[Food] Lactose free diet has transformed my life

[papajaff]

Thanks Harry. A trouble free Donald in the morning is a god given right.

 

[dejavuatbtn]

I am a friend of Arthur Colon, as are others on here, and have a problem if I have too much white bread and wheat based cereals are a no go (or rather a lot of go if I do).
Good post and serves as a reminder for all those offered a bowel screening to take it up, and get to the Quacks if you see any blood in your excrement!

 

[GOM]

How old are you? Lactose intolerance generally seems to kick in the older you get. That was my point - it will creep up on you, as it has me, despite my having poo poohed it (see what I did ther? ). This was a intended as a bit of useful help to the unaware. My advice to you is stay away from green salad. Or you will end up with brown salad, perhaps.

From the New Scientist https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn27938-everything-you-need-to-know-about-lactose-intolerance/

'But among those who are lactose intolerant, most have symptoms before they are 16. That’s not to say that adults can’t develop the condition – people can become temporarily lactose intolerant as a result of gastroenteritis, bowel injury and some other conditions.'

 

[The Clamp]

I’m glad going lactose free has worked for you. You obviously had an intolerance.
I eat dairy and have drunk a pint of milk a day all my adult life.
At 41 years of age I feel in rude health. No gut problems unless I have had a rare night on the booze. I have had one shit a day, every morning within 15 mins of waking for as long as I can recall.

I work night and despite my disrupted eating pattern I still have a robust gut.

Milk is not just “for children”. It is exceptionally nutritional. There are parts of the world where the diet is largely made up of dairy. Milk and cheese from the herd and these groups are remarkably hardy with long life spans.

I’m glad the OP has solved his runny bottom but he’s wrong to suggest milk is bad for you. IBS isn’t even a condition. It’s what a doctor tells you when they cant figure out what’s wrong.

I figured out on my own that too much bread gives me the farts and painful shits so I keep it to a minimum. I also find that eating a spoonful of live yoghurt a day seems to keep my tum tum in fine working order.

 

[GOM]

About 10 years ago i did the same (after giving up many things i guessed might be causing it) never looked back since. I am able to cope with milk in tea but that is all I consume. Cheese and Yoghurt don't seem to have the same effect so my breakfast is very yogurt/soy milk based.

Great post and great advice.

From the New Scientist https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn27938-everything-you-need-to-know-about-lactose-intolerance/

'There are other misconceptions about the condition. For one thing, people who genuinely can’t absorb lactose can drink moderate amounts of milk – up to around 250 millilitres – in a sitting without symptoms, and they may be able to drink twice this amount if it is spread throughout the day . They can also usually consume yoghurt and hard cheese without problems, as most of the lactose is broken down by bacteria during their production. But they should avoid goat’s, buffalo’s, sheep’s or yak’s milk, all of which contain similar levels of lactose to cow’s milk.'

 

[The Clamp]

From the New Scientist https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn27938-everything-you-need-to-know-about-lactose-intolerance/

'There are other misconceptions about the condition. For one thing, people who genuinely can’t absorb lactose can drink moderate amounts of milk – up to around 250 millilitres – in a sitting without symptoms, and they may be able to drink twice this amount if it is spread throughout the day . They can also usually consume yoghurt and hard cheese without problems, as most of the lactose is broken down by bacteria during their production. But they should avoid goat’s, buffalo’s, sheep’s or yak’s milk, all of which contain similar levels of lactose to cow’s milk.'

Excellent.
It really is worth doing one’s research before a significant change in diet or lifestyle. You could be feeling better but not actually addressing a real problem.

 

[happypig]

I'm fine with milk, I too drink about a pint a day.

A few years back I had dodgy guts, and had a load of tests which concluded there was nothing seriously wrong and that I was intolerant to *something*. Thus followed several months of hit and miss cutting out of foods.
Started with dairy (a fortnight without cheese was one of the longest of my life), no difference. Cut out wheat, no difference.
Turned out to be coffee, I had an espresso machine and was walloping down five or six decent coffees a day. Stopped them and two days later my guts had settled right down.

