DOES MILK AND MILK BIPRODUCTS COUNTERINDICATED FOR ACID REFLUX? IS ACID REFLUX WORSE IF YOU DRINK MILK OR EAT ICE CREAM?
DAIRY AND ACID REFLUX
2/ 4/08 3:09pm
Hi Kellivcb,
Milke acts as an immediate soother to acid reflux, but then turns and creates more problems as the stomach acids form to digest the milk. People with acid reflex sometimes also suffer from lactose intolerance which makes drinking the milk worse. There are some great tips here about how to deal with acid reflux. Also, try some of these ideas.
Acid Reflux Diet
- First of all, try to eat small, frequent meals instead of three big meals a day. Small amounts of food each time would exert less workload on the stomach and therefore requires less acid secretion for digestion. Make sure to include foods that are high in complex carbohydrates in each meal. These foods, such as rice, breads and pasta, are able to tie up excess stomach acid and are often easy on the stomach.
- Avoid high-fat meals such as those from the fast food chains. High fat foods will remain in the stomach longer, thus causing the need for more stomach acid in order to digest them.
- But remember, don't overeat! Eating too much of any foods will stimulate the stomach to secret more acids for digestion.
- Avoid or limit alcohol
- Maintain upright position during and at least 45 minutes after eating
- Try elevating the head of bed six to eight inches when lying down.
Good luck and stay in touch, let us know how you are doing!!
Vicki M
Health Centers
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Dear Kelli,
I know it is confusing to sort out all of the dietary recommendations about gastroesophageal reflux. While it is common to limit or eliminate high acid and spicy foods, dairy products are not considered a restricted food. On the other hand, lactose intolerance (the inability to digest the lactose sugar enzyme in the milk) is common in children and adults. It seems to me that many people who have gastroesophageal reflux disease also have lactose intolerance. It may be due to the fact that both are common and therefore appear to be connected. Lactose intolerance may cause bloating, gas and digestive discomfort, similar to symptoms of reflux. So, if you are having digestive symptoms after ingesting dairy products, you might want to talk with the doctor about lactose intolerance. Many doctors recommend using an over the counter medication or eliminating dairy products from the diet. Treating lactose intolerance may improve the outcome of the reflux treatment and decrease pain and discomfort associated with foods. If you are lactose intolerant, let me know. I have lots of ideas about finding the right diet and treatments to consider.
Jan
Jan~
I am a 27 year old with acid reflux and lactose intolerance. I would love some menu ideas, food lists, any suggestions you may have. I have talked to my doctor about both; and have some very obvious, somewhat generic answers and listings, but would love some specifics. It is hard when most people my age still get to eat whatever they want.... :( Thank you!
nicole
Hello! Good news: you should be able to eat a great variety of foods!
Lactose intolerance may be easily treated by taking lactase enzyme tablets such as Lactaid brand pills or chewables just before eating dairy products. Most stores have a generic brand too. You will have to experiment with different foods and see if you still have symptoms of lactose intolerance even with the medicine. Your stomach may tolerate some forms of dairy such as yogurt better than a glass of milk or whipped cream. Over time, you should be able to make connections between the foods you eat and signs of intolerance. There are some people who cannot tolerate any amount of dairy products. In rare cases, avoidance is really best. Luckily, there are many tasty dairy free foods so you will need to read the labels and shop carefully. The local library should have many books on dairy free cooking. A Amazon search of dairy free cooking brings up a tremendous list of excellent books such as the Dairy free Kitchen.
If you are trying to figure out if your digestive symptoms are from reflux or lactose intolerance, it is a bit more complex. You might want to consider going on a strick dairy free diet for 2 weeks and see if the symptoms go away. If you are feeling better, the symptoms may be related to lactose intolerance. If you still have symptoms, you might need to look at high acid foods in your diet and talk to the doctor about treatment to reduce symptoms. In any case, there should be plenty of foods to eat.
Good luck, Jan
My 7 yr. old little girl was recently diagnosed w/ the same. I have gone on a hunt to find her something to take so she is still able to eat ice cream and enjoy most of the things she has grown to love. I have checked w/ all the health food stores in the city I live. The best and most economic thing I've found is at The Vitamin Shoppe. I think it's a chain, check your area. They have a bottle of 100 soft gels and if I'm not mistaken, each is 125 mg of lactase enzyme. For $7.99! Twice a year, they do promotions of buy 1 get the 2nd half! It works and easy to take before consuming dairy products. GNC and all the ma and pop stores couldn't compare. Good Luck !
http://www.drgourmet.com - CHECK OUT THIS SITE. IT OFFERS RECIPES FOR ALL TYPES OF FOOD ALLERGIES, INTOLERANCES, AND REFLUX.
HOPE THIS HELPS :)
my daughter was diagonsed with mild reflux and lactose intollerant.The doctor had her on prevacid solutab (30mg ) once a day and I just found out that it has lactose monohydrate. She has had severe abdominal pain and am wondering about this medicine.
Hello Debbie,
If she is very sensitive to lactose, even a trace amount may be enough to cause digestive symptoms. You might want to ask the doctor or pharmacist about trying another formulation.The Prevacid may be compounded into a liquid or the beads in a capsule may be placed on a small amount of applesauce.
Jan
Hi there,i have dairy intolerance and have been on omeprazole for two years problem free unless i accidently ingested dairy products,this last week my condition has deteriated rapidly,the only thing thats changed is the doctor has given me a different brand of omeprazole,just noticed tonight on the side of the box is written contains lactose monohydrate,my stomach is on fire as it would be if i had ingested dairy. i am sure this is the cause as my usual brand of omeprazole does not contain lactose,will be contacting the chemist tommorow to swap these tablets back to my usual brand,i suggest you do the same with your daughters tablets,hope this helps a little,Rich
both my son and I have most probably both. It is a little confusing to know how to combat both at the same time. Any tips are very much appreciated.
Hello! You might want to try strictly avoiding all forms of dairy for a few weeks and see if your symptoms improve. Then you can slowly add back some dairy or better yet, a lactose free alternative such as lactose free milk or ice cream. Sometimes it is easier to digest the lactose in yogurt and hard cheeses. Most difficult to digest: milk.
Good luck!
Jan