Vietnamese Health and Interesting Facts

Lactose intolerance is the inability to digest a sugar called lactose that is found in milk and dairy products. People with lactose intolerance do not produce enough of the lactase enzyme to break down actose. Instead, undigested lactose sits in the gut, causing gas, bloating, and stomach cramps. When the intestine cannot absorb the lactose-containing foods, it can lead to diarrhea.

Some ethnic groups are more likely to be affected than others because their diets traditionally include fewer dairy products: Almost all Asians* and Native Americans are lactose intolerant, and up to 80% of African Americans and Hispanic Americans also have symptoms of lactose intolerance. Their ancestors did not eat dairy foods, so their bodies were not prepared to digest dairy, and they passed these genes on from generation to generation.

Here are some tips for dealing with lactose intolerance:
*Choose lactose-reduced or lactose-free milk.
*Take a lactase enzyme supplement (such as Lactaid) just before you eat dairy products.
*When you do drink milk or eat lactose-containing foods, eat other non-lactose foods at the same
meal to slow digestion and avoid problems.
*Drink juices that are fortified with calcium.
*Eat a variety of dairy-free foods that are rich in calcium, such as broccoli, beans, tofu, or soy milk.
*Consider hard cheeses such as cheddar, which are lower in lactose.
*Yogurts that contain active cultures are easier to digest and much less likely to cause lactose
problems.
*Learn to read food labels. Lactose is added to some boxed, canned, frozen, and prepared foods.

*Southeast Asians - 98%, Asian Americans - 90% http://nutrigenomics.ucdavis.edu/

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Interesting Facts Submitted by Long Nguyen
From Wikipedia
Teochew -- a dialect of Chinese spoken in the Chaoshan region.
Total Speakers -- About 10 million in Chaoshan. Approximately 2-5 million speakers overseas.
Chaoshan was one of the major sources of Chinese emigration to Southeast Asia during the 18th–20th centuries, forming one of the larger dialect groups among the Overseas Chinese... In particular, the Chaozhou people settled in significant numbers in Thailand and Cambodia... They constitute a significant minority in Hong Kong, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia... Chaozhou speakers also live in Australia, New Zealand, North America, and Europe.


-Long Nguyen