These days I have 2 or 3 instant coffees a week and the occasional proper coffee. Get a bit windy with white bread too but have been off bread altogether since Christmas in a bid to lose weight.

 

[The Clamp]

I'm fine with milk, I too drink about a pint a day.

A few years back I had dodgy guts, and had a load of tests which concluded there was nothing seriously wrong and that I was intolerant to *something*. Thus followed several months of hit and miss cutting out of foods.
Started with dairy (a fortnight without cheese was one of the longest of my life), no difference. Cut out wheat, no difference.
Turned out to be coffee, I had an espresso machine and was walloping down five or six decent coffees a day. Stopped them and two days later my guts had settled right down.

These days I have 2 or 3 instant coffees a week and the occasional proper coffee. Get a bit windy with white bread too but have been off bread altogether since Christmas in a bid to lose weight.

I’m not surprised you had problems! Coffee is a no go for me too. I’m not a big fan of it anyway but I can get away with a decent restaurant coffee after a meal. I think it can become addictive?

 

[Norman Potting]

I have my own names. For example No 1 are Maltesers and 6 is "Treasure at the bottom of the sea".

View attachment 107836

Gratified to learn from this that I am "normal" - at least in the bowel movement department! NSC - not just for the Albion things in life.

 

[Mo Gosfield]

I’m not surprised you had problems! Coffee is a no go for me too. I’m not a big fan of it anyway but I can get away with a decent restaurant coffee after a meal. I think it can become addictive?

A few years back I had stomach issues. Regular discomfort. Went to the doctor. " How much normal tea and coffee do you drink? "..." Quite a lot "....." Switch to de-caffeinated "
Within 2 weeks, no more pain and none since.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

From the New Scientist https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn27938-everything-you-need-to-know-about-lactose-intolerance/

'But among those who are lactose intolerant, most have symptoms before they are 16. That’s not to say that adults can’t develop the condition – people can become temporarily lactose intolerant as a result of gastroenteritis, bowel injury and some other conditions.'

I become lactose intolerant after gut upsets. It's not so much the consistency of my stools, but griping pains. I'm using almond milk at this moment having had pains for three days.

 

[The Clamp]

If you have had a night on the lash , especially if on wine or spirits or if you have had the screamers or been sick , or done a course of antibiotics it’s important to drink a Yakult type drink or eat some live yoghurt. All the above kill the good bacteria in your gut and it needs replacing.

To relieve a hangover:

Live yoghurt or yakult
2 x Rehydration sachets in water , each one half an hour apart.
2 soft boiled eggs, no toast, no tea, no coffee.
Shower
Fresh air

Your guts and head will be right before you know it.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Gratified to learn from this that I am "normal" - at least in the bowel movement department! NSC - not just for the Albion things in life.

Men rarely talk about their health, so this is a good thing.

I recommend the older people use the bowel screening kits that are sent out, as the earlier it is found, the easier it is to cure.

 

[The Clamp]

I become lactose intolerant after gut upsets. It's not so much the consistency of my stools, but griping pains. I'm using almond milk at this moment having had pains for three days.

Sound like you need to replace the good bacteria in your tummy.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Sorry if folk with absolutely no issues feel I am trying to pressure them into dropping dairy. I was directing my post at those who are beginning to develop (or have longstanding) issues. I am also aware that lactose intolerance supposedly manifests in one's teens. But mine appeared when I turned 40. And it clearly and unequivocally is lactose intolerance. So my guess is maybe this late onset condition is not widely known, and is passed off as 'dicky guts' and blamed on other things. Perhaps there are sufferers unaware there may be a solution. If you are all fine and dandy, however, good.

I will give you two others examples of little known (as far as I am aware) health foibles. I bent a finger joint back some years ago and snapped the tendon. The last finger joint flopped, literally like a broken twig hanging together by remnant bark. The hospital told me I would never get it working again and offered to fuse the joint. Luckily I met a friend in the pub that evening who said she had put hers in a support for 6 weeks and it 're-fused'. I did the same - splint, no bending the joint for 7 weeks (one for luck) and gorblimey, when I finally tried a little bend it wasas good as new. I couls actually bend it. Subbuteo ready. So much for the sage advice of the medical profession.

