Since most everyone's degree of tolerance is different, you'll want to find out how much of a good thing you can have before you stop enjoying it, says Theodore Bayless, M.D., the director of clinical gastroenterology at Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. The obvious thing to do is decrease the amount of milk and dairy products you eat until your symptoms go away. About 30 percent of lactose-intolerant people will get symptoms only after a quart, maybe 30 to 40 percent from a glass. Don't forget your calcium . Most people should get the calcium equivalent of two glasses of milk daily.
Calcium supplements are another option, as are lactase enzymes , pills, or lactase-treated milk.
Never drink milk alone. It may be worth trying to take just a small amount of milk products each day, gradually increasing the dose to build up your tolerance, Dr. Bayless suggests. Back off if your symptoms reappear. The organisms that make yogurt what it is, also produce lactase to digest the lactose contained in yogurt, says Naresh Jain, M.D., a gastroenterologist in private practice in Niagara Falls, New York. Secondly, the bacteria themselves also probably break down the lactose in the milk.