Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Manner of Speaking]

Has this happened to anybody else?

Being a Canadian and raised on various kinds of breakfast cereals, milk has never been a problem. This week I was in my local market and lo and behold! they had Kellogg's All-Bran. Stuff I haven't seen, bought or eaten in five years.

So you know how it is when you live in Korea, right? When you go home on vacation you buy all kinds of weird stuff that you can't get over here...feta cheese, black olives, engivita yeast, donairs, museli, etc. So I buy a box, a pint of milk, take it home and enjoy a bowl of a familiar cereal.

Next morning...I have a migraine headache, stomach cramps, and flatulence so bad the TV remote won't work. I'm afraid to light a match. I think after five years of a Korean diet, I'm lactose intolerant now. Is that possible?

[schwa]

Adult-onset lactose intolerance is quite common & you've got exactly the symptoms. I find even the thought of a glass of milk a bit gross. Yogurt & cheese are fine though, the lactose is modified somehow.

Try soymilk on your cereal.

[Manner of Speaking]

Adult-onset? Really? It's related to age, not diet? This is only recent...and I've been an "adult" for a long time.

[casey's moon]

when is the last time you've had that much fiber in one meal? If you usually eat white rice with your meals, all the healthy goodness in a bowl of All bran could probably be a lot to handle. It might not be the milk at all.

The migraine (I suspect) is just an unfortunate coincidence.

What do you take for your migraines, btw?

[marlow]

It's probably the bran fiber giving you gas and cramps.

You could try experimenting by drinking a glass of milk along with your regular daily diet.

[Manner of Speaking]

Hi casey's moon, long time no see.

Well actually...well since we are in Korea and Koreans don't seem to be shy about this at all -- I try to eat some fiber every day and keep the fiber content up, so to speak. Maybe it was just the bran, I do like the taste of it. I don't eat much white rice alone, usually I buy Korean side dishes, and go through an apple or two a day.

Usually when I get migraines I just pop tylenol on a very regular basis, take the day off work, close the drapes and sleep. I only get them about once or twice a year, but when I do they're brutal.

[krats1976]

I actually started getting lactose intolerant about a year before moving here, but it's gotten worse since. I don't know if it's just because I'm another year and a half older or if it's because my diet is so screwed up.

[pauly]

"Lactose intolerance is the inability to digest significant amounts of lactose, the predominant sugar of milk. This inability results from a shortage of the enzyme lactase, which is normally produced by the cells that line the small intestine. Lactase breaks down milk sugar into simpler forms that can then be absorbed into the bloodstream. When there is not enough lactase to digest the amount of lactose consumed, the results, although not usually dangerous, may be very distressing. While not all persons deficient in lactase have symptoms, those who do are considered to be lactose intolerant."

"Common symptoms include nausea, cramps, bloating, gas, and diarrhea, which begin about 30 minutes to 2 hours after eating or drinking foods containing lactose. The severity of symptoms varies depending on the amount of lactose each individual can tolerate."

"Some causes of lactose intolerance are well known. For instance, certain digestive diseases and injuries to the small intestine can reduce the amount of enzymes produced. In rare cases, children are born without the ability to produce lactase. For most people, though, lactase deficiency is a condition that develops naturally over time. After about the age of 2 years, the body begins to produce less lactase. However, many people may not experience symptoms until they are much older."

"Between 30 and 50 million Americans are lactose intolerant. Certain ethnic and racial populations are more widely affected than others. As many as 75 percent of all African Americans and American Indians and 90 percent of Asian Americans are lactose intolerant. The condition is least common among persons of northern European descent."

If I remember correctly, if you haven't drank milk in a long time, you will become lactose intolerant, as your body thinks it doesn't need to produce any more lactase. In other words, use it or lose it.

[Manner of Speaking]

Cool...thanks for the info! Yeah I don't drink it...only as coffee creamer.

[hocbas]