To most of us, milk is an every day item. We put it in our tea and coffee, we pour it on our cereals and we use it in all kinds of different recipes.
Some people, however, have found they cannot touch it at all. Many more drink it and on a regular basis, never suspecting that it could be the cause of all those stomach aches and pains they have been getting.
One of the ingredients you will find in milk is lactose. This is the main reason why some people have digestive problems after drinking milk or ingesting anything which has milk in it. The reason behind this is that their body does not produce enough of the lactase enzyme which is responsible for digesting lactose. This intolerance can mean that for some people, milk becomes a substance they cannot drink or ingest at all.
The symptoms for this intolerance are quite specific, but they do vary in their severity. For example some people may only experience the mildest of symptoms after eating a bowl of cereal which has milk in it. Conversely other people might have just a splash of milk in their tea and suffer from stomach cramps afterwards. Needless to say the more severe the symptoms are, the more likely it is that you will identify the problem and remove milk from your diet.
Of course lactose is not just present in milk. This means that if you suspect you may have intolerance to lactose you need to try and figure out which substances are causing it. The symptoms you need to watch for include having a bloated stomach after eating or drinking something containing lactose. You may also need to rush to the toilet if your reaction to the lactose is severe. Milder symptoms include a mild stomach ache and a feeling of nausea - but again these can vary in their severity depending on the individual affected.
Some people find that all they have to do is take milk products out of their diet. Others find they need to identify every single food and liquid they have which has some amount of lactose in it and eliminate it from their diet.
The key thing to remember is that if your case of intolerance is quite severe, it is advisable to see your doctor. They will be able to test for lactose intolerance and provide the help of a dietician as well if needed or required.
The good news is that are now many alternative products available for people with an intolerance to lactose so that you don't have to go without your favourite foods.