The lactose intolerance diet is based on reducing consumption or excluding foods containing lactose, such as milk and milk products. Following the lactose-free diet makes the symptoms of lactose intolerance such as diarrhea or abdominal pain disappear.
Lactose intolerance is the individual's inability to digest the lactose present in milk due to the absence of the lactase enzyme in the small intestine, which has the function of transforming lactose into two simpler sugars in order to be absorbed in the intestine. Thus, lactose arrives in the large intestine still unchanged, and is fermented by bacteria, resulting in the production of gases and the occurrence of diarrhea and abdominal pain.
See some of the richest lactose foods that you should avoid and watch this video to learn what you can and cannot eat:
Excluding lactose foods from the diet is the best treatment for the problem. In these cases it is very important to compensate for the decrease in calcium intake with other foods rich in this mineral, such as caruru, spinach or tofu, for example. See other examples at: Calcium-rich foods without milk.
Diet menu for lactose intolerance
In the lactose intolerance diet, cow's milk can be substituted for vegetable drinks such as oat milk, rice or soy, as well as natural fruit juices, soy yogurts and turkey ham, for example.
| Breakfast | 1 glass of rice or soy milk, 1 bread with turkey ham and an apple |
| Collation and snacks | 1 gelatin with 2 toasts or 1 soy yogurt with granola or 1 bread with ham and fruit juice or a bowl of cereal with oat milk |
| Lunches and dinners | avoid gratins because they have cheese and eliminate white sauces because they have milk or sour cream. |
In addition to restricting the consumption of milk, its derivatives and recipes that are prepared with milk or butter, it is important to check on the label of all foods that they contain lactose because many cookies, breads, ready-made sauces and candies also contain lactose and therefore should not be consumed in case of lactose intolerance.
Since yogurt and cheese have a lower amount of lactose, it may not be necessary to exclude these foods from the diet. In addition, there are dairy products on the market that have been industrially processed, that do not have lactose in their composition and therefore can be consumed by people intolerant of this sugar.
When the diagnosis of lactose intolerance is made, milk, yogurt and cheese should be excluded for 3 months and then try to eat yogurt, for example, and check for any symptoms of lactose intolerance such as diarrhea, bloated belly or abdominal pain.. If no symptoms appear, it is because the yogurt can be consumed. This test can also be done with cheese.
In addition to the correct diet, there are medications like Lactosil that can be taken when the individual ingests some food with lactose, since they contain the enzyme lactase, which degrades lactose. Learn about other remedies used for lactose intolerance.
