Dairy Free Diet

Some people are born with genetic abnormalities that cause digestion problems due to certain foods. As we all know, the enzymes that reside in the intestines play a very important role to promote digestion. Basically, enzymes are proteins that bring about metabolism of foods, which is necessary to carry out digestion. There are different types of enzymes and one of them is lactase that is involved in the breakdown of milk sugar (lactose). That is the reason why, people with deficiency in lactase are advised to follow a diet lacking in dairy products.

Dairy Free Diet
The diet that excludes dairy products is defined as dairy free diet. So, what are dairy products? Products that are derived or obtained from the buffalo's or cow's milk are commonly referred to as dairy products. Following are food items excluded from this type of diet:

• Milk
• Butter
• Cheese
• Yogurt
• Ice Cream
• Buttermilk
• Bakery products such as cakes, biscuits and muffins
• Milk or whey protein powder
• Chocolates

Milk protein is also found in canned tuna fish and hence has no place in dairy free diet. Basically, dairy free diet is recommended for people diagnosed with lactose intolerance. The term lactose refers to naturally occurring sugar in milk. As aforementioned the breakdown of milk sugar is done by the enzyme, lactase. Lactose intolerance occurs when the body is unable to produce enough lactase, necessary to disintegrate sugar into glucose and galactose. As a result, breakdown of milk sugar does not take place and so it is not absorbed by the body. This can lead to dairy allergy symptoms like abdominal pain and bloating. Symptoms of certain intestinal disorders like irritable bowel syndrome can also aggravate upon eating dairy products. So, IBS patients are warned to avoid or minimize consumption of dairy products. Even patients suffering from diarrhea are advised to temporarily stop taking dairy products.

Benefits
When it comes to weight loss, opting for dairy free diet can serve the purpose. This is because dairy products are high in calories and loaded with saturated fats that contribute to weight gain. Hence cheese and butter are often discarded from weight loss diet programs. Apart from containing too much of fat, cholesterol content is found to be high in milk and its byproducts. Having these dairy products on a daily basis is considered is one of the primary factors responsible for causing high cholesterol levels. Thus, a natural way to lower elevated cholesterol levels would be to follow a dairy free diet.

Caution
A point to note that dairy products are not only good sources of essential nutrients (minerals and proteins) but also provide energy to the body. That is why a glass of milk in the morning paves way for a high energy day. So, before you decide to follow this diet, one has to think about healthier alternatives to dairy products. Starving the body of essential nutrients in the name of dairy free diet is nothing but foolishness. So, make sure to replace dairy products with equally healthy foods. Instead of drinking cow's milk, one can have almond or oat milk. Soy or rice milk are also a good substitute for cow's or buffalo's milk. On the other hand cheese can always be substituted by soy based or rice derived products. Patients put on dairy free diet should, without fail eat plenty of green leafy vegetables and fruits daily. This will ensure that the body is not deprived of good supply of essential nutrients. Lactose intolerance patients often prefer to include non dairy cheese or non dairy yogurt in their diet. People following this diet are also advised to take calcium supplements or cereals containing calcium, to prevent any sort of deficiency.

Dairy Free Diet for Breastfeeding
Sometimes, breastfeeding mothers are advised to go in for a dairy free diet, which may help to resolve the baby's health issues like skin problems, constipation and diarrhea. It is observed that if parents have some kind of allergy before delivery, then the newborn baby too is susceptible to infant allergies. Studies show that the aforementioned health problems associated with infant allergy can always be brought under control by excluding dairy products from the mother's diet. For a breastfeeding baby, the primary source of exposure to allergens is the mother's milk. Babies who have developed infant allergies show a considerable amount of improvement when the mother's diet is devoid of cow's milk and its products.

Believe it or not, but otherwise, healthy individuals are not very eager to follow this diet, considering the high nutritional value of dairy products. For them, taking it in moderate amounts is the key to prevent from falling sick and ensure a healthy weight.