Lactose Intolerance – Everything You Need to Know

"I'm lactose intolerant" – almost everyone has heard this phrase before. This is no surprise either. The number of people with a milk sugar intolerance is steadily increasing. In German-speaking countries, about 15 percent of the population does not tolerate milk sugar or only tolerates it in small amounts. Worldwide, it is an unbelievable 75 percent. For comparison: Celiac disease, i.e. gluten intolerance , affects only about one percent of the population worldwide.

You can find out why so many people do not tolerate milk sugar, what causes lactose intolerance, and what to look out for if you are affected in this blog post.

What is lactose intolerance anyway?

Milk sugar, also called lactose, is the type of carbohydrate found in milk. Whether from humans in the form of breast milk or from animals like classic cow's milk, lactose is part of it.

Normally, lactose is broken down in the small intestine by the enzyme lactase and then recycled. However, if this process does not work properly, complaints such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, or nausea can occur – this is called lactose intolerance.

What are the causes of lactose intolerance?

Intolerance can have different causes. However, the cause of the complaints is the same. As we have heard, lactose is broken down in the small intestine – but if this does not happen or only happens inadequately, the lactose passes undigested into the large intestine and is only broken down there. This produces so-called intestinal gases, which subsequently lead to discomfort.

The reason for the complaints is therefore due to faulty digestion – more precisely, the body of the person concerned lacks the enzyme lactase.

What types of lactose intolerance are there?

Depending on the cause of the intolerance, one speaks of a primary or a secondary lactose intolerance.

Primary lactose intolerance

The reason why the body has only a small amount of lactase can be manifold. Some people have a hereditary condition called primary lactose intolerance , which exists from birth or develops over the years.

Secondary lactose intolerance

Furthermore, other diseases can cause intolerance – this is called secondary lactose intolerance. In most cases, this is due to damage to the mucous membrane of the small intestine , which can occur, for example, as a result of inflammatory bowel diseases or other food allergies . However, these damages are reversible – so the intolerance can subside with increasing regeneration of the mucous membrane and even disappear completely.

What are the symptoms of lactose intolerance?

The intestinal gases produced during the breakdown of lactose can trigger a variety of symptoms that can occur in about one to two hours after a meal. Bloating, abdominal pain or general discomfort can often be observed. But nausea and vomiting can also occur in particularly sensitive people – but this is rarely the case.

Am I lactose intolerant now?

If you can observe some of these symptoms, it's best to start logging your meals as well as discomfort . While this sounds like a lot of work, it does help make a diagnosis.

What to do in case of weak symptoms

If the symptoms are only mild , you can try to reduce or, at best, completely eliminate the dairy products for a period of at least two weeks. If the symptoms disappear as a result, you can assume that you are lactose intolerant. To find out how severe your intolerance is , you can now start gradually increasing your lactose consumption again. If the symptoms occur again, you know that it was too much and can orient yourself to it from now on.

What to do if you have severe symptoms

If symptoms persist or are very intense, it is best to see a doctor and then have a professional test. The use of nutritional advice can also be helpful in certain cases.

I can't tolerate milk sugar – now what?

You can't tolerate milk sugar and are now wondering how to deal with it? The first step is to clarify how strong your intolerance is. For this, you can either get tested professionally or check it yourself. Once you find out how severe your intolerance is, you can start changing your diet.

Lactose-containing foods at a glance

Depending on the severity, you should try to eat a lactose-free or low-lactose diet. You can see which products you should avoid and which have only a low lactose content from the following table:

Where else lactose hides

Especially with finished products or highly processed foods, you should take a look at the ingredients. Because often these products are enriched with lactose to improve the consistency or taste, as lactose is an excellent binder and flavor carrier.

Foods that often contain lactose , although one would not suspect it, are grilled and salad dressings, pastries, sweets, or frozen dishes such as cream spinach. Therefore, you should take a close look at the ingredients and make sure that neither the term "milk sugar" nor "lactose" is included.

What are the alternatives to classic dairy products?

It is quite normal that the table above takes you by surprise at first glance. It seems like you can't eat anything without concern. However, this is not the case – because there are already low-lactose or even lactose-free alternatives for many products.

Replacement products for a lactose-free diet

For example, yogurt can be replaced by plant-based alternatives based on soy or coconut . Sour cream, whipped cream, etc. can also be substituted by lactose-free or even vegan products. Products based on oats or rice are particularly suitable for this purpose.

No one has to do without the milk for their cornflakes – because you can easily make a plant-based drink yourself or buy it in any supermarket.

How do I recognize lactose-free products?

Products with a lactose content of less than one gram per 100 grams are usually referred to as "lactose-free" – there are no clear legal regulations, but in most cases this definition applies, as misleading the customer would be a criminal offence.

For these products, the inscription "lactose-free" usually also indicates a low lactose content. Clearly recognizable symbols are also often used.

However, those who do not want to rely on it or generally avoid dairy products as much as possible can rely on vegan products . Vegan products are usually clearly declared and do not contain any animal ingredients. Thus, they are free of milk or dairy products and are therefore safe to eat . At the same time, plant-based products are better for the environment, as the life cycle assessment of plant-based drinks compared to cow's milk shows.

What should I look for in a low-lactose diet?

If you avoid dairy products for the most part or even completely due to your lactose intolerance, there are a few things to keep in mind.

For example, dairy products are excellent calcium suppliers and are therefore responsible for healthy bones and teeth, among other things. Therefore, you should try to incorporate calcium-rich foods into your diet. Vegetables such as broccoli, celery, and leeks are particularly rich in this important mineral. But also in some fruits such as kiwis, raspberries or blackberries , the calcium content is very high.

The protein content of dairy products is also extremely high – but in plant-based milk alternatives, the protein content is often very low, as they usually consist largely of water. Therefore, you should take special care to consume enough protein. You can easily achieve this through vegan protein sources such as nuts or a variety of seeds. You can easily eat these foods by using them as a topping for a smoothie bowl or your hot breakfast porridge , for example .

Or you can conjure up a homemade nutmeg that you can use either as a spread or as a topping for your porridge – here is our recipe for the particularly protein-rich peanut butter:

Homemade peanut butter

Preparation time 15 min.

Total time 15 min.

Servings: 15

Ingredients

• 500 g peanuts roasted and unsalted
• 5 tbsp peanut oil according to desired consistency
• 1 pinch of salt
• 3-4 tbsp agave syrup

Preparation

• First, place the peanuts in a blender and chop.
• Next, add the peanut oil and salt and mix until creamy peanut butter is formed. If the peanut butter is not yet creamy enough, you can add some peanut oil or very little water.
• If you prefer your peanut butter a little sweet, you can add some agave syrup.
• Finally, fill the peanut butter into a preserving jar.