CNN.com – How can I get my toddler to drink milk?

Milk can be a great part of a child’s diet because it is rich in calcium, vitamin D, protein and other nutrients. The Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences recommends that children ages 1 to 3 years consume 500 mg of calcium daily (the equivalent of about 16 ounces of milk).

Some children stop drinking milk when they make the transition from breast milk or formula to regular milk, or from bottles to sippy cups. Others prefer the taste of water, juice or other beverages that have come to take the place of milk in the diet. Finally, some toddlers have trouble digesting the lactose carbohydrate in milk (called lactose intolerance) and shy away from milk because they associate it with feelings of discomfort such as bloating, cramps and diarrhea.

If your child seems to tolerate milk but still doesn’t want it, here are some strategies to try:

• Start small. A serving size of milk for children ages 1 to 3 years is 6 ounces, compared with 8 ounces of milk for older children and adults. Settle for 1 or 2 ounces (or even a sip) at a time at first if that’s all your child will take. Continue offering small amounts of milk to your child in hopes that she will eventually learn to accept and enjoy it.

• Offer choices. At mealtimes and snacks, make milk the beverage of choice by asking if she’d rather have white milk or chocolate (or strawberry) milk. Toddlers like to have some independence, but you can control the choices. You can also control the amount of flavoring that goes into the milk and gradually decrease it to limit the added sugar.

• Make the delivery appealing. Serve milk in a favorite cup, use a fun straw, or try a sports bottle with a pull-up spout. Your child may wish to have a special container for use only with milk.

• Opt for other dairy products. Dairy products are rich in calcium and include yogurt, cheese and ice cream. You can also make milkshakes or fruit smoothies with milk, low-fat ice cream or frozen yogurt.

• Count the calcium from all foods. Although dairy products are well known for their calcium content, tofu, sardines, some leafy green vegetables and calcium-fortified foods such as fortified orange juice, cereals and other breakfast foods contain this valuable nutrient also. Check food labels or sources such as Health.gov’s page on nutrients for the amount of calcium in each serving.

• Add milk to foods. The classic example is pouring milk over cereal, but your child may enjoy dunking food in milk or having milk in dishes such as macaroni and cheese, casseroles or soups.

• Stay positive about milk and be a role model by drinking milk on a regular basis (or at least by keeping any negative comments to yourself).

If your child has nausea, gas, cramps, bloating or diarrhea after drinking milk or consuming other dairy products, consider lactose intolerance:

Lactose intolerance occurs when the body does not produce enough lactase enzyme to digest the carbohydrate. In the United States, lactose intolerance affects about 25 percent of the population, usually after the age of 5 years, and is more common in children of Asian, African, Hispanic or Native American descent.

Some people with lactose intolerance are able to eat yogurt, cheese or ice cream without problems but have difficulty digesting the larger amounts of lactose in milk. If your child has lactose intolerance, you may wish to try lactose-free dairy products (which include lactase enzyme) or use lactase enzyme digestive supplements. For more advice, be sure to talk with your pediatrician if you suspect your child may have this condition.

Living Well Expert Dr. Jennifer Shu

Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook for Milk Allergies, Lactose Intolerance, and Casein-Free Living

It has been estimated that over 7.5% of the U.S. population lives dairy-free, yet so few resources cater to this expansive and diverse group. To aid this niche, Alisa Fleming founded the informational website GoDairyFree.org in 2004, and produced the limited edition guidebook Dairy Free Made Easy in 2006, which quickly sold out.
Alisa has updated and expanded her guide to address additional FAQs and to include an expansive cookbook section.

Inside you will discover:

Over 225 Delicious Dairy-Free Recipes with numerous options to satisfy dairy cravings, while focusing on naturally rich and delicious whole foods.

A Comprehensive Guide to Dairy Substitutes which explains how to purchase, use, and prepare alternatives for butter, cheese, cream, milk, and much more, from scratch.

Grocery Shopping Information from suspect ingredients lists and label-reading assistance to food suggestions and money-saving tips.

A Detailed Calcium Chapter to identify calcium-rich foods and supplements and understand other factors involved in building and maintaining strong bones.

An In-Depth Health Section that explains dairy, details the signs and symptoms of various dairy-related illnesses, and thoroughly addresses protein, fat, and nutrient issues in the dairy-free transition.

Everyday Living Tips with suggestions for skincare, supplements, store-bought foods, restaurant dining, travel, celebrations, and other social situations.

