Lifestyle and home remedies

With some trial and error, you might be able to predict your body's response to foods containing lactose and figure out how much you can eat or drink without discomfort. Few people have such severe lactose intolerance that they have to cut out all milk products and be wary of nondairy foods or medications that contain lactose.

Maintain good nutrition

Reducing the dairy products doesn't mean you can't get enough calcium. Calcium is found in many other foods, such as:

• Broccoli and leafy green vegetables
• Calcium-fortified products, such as cereals and juices
• Canned salmon or sardines
• Milk substitutes, such as soy milk and rice milk
• Oranges
• Almonds, Brazil nuts and dried beans

Also make sure you get enough vitamin D, which is typically supplied in fortified milk. Eggs, liver and yogurt also contain vitamin D, and your body makes vitamin D when you spend time in the sun.

Even without restricting dairy foods, though, many adults don't get enough vitamin D. Talk to your doctor about taking vitamin D and calcium supplements to be sure.

Limit dairy products

Most people with lactose intolerance can enjoy some milk products without symptoms. You might tolerate low-fat milk products, such as skim milk, better than whole-milk products. It also might be possible to increase your tolerance to dairy products by gradually introducing them into your diet.

Ways to change your diet to minimize symptoms of lactose intolerance include:

• Choosing smaller servings of dairy. Sip small servings of milk — up to 4 ounces (118 milliliters) at a time. The smaller the serving, the less likely it is to cause gastrointestinal problems.
• Saving milk for mealtimes. Drink milk with other foods. This slows the digestive process and may lessen symptoms of lactose intolerance.

• Experimenting with an assortment of dairy products. Not all dairy products have the same amount of lactose. For example, hard cheeses, such as Swiss or cheddar, have small amounts of lactose and generally cause no symptoms.

  Ice cream and milk contain the most lactose, but the high fat content in ice cream might allow you to eat it without symptoms. You might tolerate cultured milk products such as yogurt because the bacteria used in the culturing process naturally produce the enzyme that breaks down lactose.

• Buying lactose-reduced or lactose-free products. You can find these products at most supermarkets in the dairy section.
• Using lactase enzyme tablets or drops. Over-the-counter tablets or drops containing the lactase enzyme (Lactaid, others) might help you digest dairy products. You can take tablets just before a meal or snack. Or the drops can be added to a carton of milk. These products don't help everyone who has lactose intolerance.