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| but in rye, oats and barley. This disorder interferes with the body's absorption of fat, protein, carbohydrates, iron, water and vitamins A, D, E and K. Caused by a hereditary defect and found mostly in people of northwestern European ancestry, celiac sprue is far more common in Ireland than in the U.S. Symptoms usually begin in childhood with the introduction of wheat cereal or other foods containing gluten. They include painful bloating, stunted growth, iron-deficiency anemia, bone deformation and pale, bulky, malodorous stools. In some cases, symptoms disappear during adolescence and reappear in adulthood. The only successful treatment for celiac sprue is the careful avoidance of all foods containing gluten; most doctors prescribe a high protein, low fat diet with vitamin supplementation. |
| The milk story in any examination of food sensitivities is complicated by a far more widespread inability to digest milk. If you consume cream, milk, cheese, cream cheese, cottage cheese, ice cream, ice milk, sour cream, frozen yogurt, whey or products containing nonfat milk solids and within an hour feel gassy and uncomfortable, your body is probably unable to produce lactase, the enzyme that digests lactose, the sugar in milk. |
| One solution is to use Lactaid, a lactase enzyme supplement from AkPharma, Inc. Lactaid tablets can be taken when eating or drinking any dairy product; liquid Lactaid can be added to milk a day before drinking it. Another solution is to eat freshly prepared yogurt or a similar cultured milk dish for its bacterial fermentation predigests milk sugars. |
| However, supplemental enzymes and friendly bacteria cannot protect against adverse reactions to milk if they result from something other than insufficient lactase. Some who are fond of dairy products have experimented with goat's milk cheese or yogurt, for goat's milk contains less lactose than cow's milk. Others have left milk entirely and now use soy milk, almond milk and other substitutes. The demand for dairy-free "dairy" products has spawned a fast-growing health food industry of soy- or nut-based milk substitutes and nondairy ice cream, coffee creamers, yogurt and cheese. |
| There is much debate and confusion over the term "food |
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