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What is Lactose Intolerance?
Lactose intolerance is the medical term that is used to describe a condition in which people are unable to digest milk (lactose) or sugar properly. In fact, this health problem is prevalent and can afflict up to 65% of the world’s population. A recent study has found lactose intolerance is not dangerous but it can cause discomfort to most people, even spoiling their quality of life if there is no immediate and proper treatment being recommended.
What causes Lactose Intolerance?
Lactose intolerance is commonly caused by the insufficient amounts of lactase, known as an enzyme that aids in breaking down lactose. Plus, genetics or digestive issues such as celiac disease, ulcerative colitis and gastroenteritis can partly contribute to lactose intolerance. Additionally, the problem can naturally develop as the small intestine produces less lactase.
Most people, sometimes, get confused between lactose intolerance and a milk allergy [1]. The milk allergy is used to describe an overreaction of the immunity to the proteins present in milk.
What are the symptoms of Lactose Intolerance?
Most individuals can have the condition mildly showing the symptoms if they digest large amounts of dairy foods. Meanwhile, others can get it severely and terribly with stronger symptoms even they only digest a fairly small amount of dairy foods.
The symptoms of lactose intolerance consist of nausea and vomiting , diarrhea, stomach bloating , abdominal cramps that can occur from thirty- minutes to a few hours or even several days after eating foods.
More importantly, the symptoms can become severe, which relies on some of the following factors:
- The levels of lactase enzyme
- The amount of lactose intake
- The control of gastric emptying (For instance, the faster the gut transfers, the worse the symptoms are.)
How to Treat Lactose Intolerance?
Currently, most people prefer to limit the intake of milk, milk products or food having lactose as a way of reducing symptoms of lactose intolerance. However, they also need to be aware of the fact that lactose and milk can be found not only in dairy products that we see daily, but also in many prepared foods including cream soups, cereals, non – dairy creamers and so on.
Apart from that, some home remedies for lactose intolerance are newly introduced and shown to be simple but effective to help you deal with this health issue.
Following are top 14 most effective home remedies for lactose intolerance which you can find it easy to apply at home.
1. Saffron
Saffron is one of the most impressive home remedies for lactose intolerance since it possesses the ability to create a coating on membranes of your small intestine, colon and stomach and subsequently producing a healthy digestive system. In addition, saffron is shown to be beneficial for relieving the symptoms of pain in the stomach and eliminating gas formation in the intestine. Saffron is loaded with some essential oils like pinene [2] , terpinen 4 –oil, cineole and borneol as well as geraniol and widely known as a blood purifier and an anticonvulsant.
In addition, this kind of food contains carotenoids consisting of beta carotenes [3] , lycopene [4] , and zeaxanthin [5] in order to prevent the body from stress, infections and cancers.
To reach for one of the most incredible health benefits of saffron, you should drink one cup of saffron tea daily to help cure lactose intolerance easily.
Note:
– Consuming saffron in a large amount can cause some side-effects such as nosebleeds, numbness, lips, eyelids, vomiting and so on.
– Pregnant women should not digest a large amount of saffron since it can take responsibility for a miscarriage [6] due to the contraction occurring in the uterus.
You can read also: Home Remedies for Nosebleeds
2. Lemon Juice
Lemon juice can work wonder as one of the great home remedies for lactose intolerance. It aids in treating effectively stomach ache caused by lactose intolerance.
How to apply:
- Add lemon juice to warm water
- Mix the solution with a little honey to improve the taste
- Consume the mixture before meals
3. Fennel Seeds
Fennel Seeds is another natural treatment for dealing with lactose intolerance pain.
How to apply:
- Chew one teaspoon of fennel seeds after each meal
Alternatively,
- Add one teaspoon of fennel seeds to a glass of hot water to make fennel tea
- Wait for about 10 minutes and strain the seeds
- Consume the tea thrice a day
Fennel seeds are also a good treatment for those who are having burping symptoms.
4. Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar helps reducing lactose intolerance since it is potential for digestions, particularly in the beginning stages. Apple cider vinegar can act as an effective home remedies for neutralizing digestive-related problems and stomach acid resulted from lactose intolerance.
How to apply:
- Add one tablespoon of fresh apple cider vinegar in a cup of water
- Consume it regularly for a few week
Read also: How Appe Cider Vinegar Can Treat Indigestion
5. Ginger
A research has revealed that ginger is among excellent home remedies for lactose intolerance to help your body relieve from gastrointestinal issues originated from lactose intolerance or indigestion because this kind of food can reduce abdominal gas as well as nausea.
