Dairy Allergy Vs Lactose Intolerance

by Shereen Jegtvig

Some people can’t eat dairy products because their bodies don’t react well and they can suffer from a wide variety of symptoms.  For many, that means total avoidance of dairy.  No more ice cream, milk, cheese or yogurt.  But what’s happening in the body that causes problems?  It depends – let me explain the difference between dairy allergy and lactose intolerance, and what to do.

Diary allergies occur when your body mounts an immune system response against milk.  Your body makes extra antibodies because it sees milk proteins as dangerous invaders and reacts with any of the following symptoms:

•    Stomach cramps
•    Bloating
•    Flatulence
•    Diarrhea
•    Constipation
•    Headaches
•    Nausea
•    Asthma
•    Stuffy nose
•    Rashes
•    Fatigue

The symptoms can vary in severity and you may not notice them right after you consume dairy products so they might be difficult to pin down.  Allergists can do skin tests to help you determine if you have an allergy to dairy products.

Lactose intolerance can have very similar symptoms, but it’s different because your body can’t digest the milk sugar, lactose, because you don’t make enough of an enzyme called lactase.  Without this enzyme, you’ll suffer from several possible digestive symptoms:

•    Stomach cramps
•    Bloating
•    Flatulence
•    Diarrhea
•    Headaches
•    Nausea

Wow.  That list looks quite a bit like the allergy list, doesn’t it?  It certainly does, but the reaction isn’t due to an immune system response.  In this case the problem can actually be helped by supplementing lactase.  It’s important to know this may help you if you’re lactose intolerant, but it won’t help a dairy allergy, because the proteins are the same.  If you’re not sure if dairy products are causing your symptoms, go to your doctor for help.

What to Do When You Can’t Have Dairy
If your problem is due to a dairy allergy, you’ll probably have to avoid dairy products made from cow’s milk.  Milk (whole, low-fat and non-fat), cheese, yogurt, cream, ice cream and butter are dairy foods that you can recognize easily, but you’ll also find dairy proteins hidden in the ingredients list:

•    Curd
•    Whey
•    Casein
•    Caseinates
•    Rennet casein
•    Hydrosylates
•    Lactalbumin
•    Lactoglobulin

So be sure to read food labels when you shop.  Foods that state they are Pareve or Parve are certified dairy-free.  Before you shop, you can use our FoodEssentials tools to hunt for dairy – foods.

If lactose intolerance is causing your symptoms, you can buy lactase pills that help your body digest the milk sugar, or you can buy milk with lactase added.  Some people can eat ice cream or aged cheese, but others have to avoid dairy completely.  There may be traces of lactose in processed foods and packaged foods, even in candy, non-kosher lunch meats and baking mixes.  Use the FoodEssentials tool to keep track of lactose.

You can also find several dairy substitutes in natural foods stores such as soy yogurt and soy beverages.  Rice milk and almond milk can also be used in place of cow’s milk and have a lighter flavor than soy.

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