Gluten sensitivity and lactose intolerance show very similar symptoms and it is not easy to distinguish one from the other. Both cause a lot of intestinal gas, nausea and diarrhea that occurs after the consumption of foods that contain these substances. Lactose intolerance affects many people, around 65% of the population, and is not a true allergy. It is actually the inability of the digestive system to digest lactose, the sugar found in dairy products. Sensitivity to gluten, not to be confused with celiac disease, triggers symptoms similar to those of lactose intolerance. Adverse reactions are quite annoying and it is not easy to live with them. However, you can reduce or prevent symptoms by changing your diet and the foods you decide to consume.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Determine Your Food Sensitivity
Step 1. Discuss your problems with your doctor
It is vitally important to consult a doctor (preferably an allergist) when a food allergy or intolerance is suspected. A professional will help you understand how to structure your diet, will undergo diagnostic tests and offer you treatments.
- Explain your symptoms to your doctor. A food allergy can cause the same symptoms as an intolerance; other symptoms include: skin rash, hives, itching, shortness of breath, chest pain or even a sudden drop in blood pressure. A food allergy occurs immediately after exposure and can have fatal consequences.
- Never start a restrictive or elimination diet without first consulting your family doctor, allergist, or dietician.
- Do not consume foods that you believe may trigger an anaphylactic reaction, unless your doctor has suggested it.
- If symptoms do not subside after eliminating the food you suspect is responsible for your ailments, return to the doctor for further evaluation.
Step 2. Keep a food and symptoms diary
If you write down the meals, snacks and all drinks you take, as well as the symptoms you exhibit, then you can find cause-and-effect correlations and also understand what kind of food sensitivity ails you. It is not easy to understand which food triggers the body's reaction without a dedicated diary.
- It is good to write the journal by hand. Simply take a notebook and write down everything you consume (including medicines and supplements) along with any symptoms you experience. Online journals and mobile applications are not detailed enough for all the information you need to report.
- Remember to write down the time you ate and the time you experienced symptoms (if any). Typical reactions are usually nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, diarrhea, abdominal cramps and flatulence.
- Don't overlook portion sizes. For example, some individuals are extremely sensitive to lactose (meaning they don't tolerate any amount of it), while others have mild sensitivity and are able to withstand a low dose. By also noting how much you eat, you can understand what your body's tolerance level is.
Step 3. Follow a normal diet for two weeks
To help you figure out which food is bothering you, you need to eat it. You must trigger the symptoms to be able to associate them with a specific food and then avoid the latter to observe the disappearance of the discomfort.
- It is not at all easy to follow a normal, non-restrictive diet, but by identifying the correlation between food and symptom you can find the person responsible for what is happening to you. Only after excluding a food and observing the resolution of symptoms will you have the answer you were looking for.
- You may experience only one reaction or experience multiple symptoms at the same time. The body typically responds to the allergen within 30 minutes to two hours of ingesting it.
- The classic symptoms for food sensitivity are: bloating, flatulence, stomach pain, diarrhea and / or nausea.
- If your symptoms are life-threatening, don't eat any food you suspect you are allergic to. In this case you will need to perform special tests, during which exposure to the allergen will be gradually increased, in a controlled hospital setting.
Step 4. Eliminate products that contain lactose from the diet
Find the foods that are prepared with milk and its derivatives and don't eat them. If you are lactose intolerant, the discomforts you suffered during your normal feeding period should now subside and then disappear.
- Milk and products containing it are rich in a sugar called lactose. Foods that are prepared with dairy products contain this sugar in varying amounts.
- Check the various ingredients on the label of all products. Little-known dairy products that contain lactose are whey protein, casein, milk powder with malt, dairy products and solid portions of milk. Typically these little-known products are used as ingredients for the preparation of more complex foods.
- Don't take antacids. Many of these drugs contain lactose and would only make the situation worse. Ask your doctor who prescribes lactose-free alternative medicines if you really need them.
- If your symptoms don't subside after two weeks on a lactose-free diet, you most likely have another type of food sensitivity. Dairy and other products that contain this sugar can be part of your diet.
- If you find that your symptoms get worse when you start eating lactose again, then you may have more than one allergy, and lactose may only be part of the problem. Keep excluding it from your diet.
Step 5. Eliminate foods that contain gluten
Identify the products that are prepared with this protein and completely exclude them from the diet. That way, if you have gluten sensitivity, your symptoms should subside and eventually disappear.
- Wheat and products prepared with it contain gluten. In addition, there are other grains rich in this protein, such as barley and rye. Gluten is present in a wide variety of foods and it is not easy to exclude it from the diet. Almost all types of bread, beer, pasta and baked goods contain gluten.
- Read the labels of all food products. Sometimes gluten is added for its properties and its presence could be reported on the label with the words "wheat gluten" or with the simple word "gluten". Malt, which is often added to flavor many industrial products (such as soy sauce), also contains gluten. The other less known products, but still rich in gluten are: suitable flour, bulgur (broken wheat), cous cous, chickpea flour, wheat bran, wheat germ, wheat starch, triticale and matzah.