How to apply:
- Pour one teaspoon of grated ginger to a glass of boiled water for a few minutes
- Add a few drops of lemon juice and honey to this mixture
- Consume three cups of ginger tea per day to get relief from the symptoms
You can read also: Ginger benefits your health in various ways
6. Lactase Supplement
In fact, lactase supplement aids in altering the lactase enzyme that your body do not produce. In addition, this helps digest lactose and thereby weakening the risk of gastrointestinal issues . You can take the supplements as digesting foods filled with lactose.
How to apply:
- Grab three tablets of lactose before consuming foods having lactose
- Add a lactase supplement to milk before drinking
7. Yogurt and Cheese
People who are experiencing lactose intolerance can eat products such as yogurt or cheese in a moderate amount as they help bring down the levels of lactose. High – fat foods often contain lower levels of lactose as compared to low – fat products. Fat can slow down the stage of lactose happening in your digestive system.
How to apply:
- Consume yogurt with live cultures (those live cultures aids in breaking down the lactose and curing gastrointestinal problems.)
Note: You can choose Greek yogurt that has less lactose than the normal ones. Frozen yogurt is, actually, not useful at all.
Alternatively,
- Eat high- fat cottage cheese or hard cheese like Swiss and cheddar cheese
You might want to know top superfoods for a healthy digestion.
8. Milk Substitutes
You can easily find some healthy milk substitutes that are good for lactose intolerance treatment, including coconut milk, almond milk, rice milk, oat milk, soy milk and so on. You can begin with small amounts and D vitamins – plant – based milks [7] and optionally add calcium [8] . Also, butter can be replaced by coconut oil and such several fruit purees as prune, banana, or applesauce.
9. Rice Tea
Rice tea becomes another great home remedy for lacrosse intolerance. You can follow these steps below to reap one of the most surprising health benefits of rice tea.
How to apply:
- Add a half cup of rice to the boiled water for around 10 minutes
- Wait until the rice become render and then stir it
- Strain as well as take the rice and remove strained water
- Wait until the drained water gets cool
- Add a little amount of honey to this mixture
- Consume the mixture twice per day to get better outcomes
10. Get Product Labels Checked
In addition to lactose intolerance test [9] , for a smart consumer, you can probably know that processed or packaged foods can become hidden sources of lactose. Therefore, for each turn of purchase, you should have the nutrition labels checked by yourself to notice whether they pack with milk, dry – milk solids or free-fat dry milk powder or not. Foods containing milk and lactose include: breakfast cereals, non-dairy creamers, candies, salad dressings, breads, processed meats and so on.
11. Cocoa Powder
If you have the habit of baking cakes, you must be very familiar with cocoa powder. Nevertheless, few people are aware that cocoa powder is more than a simple ingredient to make cakes. For example, in the treatment for lactose intolerance, cocoa powder is a great support to help you overcome its symptoms. The consumption of this powder is believed to have positive effects on the stomach’s digestion of lactose. Thus, you had better consume cocoa powder mixed with sugar before every meal.
12. Chamomile Tea
Another tea in the list of top natural home remedies for lactose intolerance is chamomile. It is well-known to deal with digestive problems, such as bloating. Chamomile also has great impacts on the neutralization of stomach acid. Tannins in its content are effective to cope with pain or spasms. In chamomile’s nutrition, scientists also paid great attention to bisabolol, which can ease muscles and promote digestive health. The recommendation is to drink warm chamomile tea several times per day. It is really a good and immediate treatment for lactose intolerance.
13. Peppermint
The symptoms of lactose intolerance can be dealt with easily if you use peppermint. Without the intervention, pain caused by lactose intolerance may result in some serious problems, including diarrhea. Thus, it is better to start the treatment for lactose intolerance as soon as possible. Peppermint has calming qualities which are good for treating pain. Furthermore, peppermint provides menthol which has good influence on gallbladder or gastrointestinal tracts.
Peppermint tea is suggested to be consumed 2-3 times per day. Honey is a great addition to make the tea taste better.
Reading on How To Prevent Gallbladder Problems might be helpful for you.
14. Cumin Seeds
One of many lactose intolerant symptoms is food ingestion. This might cause many problems in your daily life. If possible, you had better cope with it immediately with the help of cumins seeds. These tiny seeds have an excellent amount of iron that plays an essential part in hemoglobin. Iron is important because it works to bring more oxygen from the lungs to other parts of our body. Moreover, aldehyde from cumin seeds is beneficial for digestion as it makes the salivary glands work better. Scientifically speaking, cumin seeds also have wonderful numbers of other nutrients, namely, thymol or magnesium. They all contribute to a better digestion. Undeniably, it is one of the best natural home remedies for lactose intolerance.
However, for those who experience blood clotting problems, cumin seeds seem not be a wise choice. The same is applied for diabetic patients.
Read also: Top Superfoods for Diabetics
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