By Sharon Natoli, Accredited Practising Dietitian and Director of Food & Nutrition Australia.
From the time we are born, milk sustains us, providing us with the nutrients we need to grow and develop. However the source, type and amount of milk will vary during our lifetime. This blog explores the role of milk in the diet of babies and toddlers.
By Sharon Natoli, Accredited Practising Dietitian and Director of Food & Nutrition Australia.
If you or your health professional suspects you have a food intolerance, an elimination diet may be recommended. There are different types of elimination diets and the most appropriate one for you will depend upon your symptoms and particular experiences with various foods.
An elimination diet involves avoiding foods and drinks suspected of causing your symptoms, generally for a period of 3-6 weeks, and seeing if your symptoms improve. For example, if it is suspected you may have lactose intolerance, a simple elimination of lactose may be recommended. In this case, your health professional may suggest substituting your usual milk and yoghurt with a lactose free alternative such as Pauls Zymil milk, and assessing any change in your digestive symptoms.
If your symptoms do improve, the next step is to reintroduce the suspect foods, or components of foods, to test if your symptoms return. If they do, this helps confirm the foods to which you have an intolerance. The final step in the process is to work out your tolerance level by experimenting with different amounts of the problem foods or substances[1-3]. It could be that while you may not tolerate a particular food, or component of foods, you may be able to tolerate it in small amounts. Alternatively, if you have an intolerance to a component of food such as lactose, and there is a nutritious alternative such as Pauls Zymil that is readily available it may be a simple matter of swapping one food for another in order to effectively manage your symptoms.
While your health professional will guide and support you when undertaking an elimination diet, here are 3 practical tips that will help[3]:
1. Ensure ‘allowed’ foods are easily accessible
When starting an elimination diet, check the foods you are allowed to eat and make sure your pantry and fridge are filled with them. Gather recipe and meal ideas so you are well prepared.
2. Planning ahead of time is key when eating out
When eating out while on an elimination diet, call the restaurant or café ahead of time to explain your needs and pre-order your meal.
3. Keep a food and symptom diary
Keep a diary to record what you eat and any symptoms you experience. This will be particularly useful in identifying problem foods during the challenge testing stage.
Suspect you have a food intolerance – what should you do?
Before you remove any foods from your diet, visit your health professional, to ensure you’re not removing foods unnecessarily from your diet and to rule out any other medical issues that could be causing your symptoms.
An Accredited Practising Dietitian will be able to assess your symptoms, their regularity, determine the best approach to identifying your problem foods and provide you with suitable alternatives to ensure your nutritional needs are met.
To find an Accredited Practising Dietitian visit: www.daa.asn.au
References:
1. Hark, L. and D. Deen, Nutrition: the definitive australian guide to eating for good health. 2005, Camberwell: Dorling Kindersley.
2. Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology Allergy. Food Intolerance. Information Bulletins 2010; Available from: http://www.allergy.org.au/aer/infobulletins/food_intolerence.htm.
3. Swain A, Soutter V, and Loblay R, RPAH Elimination Diet Handbook with food & shopping guide, Allergy Unit, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. 2009.
By Sharon Natoli, Accredited Practising Dietitian and Director of Food & Nutrition Australia.
It can sometimes be easy for people to mistake a sensitivity to lactose for an allergy to cow’s milk. Although these terms are both related to certain reactions arising from drinking milk, they are actually medically quite different. As cow’s milk allergy and lactose sensitivity can often be confused, this blog helps to highlight the main differences between the two.
1. Occurrence
Cow’s milk allergy tends to occur mainly in infants with 1 in 50 infants in Australia and New Zealand affected1. Most children outgrow cow’s milk allergy by the age of four years so it is quite rare in adults1. In contrast, it is rare for babies to be born with a lactose sensitivity as breast milk contains around 7 per cent lactose2. Levels of the enzyme lactase, responsible for digesting lactose, can decrease with age meaning lactose sensitivity can develop as a person gets older2.
2. Causes
Cow’s milk allergy occurs when there is an overreaction by the body’s immune system to a specific protein found in cow’s milk3. The body reacts as if the protein is a foreign substance. In contrast, if you have a sensitivity to lactose, it’s generally due to not having enough of the enzyme lactase available to digest lactose or ‘milk sugar’4.
3. Management
To manage cow’s milk allergy all products made with cow’s milk must be avoided1. However people with a sensitivity to lactose don’t need to avoid milk completely. They can often tolerate small amounts of lactose in their diet, however need to avoid larger intakes5. For example a person with a lactose sensitivity may be able to include a small tub of yoghurt daily, as well as benefiting from the inclusion of lactose free foods, such as Pauls Zymil.
Note: if you suspect you may be allergic or intolerant to certain foods, it is important to confirm this with a health professional to ensure you’re not removing foods unnecessarily from your diet and to rule out any other medical issues that could be causing your symptoms.