Infant Milk Allergy Checklists that go into detail on signs, symptoms, and solutions for babies with milk allergies or intolerances.

Multiple Food Allergy and Vegan-Friendly Resources including a recipe index to quickly reference.

I wish I had this book when I just discovered I was Lactose Intolerant.

I hope it will help you too, in learning to live with Lactose Intolerance.

Does dairy bloat?

I found this among other 5 diet myths debunked over at MSNBC.COM.

Dairy is only bloating for people with lactose intolerance… and in some instances, for people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). If you don’t fall into either of these groups, low-fat milk, yogurt and cheese should not cause bloating or discomfort. Even among individuals with lactose intolerance, some dairy products may be tolerated without symptoms. For example, hard cheeses (such as cheddar and Swiss) and yogurts that contain live active cultures are usually easier to digest than straight milk or ice cream. Experiment with your diet before you give up on dairy altogether.

I can tell you that this is true for me – I can eat many low-fat, yogurts and cheese wihtout feeling bloated. I also discovered lately that if I eat the dairy products with vegetable and no additional carbohydrates, then that also prevents bloating. It seems to be the combination of Carbohydrates and dairy that gets my belly growing.
Please write a comment and let me know if this is the same for you too.

New Lactose Free Milk

Have you forgotten the great taste of fresh-from-the dairy milk or seeking a healthier alternative? For millions, the delicious taste of milk has been muted by substitutes that taste too sweet, replaced with ‘grainy’ soy products or just completely eliminated from their diets.

If you had the opportunity to enjoy the real taste of milk without the unwanted side effects, wouldn’t you want to give it a try?

MomSelect is recruiting male and female participants ranging between 25-54 years who are interested in experiencing the fresh taste of milk or seeking a healthier alternative. You must also reside in one of the following cities: Boston MA, New York City, Syracuse NY, Albany NY, Hartford CT or Philadelphia PA.

This healthier lactose free milk has:
· 38 percent more protein and 42 percent less sugar than the leading lactose free brand.
· 42 percent less sugar than regular milk
· 38 percent less fat than regular milk (2%)
· Calcium for strong bones and teeth
· Vitamin D to help the absorption of calcium
· Made in upstate New York from USA Grade A milk, ultra-pasteurized, homogenized and are rBST free

Please complete a short evaluation form by clicking on this link http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=LDEwyvXjAQaX0wR_2fto3kMQ_3d_3d (or cutting/pasting into your browser) After completion and review, we will be in contact with you via email within 3-4 weeks to confirm your participation. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Valika@bsmmedia.com.

Warm regards,
BSM Media

Lactose-free dairy products need more work, says study

Manufacturers should make more effort to produce good-tasting lactose-free dairy products and to educate the public about their benefits, according to a Kansas State University study.

Lactose intolerance is the inability to digest lactose, the sugar found in milk and dairy products, and affects approximately 25 percent of American adults, although the rate varies according to race and age. The intolerance, which can cause gas or diarrhea, varies in severity, so most people are still able to consume at least some dairy. However, US demand for lactose-free milk has increased by 20 percent per year since 1997, the researchers claim.

They examined differences in flavor and overall sensory perception of various lactose-free milks available commercially in the US and compared them to perception of regular milks. The tasting – which was carried out by a trained panel of nine sensory analysts in blind tastings – found that there were “significant differences” between the lactose-free and regular milks. A parallel survey involving consumers was carried out, with similar results.

“While lactose-free milks have addressed the needs of lactose intolerant consumers, there still needs to be a strong similarity to regular milk for the consumer to purchase the product and be satisfied,” the researchers wrote.

Differences

Commercially-produced lactose-free milk is made by breaking down lactose into glucose and galactose by a process called enzymatic hydrolysis. The resulting milk contains about 0.25g of lactose per 100ml, compared to 4-6g of lactose in regular milk, and tastes much sweeter. The lactose-free varieties were also described as having more chalkiness, less freshness, more cooked flavors and higher viscosity.

“These results can be very useful to the dairy industry to get a better understanding of the differences between regular milks and lactose-free milks in order to produce better tasting lactose-free products, and to educate the lactose-intolerant consumers about the benefits of UP [ultrapasteurized] lactose-free milks,” wrote the researchers.

More than 90 percent of Asians and Native Americans are lactose intolerant, compared to around 75 percent of African Americans, 50 percent of North American Hispanics and about ten percent of European Americans.