The other example is nitrates in food. For the last 30 years, I sometimes wake up with very stiff and slightly painful throbbing finger joints. The discomfort wears off after a few hours. But it worried me because at the same time I had been developing chronic degenerative finger joint problems (some problems elsewhere - knee and hip). I rarely eat bacon and salami, but it eventually became clear it was always and only after eating such stuff that the next day I'd wake up (etc etc). My suspicion was it was the nitrates used in curing the meat. I have subsequently found that any meat cured in nitrate sets me off. But I loves me bacon. So I take the occasional hit. However I found (for the first time) no problems the day after a bacon binge a year ago. I mentioned it to the butcher from whom I got the stuff. Turns out he sources from a farm that does not use nitrates in the cure. So.....another food related and avoidable health issue.

OK, maybe it's just me

 

[Wardy's twin]

A great couple of posts. Not everyone is lactose intolerant so it does not work for all but for some (many) it does work and at that point its worth it. Allergies are not static ( i always thought they were i.e. you were allergic or not) and many people put up with conditions that they don't need to suffer from. Diet is clearly key to this so even changing things for a week or so to see if there is a benefit surely has to be worth it and just focusing on lactose and gluten is a good way to start.

 

[beorhthelm]

OK, maybe it's just me

probably is, in a positive sense - not everyone has the same issues. hearing individuals being helped by minor changes is helpful and interesting. it also shows different people have different tolerances, whats helps one person is pointless for another. take some advise from people with similar problems, see if it works. what we have to be wary of is saying people must remove something from diet because it helped a few.

 

[The Clamp]

A gene in the human body triggers the production of lactase, an enzyme which digests lactose. At about the age of 5 in most humans the gene disengages and lactase stops being produced.
In the vast majority of Caucasian humans and in some Asian cultures this does not switch off and we continue to produce lactase, allowing us to digest lactose. This is due to a genetic/culture cross evolution from a farming lifestyle.
I am sure a genetic throwback or malfunction could interfere with this process causing lactose intolerance. It’s rare and should not be diagnosed off hand.
We are in the main, perfectly capable of digesting milk and I’d be very wary of evangalists who claim to know different.

 

[Dr Bandler]

There is another twist to this. Pasteurising milk kills off a lot of good bacteria that help to digest the lactose within. I have a degree of lactose intolerance and find that I cannot tolerate more than a little pasteurised milk (most people who are lactose intolerant have a threshold, and it seems Harry's is very low). I can negate this by taking Lactase.

However when I have the pleasure of drinking the raw milk from Plaw Hatch Farm near Forest Row, I have no such problems. It has all of the good bacteria in it and I can drink it (and their cream) with abandon. I believe a lot of modern processes kill the inherent goodness in food; hence so many people have food intolerances these days. I also don't eat gluten, which is an inflammatory, and there are theories that we have bred wheat strains to be to be hardy and productive and that has made the gluten harder to digest.

Raw milk is a wonderful thing that I first discovered in Switzerland. It relies on farms keeping the cattle and environment clean and disease free, hence large commercial farms will never do this and need to pasteurise for public safety. For those who have never been - Plaw Hatch and nearby Tablehurst Farms do wonderful biodynamic food (including their own grass-fed meat), I recommend them if you get a chance to visit.

 

[beorhthelm]

However when I have the pleasure of drinking the raw milk from Plaw Hatch Farm near Forest Row, I have no such problems. It has all of the good bacteria in it and I can drink it (and their cream) with abandon. I believe a lot of modern processes kill the inherent goodness in food; hence so many people have food intolerances these days. I also don't eat gluten, which is an inflammatory, and there are theories that we have bred wheat strains to be to be hardy and productive and that has made the gluten harder to digest.

that seems highly dubious, im sure milk is sterile and gains bacteria from the environment.