Kids need to eat healthy foods for their growing bodies, and to maintain their energy levels at peak performance for learning at school and beyond. When your child is lactose intolerant, it's harder to trust store bought, pre-packaged foods because you don't know if it contains dairy or other milk products. Keep these five tips in mind when preparing some healthy dairy free snacks for your kids. 1. You don't have to ban cheese entirely from your kids' snacks. There are many dairy-free products out there. Look on the labels for vegan or dairy-free. Be careful when the label says non-dairy or lactose-free because it may still have dairy products in it. Cheesy bread Pizza rolls or mini pizzas or cheese-less pizza Tortilla chips with dairy-free cheese or salsa Bagel chips Kale chips Soft pretzels Roasted chickpeas with cheese 2. Use substitutes for milk products such as dairy-free milk powder, coconut milk, almond milk, rice milk, and soy yogurt. Look for other dairy-free items … [Read more...]
Exactly What IS Lactose Intolerance?
Lactose intolerance is when your body can't digest lactose (sugar) that is found in dairy and milk products. In the small intestine, there's an enzyme called lactase that breaks down lactose into simple sugars that is then absorbed into the bloodstream and turns into energy. When someone is lactose intolerant, their body doesn't produce enough lactase to handle the breakdown of dairy and milk products, thus creating discomfort and various painful symptoms. Lactose intolerance isn't gender biased as it happens equally to male and females and it's a common problem. Certain ethnic groups may be more sensitive because their diets include more dairy and milk products. Becoming lactose intolerant can happen any time during your life. A sudden onset of sensitivity to lactose can be caused by these events: - Medication such as antibiotics can interfere with the small intestine of producing the enzyme lactase. - As people age, their bodies doesn't produce as much lactase. - … [Read more...]
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