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I’m Lynn Goldstein, a Registered Dietitian.
Milk. It is just for kids, right? Absolutely, kids of any age! Dairy products are the most
common source of calcium...a mineral most of us don't get enough of. Calcium is essential
for building and maintaining healthy bones and teeth no matter how old you are. To absorb
calcium, you also need vitamin D. That is why a lot of milk products are fortified with
vitamin D.
In addition to calcium and vitamin D, milk is a good source of energy. That energy is
in the form of a large sugar molecule called lactose. The body can't use that energy, though,
until it breaks the lactose down during digestion (with the help of the enzyme lactase) into
two smaller sugar molecules, glucose and galactose.
When we don't produce enough lactase, then the lactose doesn't get digested properly.
This is called lactose intolerance.
Most people with lactose intolerance don't have to give up milk completely. You may be
able to tolerate dairy products if you limit the amounts you consume to no more than 4
oz at a time, or choose foods that are easier to digest, yogurt and hard cheeses like cheddar
and Swiss. There are also a number of over-the-counter products that can help, like lactase tablets
that you take when you eat foods with lactose. You can also find lactose-free and lactose-reduced
dairy products at the grocery store. These products have the same nutrients and other
benefits as regular milk.
It's important not to confuse lactose intolerance with a milk allergy, one of the most common
food allergies in children.
It's easy to understand how someone might mistake a milk allergy for lactose intolerance
(or the other way around) since the two conditions share some similar symptoms like bloating
and gas, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea. But they are really quite different in terms of
causes and treatments.
Symptoms of a milk allergy that can appear immediately after consuming milk include wheezing,
vomiting, hives and those unpleasant digestive problems I just mentioned. A true food allergy
(as opposed to lactose intolerance) can also cause a tingling mouth, a runny nose, coughing,
watery eyes, hives, swelling of the lips, face, tongue and throat, trouble breathing,
and dizziness or fainting.
If you are lactose intolerant, you can probably eat small amounts of lactose without a reaction.
If you have a food allergy, however, eating even the smallest amount can trigger a serious
allergic reaction.
If you are able to consume dairy, you should know that along with all the great stuff in
whole milk is something that you don't need: saturated fat. So choose nonfat and low fat
options whenever possible to avoid the artery-clogging saturated fat that's in fuller fat dairy products.
After age two, even children benefit from switching to reduced-fat milk.
And by the way, 1 cup of whole milk has 5 gm of saturated fat. 2% milk has 3 gm and
1% has 2 gm. Skim milk has less than 2 gm. Only fat-free milk has no saturated fat. So
you really ought to switch to skim, or even better, fat-free.
And here is a great tip: If you want something creamy to put in your coffee, try using condensed
skim milk. It has less saturated fat than whole milk but still gives your coffee a deliciously
rich flavor.
I encourage my patients to develop healthy eating habits by consuming plenty of nutrient-rich
dairy products while making nonfat or skim milk your regular choice.