Fun with Food Allergies

Did you know that you can develop an allergy to anything at any time? Ask me how I know this! LOL Severe stress can be a contributing factor.

Many people had all kinds of new and different experiences during pandemic lockdown. Me? I developed a rip-roaring dairy allergy.

When I mention the allergy to friends, their first comment is often, "Have you tried Lactaid?" And then I have to launch into The Explanation. Please bear with me while I share once again, because this is important information and may help you or someone you love figure out a health issue one day.

Lactaid relieves lactose intolerance, which is an inability to digest the natural sugar in milk (that sugar is called lactose). If your system can't digest the sugar, it sits in there and ferments, causing symptoms like gas, cramps, bloating, maybe even nausea and diarrhea. Very unpleasant. But if you take Lactaid, which is an enzyme that breaks down that sugar, you don't have a problem - the Lactaid does what your body can't, and you end up with properly digested milk.

But if you're allergic to milk, Lactaid will be no help whatsoever.

A dairy allergy is your body's incorrect reaction to the proteins in milk. They're called whey and casein, and they occur in all animal milk: cow, goat, sheep, even human milk! For some reason, your body thinks the milk protein is some kind of invader (like a disease pathogen, maybe) and it attacks, creating a variety of symptoms ranging from hives and itching to, in my case, nausea, cramps, and diarrhea.

Digestive symptoms that look like a stomach flu or food poisoning are very common with food allergies, and they typically happen within minutes of ingesting the offending substance, though in some cases the reaction is delayed. If you're having digestive problems, your doctor should rule out food allergies before moving on to other possibilities that might involve invasive diagnostic procedures.

So now I avoid dairy, even in tiny quantities, and my digestive system is happy.