Eating Well - Beaming with Health

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The Commonsense Guide to Eating Well
What's the problem?
With milk there are two possible problems. The first is a milk
sugar (lactose) intolerance; the second a milk protein allergy.
In order to be absorbed, lactose (a disaccharide) needs to
be snipped into two separate units: glucose and galactose.
The enzyme lactase is just the man for the job. If lactase is
not available, lactose cannot be broken down and absorbed
and will continue down the bowel. Water will enter the bowel
to dilute the sugar, causing diarrhoea. In addition, bacteria
will eat the sugar, producing bloating and flatulence. The
symptoms of lactose intolerance are diarrhoea and flatulence.
Ninety-five per cent of Asian people are lactose intolerant,
whereas northern European and Scandinavian races are better
able to tolerate it.
Lactose intolerance is an 'intolerance' to lactose simply
because there are insufficient quantities of the enzyme
lactase to deal with it. Milk allergy is a different story. As
previously mentioned, it is the casein in milk that seems to
be the troublemaker. It appears that the immune system of
the sensitive individual will react when a fragment of casein
is absorbed. When the immune system gets involved it is
truly an allergy. The reactions to a milk allergy are not as
immediate as ,that of lactose intolerance. Symptoms fall into
three main groups: skin, mucus and emotional. Skin-related
symptoms are usually eczema or skin rashes. Mucus-related
symptoms can manifest as chronic sinusitis, post-nasal drip
(mucus dripping down the back of the throat) and a constant
stuffed-up nose. Milk allergy also contributes to ongoing
colds, asthma, tonsillitis and glue ear in children. Emotional
symptoms are a lot more difficult to detect.
Addictive allergies
About 10 years ago, a psychologist and nutritionist called
Alexander Schauss researched a group of troubled teenage