- If symptoms continue even after two weeks of a gluten-free diet, you are most likely sensitive to another food. Products that contain this protein can be part of your meal plan.
- If your symptoms get worse after you start eating gluten-containing foods again, then you may have more allergies and gluten is only part of the problem. Continue not to consume foods that contain it.
Step 6. Get a lactose tolerance test
If your doctor recommends it or you feel the need to make a formal diagnosis, then you can undergo one of the three tests that allergists use to determine lactose intolerance.
- A blood test determines the body's ability to digest lactose. You will be asked to drink a solution with this sugar and then several blood samples will be taken over a few hours. This test is mainly done on adults.
- The exhaled hydrogen test measures the amount of hydrogen that is emitted while breathing. The greater the quantity of this gas, the better the lactose is digested. It is a non-invasive procedure performed on adult patients.
- Stool acidity test. During this test, the pH of the stool produced after consuming lactose is measured. The higher the acidity, the lower the digestive tract's ability to metabolize lactose. Especially children are subjected to this test.
- There is no diagnostic test for gluten sensitivity and we proceed only by exclusion. If your symptoms are well controlled on a gluten-free diet, then it can be assumed that you are sensitive to this lipoprotein.
Part 2 of 2: Follow a Healthy and Balanced Diet while Suffering from Food Sensitivity
Step 1. Talk to a licensed dietician
Living with food sensitivities or allergies is not easy and it is even less so if there are more than one foods "responsible" for adverse reactions. Restrictive diets or fear of eating do not help to follow a balanced diet. The dietician is able to develop a healthy diet plan with you that is appropriate for your needs.
- Reducing or eliminating the food responsible for symptoms is just one way of managing food intolerances. However, a too strict diet does not provide the body with the right variety of essential nutrients.
- Review your medical history, evaluate which foods are bad for you, and study your food and symptom diary with your dietician. This doctor is a nutrition expert and will help you develop a healthy eating plan by choosing alternative foods to those that cause the reactions.
Step 2. Continue updating the Symptom and Food Diary
Even if you've found the "culprit" foods, you should still keep a diary of what you eat. This is an indispensable tool that will help you and the medical team following you make the right changes to your diet.
- This type of diary is extremely useful for allergists, dieticians and all the professionals you turn to. Thanks to your annotations they will be able to highlight patterns and correlations that you cannot notice.
- If you have a sudden flare-up of symptoms, you will need to re-read your diary to figure out which food triggered the reaction and to find a way to replace it in the future.
Step 3. Choose lactose-free food products
The best way to treat this type of intolerance is to avoid all foods that contain lactose. In this way you will be able to keep the symptoms under control even in the long term. However, you need to replace the nutrients found in milk and its derivatives.
- These foods are also typically high in calcium, vitamin D, and phosphorus, which you can get through broccoli, canned salmon, fortified fruit juices, spinach, and pinto beans.
- There are also many yogurts, cheeses and types of milk on the market that are lactose-free or contain small amounts of it. They are not easy to find and may taste different than the "originals", but they are great substitutes. All vegan products, such as vegan cheese, are lactose-free. These are your best bet when looking for "alternative dairy products".
- Take lactase supplements. These are tablets or pills that must be taken before consuming a product with lactose and help digest this sugar. You can buy these supplements at both pharmacies and health food stores.
Step 4. Eat gluten-free foods
The best way to avoid all symptoms related to gluten sensitivity is to not ingest any food that contains it. Even in this case, however, you must integrate the nutrients that you exclude through alternative products.
- The largest and most common source of gluten is wheat (followed by barley and rye). The nutrients found in this cereal are mainly folic acid, thiamine (B1), riboflavin and other B vitamins. Fortunately, there are other food groups that contain the same nutrients, such as those rich in proteins.. Also below you will find other cereals that do not contain gluten, but are rich in B vitamins: quinoa, teff, amaranth, rice and buckwheat.
- There are currently many pre-cooked products that are gluten-free. You can find everything from pasta to muffins, bread and cake batters to waffles and pancakes. Just search the supermarket shelves carefully.
- There are no medications or supplements that can mitigate the symptoms of gluten sensitivity.
Step 5. Take supplements
If you have decided to avoid lactose or gluten, then ask your doctor for more information about dietary supplements. You may need to supplement your intake of vitamins, minerals and nutrients.
- There are tons of vitamins and minerals available without a prescription that help you replace the nutrients you can't get in your diet.
- However, remember that it is not wise or possible to rely on supplements alone to maintain a balanced diet. The best source of nutrients is always food.
- Before starting any vitamin or supplement therapy you should always consult your doctor to make sure it is a safe and correct solution for you.
Advice
- Always contact your doctor before eliminating certain food groups from your diet or arriving at a "self-diagnosis" of food allergy.
- Many drugs can be made with ingredients that contain gluten or lactose. Always ask your pharmacist for information before taking a new medicine.
- Elimination diets do not have to be followed for the long term. Continue to exclude only foods that are bad for you from your diet.
