by Deborah Hanyon, MPH, RDN, ACE-CHC | Jul 1, 2021 | Food Allergies and Special Diets
Do your children have frequent digestive issues, or other allergy symptoms, such as rashes, a stuffy or runny nose? Have you ever asked yourself whether these symptoms are related to lactose intolerance or dairy allergy?
These symptoms may indeed be related to a lactose intolerance or dairy allergy.
One basic difference between a food intolerance and allergy is that the immune system doesn't kick in with an intolerance. For example, lactose intolerance is the result of a lack of the enzyme “lactase.” Lactase helps your body digest the milk sugar “lactose.” This is why some people can tolerate small amounts of dairy products without problems. Lactose intolerance is not a true allergy.
Fortunately, there are two simple tests to check for lactose intolerance. If one of these tests show that the problem is lactose, this will be much simpler to deal with.
LACTOSE INTOLERANCE TESTS
Two tests can detect lactase deficiency. One is the Hydrogen Test, and the other is the “Lactose Tolerance Test.”
1. The Hydrogen Test
Pros – Simple to administer if the equipment is available.
The hydrogen breath test is the preferred method. It measures the amount of hydrogen in the air you breathe out.
- You will be asked to breathe into a balloon-type container.
- You will then drink a flavored liquid containing lactose.
- Samples of your breath are taken at set times and the hydrogen level is checked.
- Normally, very little hydrogen is in your breath. But if your body has trouble breaking down and absorbing lactose, breath hydrogen levels increase.
Cons – Doesn't readily distinguish the type of sugar that is not tolerated.
2. The Lactose Tolerance Test
This test is similar to the glucose tolerance test, which is given to test for gestational diabetes during pregnancy.
The patient drinks 50 grams (about two ounces) of a lactose containing beverage. If blood glucose rises, this means the lactose is being digested. If, however, blood glucose stays the same, this means the lactose is intact, a sign that lactase, the enzyme that breaks down lactose for complete digestion and metabolism is lacking.
Most people aren't born with lactase deficiency. It is more common for lactase deficiency to develop after “weaning.” Some ethnic groups are more susceptible to lactose intolerance probably because cow's milk isn't a common staple. For example, in Asian countries and Latin American countries.
DAIRY ALLERGY – WHAT IS IT?
A dairy, or cow's milk, allergy, on the other hand, is the result of an immune system reaction to one of the two proteins in cow's milk products.
IgE is the most common immunoglobulin reactant, however, IgM, IgA, and a few other immunoglobulins may react as well.
When a person has a true allergy to cow's milk* or other dairy products, they can't eat or drink them AT ALL.
Because both types of intolerance can cause digestive upset, including diarrhea, cramping, nausea, and vomiting, it can be difficult to tell the cause. Lactose intolerance is one of the most common intolerance. It is also the cause of much confusion.
For your convenience, I created a short e-book on the difference between lactose intolerance and cow's milk allergy.
Below is a delicious breakfast recipe that is completely Cow's milk free. Feel free to substitute any non-dairy milk for the soy and any type of nut butter will do as well.
Note that you can go into the free myfitnesspal.com app on android or Apple and the QR code in the recipe will work for you.
References
Medline Plus Lactose Tolerance Hydrogen Test
More from Homeschooling Dietitian Mom:
Casein-Free Diet Dairy Alternatives
Nutrition and Food Science Mega Pack
Healthy Choices to Make When Eating Out
Subscriber Only Freebie Page
What is Turmeric Good for?
Diet and ADHD in Kids Part 1
Diet and ADHD Part 2
Gluten Sensitivity or Celiac Disease?
3 Superfoods that are Truly Healthy
*Children and adults who are allergic to cow's milk are usually allergic to other animal milks as well, though not always. For example, goat milk is discussed as a potential replacement. However, besides the fact that goat's milk protein is also likely to cause an allergy in a person who has had an allergic reaction to cow's milk, there is the fact that goat's milk is deficient in the B vitamin Folate (folic acid).
by Deborah Hanyon, MPH, RDN, ACE-CHC | Nov 13, 2018 | Food Allergies and Special Diets
This post contains affiliate links.
