The enzyme used to help digest lactose is called lactase. When shopping or cooking, look for these ingredients that have lactose: If you are highly sensitive to lactose, you may need to avoid foods such as: Your doctor may ask you to keep a diary of the foods you eat, to note when you have symptoms, and to stop eating an offending food to see if your symptoms go away. ), Gastroparesis: What to Eat and What to Avoid, Newly Diagnosed With Crohn's? Use lactose-free or reduced-lactose milk and dairy products. To avoid symptoms from lactose intolerance, read food labels carefully. There’s also the fact that whilst gelato doesn’t have a minimum fat content, ice cream does. Copyright Policy PARTNER & LICENSEE OF THE LIVESTRONG FOUNDATION. Lactase, an enzyme in the small intestine, breaks down the sugar in dairy products. Leaf Group Ltd. The material appearing on LIVESTRONG.COM is for educational use only. When you’re looking to cut milk out of your diet, it’s typical to switch to soy. This high fat percentage explains why you might be having issues digesting the large amounts of lactose that you’ll find in an ice cream. You feel like you might have diarrhea. How Long Does Coronavirus Live On Surfaces? Usually, ice cream is higher in fat content than milk. Stomach pain from an allergic reaction to milk cannot be treated. Privacy Policy You can't cure lactose intolerance, but if you change what and how you eat, you may get rid of your symptoms. To combat this, soy is usually a safe bet to go for. Take a lactase enzyme replacement. . LIVESTRONG.com may earn compensation through affiliate links in this story. The two conditions are commonly confused because they can produce similar gastrointestinal symptoms, and can be properly diagnosed by your doctor. You can avoid lactose intolerant symptom by taking a lactase supplement at the first bite of ice cream. So try having small amounts of milk or dairy foods with meals. “Why does ice cream upset my stomach, but I’m absolutely fine drinking milk?”. If you’re having issues even with gelato, then you can look at trying a nice sorbet to completely avoid dairy altogether. You body may be able to process small amounts of fat, so you’d notice even more of a difference if you regularly consume skimmed or semi skimmed milk. National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Conference: Lactose Intolerance and Health, Bethesda, MD, Feb. 22-24, 2010. Soy is probably one of the most common alternatives to milk, not just in an ice cream sense, but for milk too. Ice Cream versus Gelato – What’s the difference? This is because of the high fat content in ice cream that makes it specifically hard to digest (I’m guessing you probably have the same issues with cheese too right?). If your child has a strong dairy allergy, then the likelihood is that they won’t be able to stomach milk either. Hello, I’m Uncle Mike. And whilst I love gelato too, there’s a big difference between the two and the way that they’re churned. You can find dairy products with most of the lactose removed, or lactase added, at many grocery stores. When you any food, your body produces enzymes that help break down proteins and sugars, making them easier to digest. Your small intestine makes the enzyme lactase to help you digest that sugar. Lactose intolerance cannot be treated once symptoms transpire. To help make a diagnosis, some doctors simply look at your symptoms and whether avoiding dairy products for 2 weeks relieves them.