EQ of The Week

I'm back from my paternity leave and we will resume our weekly EQ's.  Can't wait to see some of the creative work and connections that scholars make between weekly talks about nutrition and their personal lives.


Essential Questions of the week March, 10 2014

1. What does it mean to be lactose intolerant? 

Simple answer is that it's someone whose body has a difficult digesting dairy products.

Lactose is the naturally-occurring sugar found in milk and most dairy products.  Someone who is lactose intolerant has a difficult time digesting the lactose found in dairy products. Most of us have an enzyme in in our bellies called lactase, which helps to break down lactose during digestion. People with lactose intolerance don't have enough lactase to fully digest lactose, so eating dairy products can cause digestive distress like stomach aches, bloating, gas and diarrhea. 

2. Do you have to avoid all dairy products if you're lactose intolerant?

Not necessarily. Different people have different levels of sensitivity, so if you’re lactose intolerant you may need to do some experimenting to see which foods you can best tolerate. Some people choose to give up dairy products altogether, but since dairy is a great source of naturally-occurring calcium and protein, it can be healthy to keep some dairy in your diet.

Most people who are lactose intolerant can still eat yogurt,  some aged cheeses, low fat dairy products in small amount.  Also some people chose to take lactase pills, which allows them to eat dairy products more regularly.

Source: http://eating-made-easy.com/2011/03/26/lactose-intolerant-what-can-you-eat/