Do you know anyone who can’t consume milk or milk-based products? The condition is not uncommon and these people are classified as lactose intolerant.

Lactose is the main carbohydrate or sugar found in milk, and in varying quantities in dairy products made from milk including yoghurt, ice cream, soft cheeses and butter. Lactose milk sugar intolerance results from an inability to digest lactose in the small intestine.

Back in the cave-days, the only time a person would ever ingest lactose would be when they were infants getting milk from their mothers. During their adult lives milk was never consumed. Only with the invention of agriculture has milk become readily available to adults. Lactose is unique in that only in milk does it exist as a free form, unattached to other molecules.

What causes lactose intolerance?

Lactose is digested in the small intestine by an enzyme called lactase. This enzyme allows the body to break down the lactose into two simple sugars, glucose and galactose. These are quickly absorbed by the intestine and provide energy for the body. The level of the lactase enzyme varies between individuals, as does the severity of the symptoms caused by lactose intolerance.

What are the symptoms of lactose intolerance?

Symptoms range from milk abdominal discomfort, bloating and excessive wind to sever abdominal cramps and diarrhoea.

Substitutes for lactose-containing foods

Lactose intolerance generally isn’t serious and can be controlled by some simple changes in your diet. The dietary changes for lactose intolerance should include the exclusion of those foods highest in lactose. There is now a wide range of fresh soy milks, yoghurts and ice creams which are lactose free and calcium enriched. Many dairy foods actually have little or no lactose so you can continue to enjoy them.

The power of soy protein

Soy-based products are on the rise for very healthy reasons. The humble soybean boasts some extraordinary benefits. Lactose-free, soy protein is a “complete protein” which contains all 9 essential amino acids in the right balance to meet your body’s needs. Soy protein is the only plant protein that is complete. This makes it a great substitute for many meats, allowing you to eliminate more saturated fat and cholesterol from your diet.

While soybeans have much to offer from a protein perspective, it is because they contain so many nutrients, such as isoflavones, that they are now the centre of so much attention. Soy protein enhances the body’s ability to retain and better absorb calcium into the bones. Soy isoflavones help by slowing bone loss and inhibiting bone breakdown.

Lactose-Free Soy Recipes

There are an abundance of wonderful soy recipes that enable you to get all the benefits of soy….without the traditional soy flavour. Further information available at the link below.

A national study recently revealed telling facts regarding low-fat diets and their benefits relating to cancer and heart disease. A study concluded by the Womens Health Initiative WHI and Stanford University noted that a low-fat diet, alone, is not enough to greatly reduce the risk of heart disease andor cancer in adult women. Researchers have found that a reduction in saturated and trans fats may provide more positive results.

The study showed that women who participate in a low-fat diet experienced a 9 reduction in the development of breast cancer. In addition, no significant changes were noted in the occurrence of heart disease. An impressive 49,000 females, ranging in age from 50 to 79, participated in what is known as the Americas largest long-term study of a low-fat diet to ever be noted. The research was conducted over a period of eight years, in which the experts planned to test the theory that low-fat diets were helpful in reducing the risk of heart disease and cancer.

Among the 49,000 subjects, 40 were assigned to a low-fat diet, which required that they reduce their fat intake to 20 of their total calorie intake. In addition, they were to eat fruits and vegetables on five or more instances throughout the day, along with six servings of grain. The remaining 60 of participants were designated as the comparison group and were instructed to maintain their eating habits as always.

Womens Health Initiative experts, however, noted that a number of low-fat diet participants did not meet the 20 fat intake goal. In a recent news report released from Stanford University, experts conveyed that women who wish to maintain their health should consider a diet that is both low in saturated and trans fats while being rich in fiber and vegetables. This diet would replace one that is geared solely toward the intake of low-fat foods.

Just switching to low-fat foods is not likely to yield much health benefit in most women, commented Marcia Stefanick, PhD, professor of medicine at the Stanford Prevention Research Center and chair of the Womens Health Initiative steering committee. Rather than trying to eat low-fat, women should focus on reducing saturated fats and trans fats.

In addition to any diet program, regular exercise and health screenings should be used for early detection and the most effective treatment.

The information in this article is intended for informational purposes only. It should not be considered as, or used in place of, medical advice or professional recommendations for diet andor exercise regimens. Every individual should consult hisher physician prior to beginning any program consisting of diet andor exercise.

