I have always had a problem with milk. Most people get the majority of their calcium from cows’ milk but I never really liked the taste. I have had a problem using cow’s milk to obtain calcium in my diet as far back in time as my memories go. Very often when I was young I would experience a sick feeling in my stomach after eating breakfast. This went on for quite a while, without knowing what caused the problem. Feeling sick and not wanting to eat during those times, was starting to effect my growth development. I was a very picky eater, and a lot of the time did not feel like eating. Feeling concerned, my mother took me to see doctor about my sick stomach, and eating problem. The doctor suggested that I might have an intolerance to cows’ milk. He thought that I might be missing the enzymes needed to properly digest milk. There was also a connection with, consuming milk and any foods sweetened with sugar. On days when I had milk and anything with sugar in it, such as at breakfast, cereal milk and sugar always made my stomach feel sick. Drinking a glass of milk with toast and jam, or syrup, also made me feel sick to my stomach.
The doctor’s suggestion was to try and experiment. Leave out milk from my diet entirely, for a time, and replace it with the use of cheddar cheese. This would provide a source of calcium, as all growing children need this element, for healthy, strong, growing bones. So instead of cereal, I had a cheese omelette, fried potatoes, and toast for breakfast. He also suggested taking a calcium lactate supplement pill to be sure I was receiving enough of that mineral. Calcium lactate is much the same substance found in baking powder used in pastries. To make calcium lactate, calcium carbonate is exposed to lactic acid. Then you get a white crystal like salt. This is made into pills. Although these large pills are not fun to take, it still beats drinking milk that you hate the taste of, and then becoming sick to your stomach afterwards.
The doctor was correct. I started feeling better shortly after going on the new diet. My appetite improved and the sick stomach episodes disappeared. To this day I am careful using milk.
Since a person afflicted with this problem is missing a key substance other people normally possess, unless you can replace what you are missing, the condition will not go away on its own. One good thing is that I am not, ultra sensitive to milk. I can have an occasional milkshake or sweet cereal with milk. The condition takes time to build up, to the point where I would feel sick to my stomach. I just can’t make a regular practice of using liquid milk in my diet. I still eat cheese regularly in my diet. Occasionally I take calcium lactate to be sure that my calcium intake is not too low. Mostly I never have to worry about the problem, that made me so miserable as a child.
Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Calcium [http://calcium.tips-and-supplies.com/]
