Dr Oz: Lactose Intolerance
Dr. Oz explained how you actually be able to reverse your lactose intolerance. In order to help him explain, he called down his Assistant of the Day, Tina from Long Island. Tina shared that she really likes milkshakes, but they don’t like her because they make her bloated and gassy. A good majority of the audience raised their hands saying that they were fine with dairy when they were kids, but developed an intolerance to it as they got older.
Dr. Oz explained why being lactose intolerant doesn’t mean you have to avoid all dairy food. (Ti Santi / Shutterstock.com)
Dr. Oz explained that your body has intestines, and on top of the intestines, we have enzymes designed to break down the sugar in milk called lactose. He said when the intestines are functioning properly, it absorbs the milk and the calcium, but when you have a problem with lactose, the intestines can’t absorb the calcium, so you don’t get the benefits, and you get the nasty side effects.
When you’re a kid you have a ton of lactate. As you get older, you have some of the enzyme, but then later in life, you can’t handle milk and dairy anymore. He said a lot of people panic at that point and think they can no longer have any lactose. Tina explained that she eats less cheese and tends to stay away from milk, but is okay to eat Greek yogurt.
Dr Oz: Avoid Soft Cheeses & Try A Probiotic
Dr. Oz explained that Greek yogurt has probiotics in it, and those probiotics stimulate your own enzymes, allowing you to tolerate the lactose. You could also take a probiotic supplement. Dr. Oz also explained that there’s more lactose in softer cheeses, therefore it’s harder to tolerate for someone with lactose intolerance. Harder cheeses like cheddar or Swiss cheese are easier to digest, and Dr. Oz suggested you try to eat one and a half ounces of cheddar or Swiss cheese to reverse your lactose intolerance.
Dr. Oz said in order to avoid the lactose intolerance and still get the calcium you need, you should avoid the milk and soft cheeses, and try hard cheeses and probiotic-rich foods like Greek yogurt.
Leave a Reply