking for answers]

.

But I can't seem to do this now. I am hoping the ability to have kefir will come back at some point!!

I was used to having some kefir in a bowl with some nuts, ground flax seed and some dried cranberries!!!

FYI, don't know where you live but the brand So Good, which also makes Soy Good, makes coconut kefir. It's gluten and dairy free, and usually less than $5 quart.

[AlysounRI]

FYI, don't know where you live but the brand So Good, which also makes Soy Good, makes coconut kefir. It's gluten and dairy free, and usually less than $5 quart.

Oooh, I haven't seen that.

I can get coconut milk ... I will look for the coconut kefir too.

Thanks for the tip,

[skigirlchar]

my 1st symptoms were actually the lactose intolerance more than a decade ago - but all my allergy testing tested negative and "they" said it was in my head or IBS

i have friends w/ IBS - it's NOT the same

my 2nd symptoms were the wheat & then yeast - again, they said IBS (though this time my allergy testing went off the charts)

i first cut out the gluten but swapped my regular dairy for goat (i tried sheep but broke out in hives.) i tried soy products too to round out but i again ended up w/ an allergic reaction (one so severe i was almost hospitalized)

now, if i am going to "fall off the gluten-free/CF/SF wagon" it's with goat cheese. even then i still get the cramping, bloating, and tired/foggy feeling.

[knittingmonkey]

Help! - I think I'm reacting to dairy. I've been off gluten now for over 6 weeks, and I know sometimes people will develop lactose intolerance secondarily. My GI symptoms feel like what I get with gluten, but less severe. I'm also tired and cranky. Does this sound like lactose intolerance?

What does lactose intolerance really mean? I eat very little dairy already. I already drink and cook with soy milk. Can people tolerate goat's cheese? Do people avoid yogurt? Do I need to avoid all products made with milk? Including store-bought baked goods?

Do other people experience it like gluten intolerance, so that if I digest even a little bit of (cow's) milk I'll be sick? Again, this impacts whether I can have baked goods including gluten-free breads made with milk.

Thanks, everyone.

It seems true; until the tips of the villi are healed lactose is impossible to digest, UNLESS the milk is raw, that is, unpasteurized. Pasteurization kills the natural enzymes present in raw milk that help digest the lactose.

I've read it can take over two years for the villi to become healed.

Goats' milk is easier to digest. But if you can get raw cows' milk that would be great because it's very healing to the small intestine.

Watch how much soy you take in, I won't take any because I have thyroid issues, unless it's fermented, like miso, tempeh or soy sauce, and now not any because it seems they often have gluten in them.

[WheatChef]

Lactose intolerance isn't anything like a gluten intolerance. Lactose is a disaccharide (two part sugar) consisting of one glucose molecule and one galactose molecule. Your body can't actually use lactose but it can use glucose and galactose. First though your body needs to break the single bond that joins the glucose and galactose molecules. In order to do this your body creates an enzyme called lactase ( -ase suffix means enzyme basically). Everyone produces a different amount of lactase. This lactase store can only handle a certain amount of lactose.

If your body happens to create a very low amount of lactase or you happen to eat a very high amount of lactose then you won't be able to break the bond in all the lactose molecules and these molecules will pass down further into your gut where some of your internal bacteria will utilize the lactose for their own energy needs. The problem with this is that those little organisms create gaseous by-products that can cause discomfort in your guts along with cramps, bloating and the big D.

This is pretty much the extent of the problem however. Lactose intolerance is also known to be a common side effect of the whole gluten-intolerance thing and this will eventually fix itself as the gluten damage in the intestine heals. Additionally you can lessen the effects of lactose intolerance by consumption of yogurts and kefir.

This however should not be confused with intolerance of a separate compound found in dairy. Casein intolerance is another serious systemic intolerance that is somewhat similar to gluten intolerance. It is an immune system related intolerance as opposed to the simply digestive system related intolerance of lactose intolerance. Like gluten, casein is a peptide that some people end up producing antigens for.

Personally I'd be much more afraid of the soy milk than cow's milk.

[sa1937]

I suspect I may also have lactose intolerance. I picked up some Lactaid milk and also Lactaid tablets at the store last week. Just curious to know if they have helped other people.

And when I baked a loaf of bread on Sun., the recipe called for dry milk. Does it make any difference if it's in a baked product in contrast to drinking milk as in having it on cereal in the morning.

[WheatChef]

I suspect I may also have lactose intolerance. I picked up some Lactaid milk and also Lactaid tablets at the store last week. Just curious to know if they have helped other people.

And when I baked a loaf of bread on Sun., the recipe called for dry milk. Does it make any difference if it's in a baked product in contrast to drinking milk as in having it on cereal in the morning.

Lactose intolerance runs in my family (coincidentally in the same people who are starting to respond well to a gluten-free diet). Before going gluten-free I used to have lactose intolerance problems that would cycle in and out, for the most part I would just adapt by eating only small amounts of dairy, or only eating hard cheeses (which have less lactose than soft cheeses), or only eating yogurts. My sister has used Lactaid milk for the past 10 years or so since her lactose intolerance started bothering her, she's never had problems with it. I've had coworkers who swore by their lactaid tablets as well. At this point since my gut has healed quite well I'm using full fat milk for the first time ever with 0 problems!

As I mentioned above it all has to do with how much lactase enzyme your body produces as opposed to how much lactose you are consuming. In a baked product you have more than just the dairy so the concentration of lactose would be lower than in just the dairy product, so technically 1 oz of the baked product will have less lactose and therefore will cause less stress on your gut than 1 oz of dairy product.

[sa1937]

Lactose intolerance runs in my family (coincidentally in the same people who are starting to respond well to a gluten-free diet). Before going gluten-free I used to have lactose intolerance problems that would cycle in and out, for the most part I would just adapt by eating only small amounts of dairy, or only eating hard cheeses (which have less lactose than soft cheeses), or only eating yogurts. My sister has used Lactaid milk for the past 10 years or so since her lactose intolerance started bothering her, she's never had problems with it. I've had coworkers who swore by their lactaid tablets as well. At this point since my gut has healed quite well I'm using full fat milk for the first time ever with 0 problems!

As I mentioned above it all has to do with how much lactase enzyme your body produces as opposed to how much lactose you are consuming. In a baked product you have more than just the dairy so the concentration of lactose would be lower than in just the dairy product, so technically 1 oz of the baked product will have less lactose and therefore will cause less stress on your gut than 1 oz of dairy product.

Thanks for the info, WheatChef! My GI doc suggested Lactaid Milk to me on Mon., which I had already picked up the week before, as well as Lactaid tablets. I'll need to start keeping track of when I use milk on cereal (I don't have cereal every day) or have other dairy products and then see if I have symptoms afterwards. I'm still pretty new to celiac (positive biopsy on April 9) and have no clue if I have other intolerances or not.

[babygirl1234]

ivw been lactose intolerent since i was 16 too along with being gluten-free but i take the pill everytime i eat dairy some people can be lactose intolerent for the rest of their lives it just depends how bad the damage is to your body