What Is Lactose Intolerance?

Do you find after having a glass of milk or an ice cream, you feel sick or nauseous? It is possible you may be Lactose Intolerant. People who are Lactose Intolerant report that they begin to feel sick approximately 30 minutes after they have milk or milk products like ice cream or cheese. Other symptoms commonly associated with Lactose intolerance are stomach distress, cramps, gas, diarrhea and bloating.
Lactose intolerance is also called Lactase Deficiency, is caused when your body is not able to naturally digest or metabolize a type sugar called lactose which is commonly found in milk and milk products. Lactose intolerance in fact is a fairly common condition. However, you should always seek the advice of your doctor or a health care professional to help you figure out if you are suffering from Lactose intolerance or some other condition.
So if you happen to be Lactose intolerant what causes the unpleasant symptoms? The answer is simple. The condition is actually caused by a deficiency of lactase, an enzyme which normally is produced by the cells lining your stomach. The lactase enzyme's job is to break down lactose, a complex sugar found in milk into two simpler sugars, glucose and galactose. When the Lactase does it job the two simpler forms of sugar can then be properly metabolized and absorbed into the bloodstream. The good news is once you know you have a lactose problem there are many ways to live a normal lactose-free life!

Depending on the severity of your symptoms, lactose intolerance can usually be controlled by making changes to or substituting lactose free items in your diet. Depending on the individual's ability to digest lactose, these dietary changes can be as minor as decreasing the amount of lactose consumed or may include substituting lactose free items or lactose reduced items for the offending items in your diet.
Some people find they can decrease their symptoms simply by consuming milk or milk products with other foods during a meal rather having them on their own. Some individuals find relief when they carefully choose what milk products to eat such as yogurt or hard cheese that have lower levels of lactose than other milk products.
Individuals who still experience symptoms even after making minor changes to their diet can also take over-the-counter medicines. These preparations contain lactase, the missing enzyme which causes lactose intolerance and the unpleasant symptoms. This remedy can be taken while consuming your regular milk or milk products.
If you are having severe reactions to lactose food and products you will need to consider a more pro active approach to your diet. Before making any major changes to your diet you really need to consult with your health care provider. Your health care provider has the tools to be able to efficiently diagnose your symptoms and determine what would work for you. Before you make any major changes to your diet, you should know milk and milk products are an important source of calcium, protein and other essential nutrients. Calcium in particular is needed to grow and repair bones no matter what age you are. A shortage of calcium can lead to health problems like poor growth when young or osteoporosis later in life. So, before you change your diet or cut out milk and milk products, make sure to talk to your doctor about your symptoms. A few simple tests will give you peace of mind and the answers you need!

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Adding Yogurt to Your Diet Can Benefit Your Health

You may have heard about many different super foods that you can eat to boost and enhance your health. One of these great foods you should try to eat on a regular basis is yogurt. Yogurt provides many health benefits. It is not only an excellent source of calcium, but it also provides your body with probiotics that can help with several different issues. If you are looking for a great new snack to include in your diet, yogurt is a perfect option.
The most obvious health benefit that comes along with eating yogurt on a regular basis is its calcium content. Most yogurts on the market today have 30-40% of the daily recommended amount of calcium for adults. Eating a sufficient amount of calcium can help keep your bones and teeth strong and health and helps to prevent osteoporosis. If you are wanting to eat yogurt primarily to help with your calcium intake, you should make sure to purchase a variety that includes vitamin D. Vitamin D helps your body to absorb the calcium nutrients and will give your body more benefits from the calcium you eat.

Another thing that you should look for when shopping for yogurt is a yogurt variety that includes live, active cultures. These cultures are actually called "probiotics" and are known as "good bacteria." The exact type of bacteria in the yogurt will vary depending on the manufacturer. The probiotics are considered good bacteria because they help your body. They help your digestive system function smoothly and can also balance out the pH of the vaginal area in women to help prevent yeast infections.
Yogurt is a common snack among people who are trying to lose weight. This is because yogurt has a large amount of protein. Proteins in foods helps to make your body feel like it is full. People who eat protein-rich snacks like yogurt can go longer without feeling hungry. If you are dieting or trying to lose weight, adding healthy yogurt to your nutritional plan can be a great step towards your goal weight.
When buying yogurt, you should know that not all yogurt are made the same. Yogurt in its simplest form only has milk and probiotics. This type of yogurt is generally called plain yogurt and is considered to be sugar-free. All yogurt, even if they have no added sugars, will have a considerable amount of sugar on the nutrition label due to the fact that milk has lactose sugars. If you do not like this plain, sugar-free yogurt, you can also buy yogurt that have been sweetened with either natural or artificial sugars and flavors. There is a huge variety of yogurt available on the market today. Try to stick with yogurt that are either plain or sweetened with low-calorie sweeteners.

Eating a serving or two of healthy yogurt can be a great addition to your diet. It helps build strong bones, helps promote a healthy digestive system, and can help you in your efforts to lose weight. If you are trying to eat more nutritional foods and are looking for a new snack, make sure you remember yogurt.

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Are You Able To Give Up Cheese?

Some of you reading this will be vegan, some will be vegetarian and some will be flexitarian. If you are vegan, then this won't apply but if you're vegetarian or flexitarian then here's a challenge -
Will you to consider giving up cheese, or at least, cutting back on the amount you are currently eating?
So let's see if there is something below that will start you thinking or lead to more research and education.
1. The dairy industry is, sadly, one of the biggest polluters of the environment... that and cattle.
As the need for dairy products increases worldwide, the number of cows being milked also has to go up. Currently there are 264 million dairy cows, producing nearly 600 million tonnes of milk every year. This is a staggering amount as you can add on the beef cattle which is around 971.482 million. That's an awful lot of bovine that have to be fed and watered.

So, not only is there a drain on the water, destruction of rain forests for feed for these animals, but there is also the waste and the amount of methane that each cow produces... daily!
Unfortunately water can be contaminated due to leakages of nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus either directly into the stream/river or through the water table which then can pollute waterways further down the line making them very toxic.
Even when farmers are careful and are environmentally conscious, the sheer number of dairy cows just makes it all too much of a losing battle.
2. Then there is the actual method of getting a cow to give her milk. This comes under the cruelty label as the calves anywhere from just born to 3 or 4 days old are taken away from their mothers. It is heart-wrenching to hear the plaintive cries of both mother and baby. The male calves are killed as they are of little use to the farmer and the females are kept to replenish the herd. A cow is kept pregnant and lactating constantly until around 5 years by which time they are so spent they are just sent off to slaughter.
3. On a different note - cheese is as addictive as sugar. Yes, it's been scientifically proven. So if you think you really can't go without cheese, now you know why. Also, unless your ancestors are from Europe where a genetic mutation spread that gave people the ability to produce lactase and drink milk (only about 35% of humans have this gene), then dairy is NOT good for your health no matter what the dairy industry spin doctors tell you.

So how do you give up cheese? Start slowly.
Make a list of the cheeses you really love - e.g. Edam, Brie, Feta then pick one, e.g. Feta, and go online and search for "make Vegan Feta cheese" - you must use the word vegan.
You will get a number of recipes back... some are made from tofu, others from nuts... check them out. You may have to make a couple of different ones to find one that really appeals to your palate.
Once you've got used to the plant based Feta - go try another one.

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The Best Yogurts To Pick When Trying to Lose Weight