What is Glycemic? The Glycemic Index was discovered in 1981 and is the basis for many recently popular diets, including the South Beach Diet as well as others. The Glycemic Index determines how long certain carbohydrates take to break down and digest in the system. Those with a high rating, take the longest time to break down and do the most damage to the system of someone with diabetes. The good glycemic foods; that is, those with the lower rates, are more desirable not only for diabetics, but for those who are watching their carbohydrate intake through such diets as the South Beach Diet, they should also be aware of what the good glycemic foods are.

Good glycemic foods tend to absorb slowly into the system, allowing the body to break down the refined sugars and starches so that the body can digest them properly. People with Type I and Type II diabetes have a difficult time digesting carbohydrates, particularly those that are high on the glycemic index, and this lack of proper digestion makes it difficult for the diabetic to expel glucose from their blood,. While most diabetics are wise to avoid most, if not all carbohydrates, as these are what are the most difficult to digest and break down, certain carbohydrates are better than others for diabetics to consume.

Good glycemic foods tend to have a low score on the Glycemic Index that was developed in 1981 at the University of Toronto. Good glycemic foods are still carbohydrates, but make it easier for the diabetic to digest and are much healthier and preferable than those glycemic foods with high ratings on the Glycemic Index. Substitutions are available for foods that rate high on the Glycemic Index and are widely available in supermarkets and other food stores.

Some of the foods that rate low on the Glycemic Index include most fruits and vegetables, Although fruits and vegetables contain sugar, the sugars contained in these good glyceic foods digest into the system at a lower rate and also provide valuable nutrients to the diabetic, or just about everyone. The only vegetable that a diabetic should avoid is a potato, as it has a high glycemic index. Other fruits and vegetables, however, are preferable than white rice, white bread, corn flakes and anything made with white refined sugar or flour.

Other good glycemic foods include wholegrain breads and pastas. If you or a loved one has Type I or Type II diabetes, you should switch to whole grain breads and pastas made from wheat flour. This can be tremendously helpful to anyone who wants to manage their glycemia as well as anyone who wants to follow such low carb diets. Basmati rice is also considered one of the good glycemic foods.

Often, it is not a matter of eliminating carbohydrates when one is using diet to control their diabetes, but understanding which carbohydrates rate high on the glycemic index. Diabetes is a disease that can be controlled by proper diet, monitoring one’s blood sugar and following doctor’s orders as far as medication.

Diabetes can be controlled by a healthy diet. By learning about the Glycemic Index, one can empower themselves to learn which foods should be avoided and which foods can be beneficial to their health. All individuals can benefit from the Glycemic Index, but this information is particularly invaluable to someone with diabetes.

Now basically, we all have an idea of how to lose weight, dont we?

So why do we find it so hard? Every single diet on the market no matter how fantastic it is will not work without one vital ingredient, WILL POWER!

Unfortunately that is not something we can purchase from the store, that I am afraid to say, is something that we have to supply ourselves, and without it, every single diet that you attempt will fail.

There are some good diets around, and one diet that suits one person will not strictly suit another. So you may find that you and your best friend are going to start a diet together, you friend may be going great guns and losing pound after pound, but you, are not. Its frustrating, but its a fact of life that we are all made up differently.

Personally I dont recommend diets as such. Once you restrict your calories, your body will think that there is a food shortage, and it will go into starvation mode. Once in starvation mode it will slow down your metabolism to conserve calories.

You see our bodies have been programmed from way back when there was not an abundance of food, we had to hunt our food so our meals were not regular. The metabolism regulated the usage of our calories so that in periods of food shortage, we did not waste away and starve.

Now in this day and age there is always food to hand, but our bodies are not aware of this. When you skip a meal your body will go on starvation alert and slow that metabolism right down, which means next time your eat, your body is going to hang right on to those calories and store as much of them as it can as fat.

So, whats the solution? There has been tons of research and in my opinion the way forward is this. To keep your metabolism ticking over at a regular pace you need to eat regular meals, regular small meals every 2.5 – 3 hours, try to include protein in these meals meat, preferably lean meat i.e. chicken, turkey, tuna as protein doesnt shoot your blood sugar right up and plummet it back down as sugary foods would. Keep your daily calories to a guideline level, check out your ideal consumption online somewhere.

The next part is something that you are not particularly going to like, but, its the only way forward, you need to EXERCISE!!

You need cardio exercise 3-4 times a week for approx 40mins at a time, and very important, you need to do weight training, as the more muscle you have, the more fat you burn. Ladies dont freak out, I am not saying that you need to look like Arnie, but you need muscle tone, and the more you have the more fat you will burn, even while you are sleeping!

Good Luck!