Up to 90% of all people are lactose intolerant. The prevalence of Lactose intolerance is increasing due to highly effective marketing of dairy products - and mass production using cheap and abundant milk derivatives.

Lactose Intolerance: The US National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) publishes that 75% of the world’s population has Lactose Intolerance. That is, three quarters (3 in 4) of all people have difficulty digesting lactose. In certain ethnic groups it is even higher:

• Lactose intolerance affects more than 90% of African Americans
• Lactose intolerance affects ~ 80 - 90% of people of Chinese descent

This second statistic is something our Chinese citizens do not generally appreciate. . . and so they carry on eating icecream and milk drinks without realising it could be causing their weight gain and skin problems - amongst other things.

Common symptoms like bloating, flatulence, diarrhea and Irritable Bowel Syndrome are caused by lactose intolerance. Therefore milk and milk products are not suitable foods for a great many people.

In amny western countries dairy farming is heavily subsidised by governments - so millions of tons of milk, milk powder and other derivatives are produced - delivering cheap ingredients for manufacturers. This makes lactose cheaper than cane sugar for sweetening thousands of processed foods - like cookies, sauces and confectionery.

Could you have lactose intolerance? Look in the Symptoms Matrix  to compare your symptoms.

There can be many symptoms of Lactose Intolerance. They include:

• Gastrointestinal symptoms:
  
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Bloated stomach
  • Diarrhea
  • Gurgling stomach, flatulence
  • Irritable Bowel Syndrome - regular bouts of diarrhea then constipation

• Malabsorption symptoms - lack of nutrients:
  • Low iron levels
  • Anaemia
  • Low calcium and other mineral levels
  • Loss of bone density - brittle bones
  • Osteoporosis
• Mood swings, the 'blues' and depression

For a more comprehensive list see the Symptoms Matrix

Please note: The symptoms of Lactose intolerance are just like those of Fructose intolerance and Gluten intolerance. So if you do have some of these symptoms - it doesn't necessarily mean you have Lactose Intolerance.

Also - all food intolerance symptoms - if ignored - become worse with age. If you think you might have Lactose intolerance - use our Free Journal to find out your Problem foods - and be free of symptoms permanently.

Lactose Intolerance: At your doctor you can get clinical tests like the Hydrogen breath test - or stool acidity tests. However most clinical tests for food intolerance are not always easy to interpret. And the hydrogen breath test is amongst the least reliable.

However when you use the Journal Method it's easy to pinpoint Lactose Intolerance. Just take out lactose from your diet for two weeks and watch for any changes to your symptoms. Then aftyer that eat one meal containing lactose - and note any new symptoms. The Journal Method is the most accurate way to find any food intolerance.

Because milk products are now contained used in thousands of processed foods - it can be tricky to avoid. A Dairy-Free Guide is handy.

Comments For Lactose Intolerance: Generally if you have chronic (long term) symptoms - say like diarrhea every day - then Lactose is a suspect, along with Fructose and Gluten. Which one do you have - and how do you tell them apart? The Healing Program sorts it out for you.

Lactose Intolerance is genetic.  Basically you got it from your parents, grandparents and other ancestors - it’s in your genes!

If your cultural heritage is Northern European (eg. Scandinavian or Netherlands) your chance of being Lactose Intolerant is only 25%. If not - then generally you have a 75% chance of having Lactose Intolerance*.

Note: Because Lactose Intolerance is genetic - if you have children - then you have already passed on those genes to your sons and daughters. So make sure you alert your children possibility. Being well informed allows them to make good choices for their health.

If you ignore your symptoms - Lactose Intolerance can lead to chronic disease: anaemia, osteoporosis and others. But when you observe your intolerance with the right diet you prevent those diseases.

Comments: If you have Lactose intolerance - you will improve dramatically on a Dairy-free diet. To find out if you are lactose intolerant - why not try a Dairy-Free diet and see if you get better? Dairy-free guides available in the Shop

How to treat Lactose Intolerance: The simple strategy for Lactose Intolerance is to remove Lactose from your diet. The simplest solution is to switch to a Dairy-free diet (which is also Lactose-Free).

However the symptoms for Lactose intolerance are the same as those for Fructose intolerance - so the two often get mixed up. Make sure you know which one you have - by using the Journal Method. Use the do-it-yourself free Journal - or choose the guaranteed Healing Program.

Comments: These days the Lactose Intolerance solution is easy - a Dairy-free diet. Twenty years ago there were not many options. Now there are thousands of safe alternative food choices - and new ones appear on supermarket shelves every month.

Despite this, and because there are thousands of processed and prepared foods made using milk products – shopping for Lactose-free can be tricky. We have created handy and affordable Dairy-Free guidebooks in the Shop.

Here at foodintol^® we don't think about Lactose Intolerance as a 'disease' - so it does not need to be 'cured'. It's genetic- like having curly hair, blue eyes or freckles. It can't be cured because we cannot change our genes.

Other mammalian milk: Lactose intolerance is the inability to digest the sugar in cow's milk. But it also applies to other mammalian milks like goat milk, sheep's milk, buffalo milk etc.

Our brilliant human bodies are not equipped to process milk after weaning. Even the cow's calf - which does have the right biological gear to process lactose loses the ability to do so after weaning.

Solution: The symptoms and illnesses caused by Lactose intolerance disappear on a Dairy-free diet. You could try a dairy-free diet and see if you get better. Monitor your symptoms with the Detection Diet Journal (free to subscribers). . . . and find Dairy-free guides in the shop