The right diet is the key to managing many diseases and to improving general quality of life. For this condition, scientific research has found benefit in the following healthy eating tips.

• Nonfat Dairy

  +–
  Try using reduced-lactose milk or yogurt to see if you can tolerate them.

  more

  Nonfat Dairy

  ×

  Although symptoms of lactose intolerance are triggered by the lactose in some dairy products, few lactose-intolerant people need to avoid all dairy. Dairy products have varying levels of lactose, which affects how much lactase is required for proper digestion. Milk, ice cream, and yogurt contain significant amounts of lactose—although for complex reasons yogurt often does not trigger symptoms in lactose-intolerant people. In addition, lactose-reduced milk is available in some supermarkets and may be used by lactose-intolerant people.

• Indigestible Carbohydrates

  +–
  Sucrose and some indigestible carbohydrates have been shown to produce symptoms in lactose-intolerant and milk-intolerant people, work with a nutrition-oriented doctor to experiment with different foods to see if they contribute to this condition.

  more

  Indigestible Carbohydrates

  ×

  Many people with lactose maldigestion tolerate more lactose in experimental studies than in everyday life, in which their symptoms may result from other carbohydrates as well. Sucrose and the indigestible carbohydrates lactulose and fructooligosaccharides (FOS) have all been shown to produce symptoms in lactose-intolerant and milk-intolerant people.⁵