Source: LWT – Food Science and Technology (2009)

YouTube – Lactose in Pills

Dr. Isadore Rosenfeld answers a question about lactose in pills. Unfortunately he ends up talking about Lactagen and not about the reason why Pharmaceutical companies add lactose to their pills.

This is a bone I would love to pick with the Pharmaceutical companies. Statistics say that lactose is added, all be it as inactive ingredient, to almost 20% of pills. This is usually done to sweeten the pill and maintain the capsules structure. If the pill you are taking is white, it most probably contains lactose.

Now I take contraception pill every morning, and what little amount of lactose that is claimed to be in it, I have to take an enzyme substitute in order to prevent my stomach from responding to it through the rest of the day. Silly I know, especially when I tell you I can eat almost all the white cheeses without a problem, and definitely all the hard cheeses. So it really gets me angry when a doctor tells me (and it happened more times than I care to remember) “Oh no, it is such a small amount, you wouldn’t even know it is there…”.

Write a comment – let me know how you manage with pills.

At last, a cookbook for the faint of stomach – JWeekly.com

Stacey Palevsky from JWeekly.com, who also happens to be Lactose Intolerant, was very excited when the book “The Un-Constipated Gourmet: Secrets to a Moveable Feast” arrived in her newsroom last month.

Though I have not had the chance to go over the book myslef, I think any book that specifically targets the market of the lactose ontolerant should deserve a spot on my blog.

Check it out yourselves – The Un-Constipated Gourmet: Secrets to a Moveable Feast and let me know what you think in the comments. Happy eating !!

The Flat Belly Food You Don’t Know About: Kefir

Kefir is a creamy, yogurt-like smoothie that you can drink straight from the bottle or jazz up with fruit, granola, and other fun add-ins. The taste can be addictive, but it’s not necessarily sweet like the foil-lidded yogurts you’re used to. It’s actually tangier, more reminiscent of Greek yogurt (love Chobani!) or sour cream. Besides containing less sugar and more protein than conventional yogurt, kefir is packed with probiotics (a buzzword meaning “beneficial to life” which you’ve surely read about), bacteria that help maintain the natural balance of organisms in the intestines. Standard yogurts only have one or a few strains of these live and active cultures — for instance, I’m looking in my fridge right now at a Berries N’ Cream Yoplait Light, and it only lists Lactobacillus acidophilus. Next to the Yoplait is a bottle of Lifeway Lowfat Pomegranate Kefir, which contains a whopping 10 strains (Lactobacillus Lacti, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Bifidobacterium Longum, Bifidobacterium Breve, Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Saccharomyces florentinus, Streptococcus Diacetylactis, Leuconostoc Cremoris, Lactobacillus Plantarum, Lactobacillus Case.) (Interestingly, other very popular yogurts that tout their probiotic activity, like Dannon Activia, only contain one strain of live/active cultures, Bifidus Regularis™ — a strain which Dannon selected and named.

Read the rest of the article here.

Is Lactose Intolerance a Disease?

I regret not being able to post every day but I do read a lot of RSS feeds on a dayly basis. Today I ran across a title that read something in the lines “is there a medicine for lactose intolerance?”.
It makes me sad to read questions like that, and I have to admit, even a little angry.

Lactose Intolerance IS NOT A DISEASE !!

It is a condition that most of us will experience at some point in life (some research suggest 70% of adults will become lactose intolerant), and quite rightfully I might add. Humans are not supposed to be consuming dairy products once they are grow out of infancy.

But let’s put that aside. I am not going to go into a philosophical argument here. As an experienced lactose intolerant, I simply wanted to say that I resent being labeled as “diseased” by society. My body stopped producing enough lactase to digest the sugar in milk a long time ago but with a little guidance, and a lot of “trial & error” I learned to live with the condition quite happily.

Having kosher food available is definitely a plus, but I could also manage quite well if I were in France or Finland or any other country that does not necessarily have kosher food in stores. These days, more and more alternatives to whole milk are produced. Personally I don’t like Soy milk but Goat milk is in fact more tasty and some say even healthier. Ever tried buffalo cheese as Pizza topping? How about sorbet ice cream for desert?

Apart from Lactagen, which is considered a remedial therapy, Lactaid and other substitute enzymes are not medicines and can be purchase freely over the counter as substitute enzymes.

Perhaps it is time that we, lacotse intolerants, should laugh at the “ordinary” people… they are the ones with mutant digestive systems.

YouTube – Healthy Food Choices for Lactose-Intolerance