For more information visit:
References:
1. ASCIA. Cow’s milk (dairy) allergy. 2010; Available from: http://www.allergy.org.au/content/view/143/138/.
2. Duggan, C., J.B. Watkins, and A.W. Walker, Nutrition in pediatrics: basic science, clinical applications – 4th ed. 2008, Hamilton, Ontario: BC Decker.
3. Hodge, L., A. Swain, and K. Faulkner-Hogg, Food allergy and intolerance. Australian Family Physician, 2009. 38(9): p. 705-707.
4. Hark, L. and D. Deen, Nutrition: the definitive australian guide to eating for good health. 2005, Camberwell: Dorling Kindersley.
5. Suarez, F.L., et al., Lactose maldigestion is not an impediment to the intake of 1500 mg calcium daily as dairy products. Am J Clin Nutr, 1998. 68(5): p. 1118-22.
By Sharon Natoli, Accredited Practising Dietitian and Director of Food & Nutrition Australia
Having problems digesting cow’s milk? If you answered yes, it can be reassuring to know that you don’t need to eliminate milk from your diet completely. You may just need to change the type of milk you use. Common alternatives to regular cow’s milk include lactose-free milk and soy milk. This blog provides you with information on lactose-free milk and soy milk to help you make the right choice depending upon your needs and preferences.
Lactose Free Milk
Lactose free milks such as Pauls Zymil are regular milks to which the natural enzyme lactase has been added to breakdown the lactose. This process does not affect the natural vitamin and mineral content of milk meaning a product such as Paul’s Zymil, still provides a broad range of essential nutrients.
If you have trouble digesting regular cow’s milk and have confirmed that it is due to lactose, lactose free milks are an appropriate alternative providing you with all the nutritional benefits of regular cow’s milk – just without the lactose.
Soy Milk
Soy milk is produced either through extraction of the ‘milk’ from the soybean, or from soy protein isolate. Soy milk is lactose free and also doesn’t contain any cow’s milk proteins. However, natural soy milk is not as high in calcium as cow’s milk so it’s important to choose one with added calcium1.
If you cannot digest lactose, then choosing Pauls Zymil lactose free milk is a great way to manage your health and help meet your daily calcium intake. Pauls Zymil has a pleasant milky taste with a slight sweet note that makes it appealing to the whole family.
No matter what your choice, following the Australian dietary guidelines2 and including 2-3 serves of dairy foods (or alternatives) daily will help you meet your nutritional requirements particularly calcium which is vital for strong bones.
1. Hark, L. and D. Deen, Nutrition: the definitive australian guide to eating for good health. 2005, Camberwell: Dorling Kindersley.
2. National Health and Medical Research Council, Food for Health – Dietary Guidelines for Australian Adults. 2003, Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing: Canberra.
By Sharon Natoli, Accredited Practising Dietitian and Director of Food & Nutrition Australia
If you have trouble digesting milk and have confirmed that lactose is the culprit, it can be tempting to eliminate milk and other dairy foods altogether. As dairy foods are a natural source of protein and provide a broad range of vitamins and minerals essential for good health, the Australian dietary guidelines1 recommend 2-3 serves of dairy foods daily, where a serve is equal to:
Here are a couple of tips to help you meet the recommended 2-3 serves of dairy foods everyday while keeping your intake of lactose down:
People who have trouble digesting lactose can often tolerate small amounts of lactose in their diet such as a small glass of milk, however need to avoid larger intakes2. Test your tolerance level by consuming small amounts of regular milk with meals and monitoring how you feel.
Lactose free milks and yoghurts are widely available for example, Pauls Zymil or Vaalia Lactose Free Yoghurt. These are simply milks and yoghurts to which the natural enzyme lactase has been added, so it becomes lactose-free. Try lactose-free milk:
For more information on lactose intolerance visit:
1. National Health and Medical Research Council, Food for Health – Dietary Guidelines for Australian Adults. 2003, Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing: Canberra.
2. Suarez, F.L., et al., Lactose maldigestion is not an impediment to the intake of 1500 mg calcium daily as dairy products. Am J Clin Nutr, 1998. 68(5): p. 1118-22.
Eating out at restaurants should be something you enjoy rather than an ordeal, but as those of us with food sensitivities are all too aware, it can sometimes be more hassle than it’s worth.
Being well informed is the best way to avoid disappointment, so here’s some links to gluten-free restaurants in major metropolitan areas to help make it simpler:
We’ve found that gluten-free restaurants tend to be more informed and accommodating for lactose intolerance too, but it always pays to ring and speak to someone in charge – either the owner or the maître d.
Feel free to share your favourite restaurant in the comments – do you know of any restaurants that use Pauls Zymil so that other readers will have more options for eating out?
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