Foods that contain gluten often cause digestive difficulties in sensitive persons, especially those diagnosed with Autism and ADHD.
But what is gluten anyway? And why do sensitive persons react like they do?
WHAT IS GLUTEN?
Gluten is the main protein in wheat, rye and barley (and to a lesser degree, oats). It is what gives flour strength and elasticity. There are different amounts of gluten in different types of flour. For example, bread flour is higher in gluten than pastry flour.
Just like with milk allergy and lactose intolerance, gluten affects people in different ways. Persons who are truly allergic to gluten are usually diagnosed with Celiac Disease, a serious digestive disorder that affects many systems in the body. People who have an allergic reaction to gluten must avoid ALL foods that contain gluten. In this article, I will focus on gluten intolerance.
When a person has a gluten intolerance, it is not always necessary to completely remove gluten from the diet. However, a large percent of persons, including children with Autism (and ADHD), respond favorably to removing gluten from the diet.
WHY DO SENSITIVE PERSONS REACT THE WAY THEY DO TO GLUTEN?
There are theories explaining why some people react to gluten the way they do. However, recent research has revealed that the main culprit of many negative gluten reactions is lack of the enzyme “DPP4.” The DPP4 enzyme works similarly to the lactase enzyme. Lactase breaks down lactose in milk. When a person has a deficiency in lactase, dairy products cause digestive upsets. DPP4 breaks down gluten in a similar way. (The milk protein casein is affected by DPP4 deficiency as well. But we will discuss casein intolerance in a future article). When a child is deficient in DPP4, their body is not able to completely break down gluten. The result is partially broken down gluten proteins in the gut. These gluten proteins show the same effect as opioids. That is, they have a drugging effect on the child.
Approximately 50% of children placed on a gluten-free diet (most often coupled with casein restriction as well) show significant improvements. For example, improvements in language skills, bowel health, hyperactive behavior, and skin problems (particularly eczema). Sleep is improved and the child has more energy. This is only a partial list of improvements.
Though there is allergy testing available for gluten intolerance, it is not always accurate. Thus, an elimination diet is probably the easiest and most accurate way to tell for sure whether you or your child (or both, gluten intolerance tends to affect more than one person in a family) has a gluten sensitivity.
THINGS TO CONSIDER WITH THE ELIMINATION DIET
If you choose to try the elimination diet, you will need to remove all of the foods that contain gluten, and leave everything else the same. Many people avoid casein during this time as well. However, if it just turns out to be gluten that's causing issues, it means a less restrictive diet in the long run. If you try the gluten elimination diet, you may notice some improvements, but not as much as you were hoping for. In that case, you can then choose to try to eliminate casein as well. (In a future article, I will address casein intolerance in more depth).
The biggest risk with the elimination diet is nutritional deficiency. Finding replacements for the foods you are eliminating is important to maintain nutritional health. The biggest difficulty is that many, if not most kids with autism, eat large amounts of breads and pasta (think macaroni and cheese, goldfish crackers, chicken nuggets, and fish sticks). The good news is that there are lots of choices for gluten free pastas and breads today. And many of them taste quite good. However, if you are concerned about nutritional deficiencies, a good multivitamin with iron would be a good way to help offset the potential nutrient losses (Gummy Vitamins do not have Iron). If you are someone who likes to cook from scratch, a table with conversions will be helpful:
Source: Bing Images
Below is a list of the foods to avoid if you are on a gluten-free diet. Below the list are two books that go much more in-depth on gluten-sensitivity as well as other potential intolerances, toxicities, and nutrition deficiencies seen in kids with Autism and ADHD.
Also, I included a link to a lentil pasta that my son really likes. It can be purchased at local supermarkets (Walmart) as well as on Amazon.
Source: Bing Images
