What is a Milk/Dairy Intolerance
It is NOT Lactose Intolerance, (something I get asked about all the time when I talk about my son's dairy problem.) Lactose is the sugar in milk that upsets a lactose intolerant system, but can usually be tolerated when it is in cooked food or yogurt...This is what I have been told... I have not researched this.
It is also NOT a Milk Allergy. A milk allergy is when you would have an instant reaction to any milk product that would come into contact with you. An allergy would cause you to have a reaction similar to a nut or strawberry allergy, with anaphylactic shock, rash, hives, etc. An allergy would cause a definite instant reaction that is easy to diagnose. But sometimes to explain ourselves we just say "Milk Allergy" since many people hear "Milk or Dairy Intolerance" and can only think of "Lactose Intolerance" which is not as severe.
A milk/dairy intolerance is a lot harder to diagnose, it causes the listed reactions usually within 2-24 hours from consumption, and the symptoms last anywhere from 2 hours to two weeks after dairy consumption has stopped completely.
Basically, a dairy intolerance is when your body can not digest any dairy products the way it should be able to, mostly the proteins (Casein, Whey, etc.) Whether cooked, yogurt, or in any amount. Dairy products have also been linked to developmental problems such as Autism, ADD, ADHD, and hyperactivity. Diary products can also cause severe migraines and excessive phlegm. Eczema and Asthma have also been linked to dairy products.
If you are local to Southern NH or Northern Mass, you can contact Dr. Cassista's office. He helps many parents with ADHD children by councelling on the affect Dairy products have on the brain.
The good news:
Food Companies are now required BY LAW to specify if their products contain any of the 8 allergens: Milk (Dairy), Wheat, Eggs, Peanuts, Soy, Shellfish, Fish, Tree Nuts.
Intolerance Versus Allergy- Taken from the EpiPen website click here for full article. "Food allergy and intolerance are often mistaken for one another. While they may share similar symptoms, including diarrhea and vomiting, food allergy is an immune system response while food intolerance occurs when another system of the body (usually the digestive tract) reacts adversely to a food. For example, one of the most common food intolerances arises in response to lactose, the sugar in milk. Lactose intolerance occurs when a person lacks an enzyme needed to digest this sugar, and the body reacts with gas, bloating, diarrhea, and abdominal pain when milk products containing lactose are consumed. When these symptoms occur as a result of intolerance rather than allergy, they do not indicate an anaphylactic reaction. However, anyone who has such symptoms should seek proper medical care to get a diagnosis and counseling in order to determine what dietary and medical measures are needed." |
Surprisingly... you don't need MILK for calcium....
"The critical factor, then, is calcium balance - and on that score, the white stuff falls down badly. Several substances in milk, particularly protein, contribute to calcium losses. Result: a third of the calcium initially absorbed by the body from milk is then wasted, through urine, in losses caused by the milk itself; from cheese, more than two-thirds is wasted. Bad news for those with poor calcium absorption, as among many elderly people, and the genetically prone"......"So which are the best bone foods? Granny was right: eat your greens! They're unbeatable for calcium absorption, while minimizing losses (excluding spinach, which has too-high oxalate levels). The superstar of bone health is vitamin K, staple of green, leafy vegetables - the darker the leaf the better; 100 grams per day of such vegetables provides enough vitamin K to halve the risk of fracture."-from Vegan Society
