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Expert Q&A

	By Allison Gamble Nutritionist/Diet Technician Highland Park Hospital, Illinois

I am lactose intolerant. I know during pregnancy it's important to drink a lot of milk and get calcium. Do you have any ideas on how I can get what I need without making myself sick?

Lactose intolerance is caused by a deficiency in the enzyme lactase. Lactase helps break down lactose, the sugar found in milk. Problems resulting from lactose intolerance are bloating, abdominal discomfort, and diarrhea. The sensitivity to lactose varies among people. Some people are able to eat some dairy products with little problems, while others get severe bloating and diarrhea. As we age lactose intolerance increases, since our store of the enzyme lactase begin to diminish.

If you are especially sensitive to lactose read nutrition labels and look for the following contents; milk, milk solids, whey (milk liquid), and casein (milk protein). Lactose can also be found in prescription and over-the-counter drugs as a filler. Lactose intolerants can tolerate fermented milk products such as yogurt, hard cheese, cottage cheese and acidophilus milk. The lactose is already digested by the bacteria (good bacteria) already present in these foods. You can take enzyme tablets that help break down lactose and make digestion a much more pleasant experience. Other options are drinking orange juice fortified with calcium, or calcium supplements. One last option is to start consuming more non-dairy foods that contain calcium. Some of those foods are canned salmon-the bones are soft enough to eat and are a good source of calcium, tofu, and broccoli. Granted milk contains much more calcium than these foods alone, but if you combine them you may end up with as much as one 8 ounce glass of milk, not to mention a host of other nutrients. During pregnancy you need 1200 mg of calcium and 3 servings from the calcium rich group."

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