Some dairy products, including hard cheeses and yogurt with probiotics, contain low levels of lactose. If you are lactose intolerant, you may not experience symptoms when consuming them.
In an effort to prevent undesired, uncomfortable, or embarrassing side effects, people with lactose intolerance frequently abstain from eating dairy products.
However, not all dairy products are rich in lactose. You might be able to eat some low-lactose foods, depending on how severe your lactose intolerance is.
What is lactose intolerance?
Lactose intolerance is a very common digestive problem. It’s interesting to note that while it is much less common in some Western regions, such as North America, Europe, and Australia, it is most common in Asia and South America.
Those who have it have insufficient levels of the gut-based enzyme lactase. The primary sugar in milk, lactose, must be broken down by lactase.
Lactose can pass through the intestines undigested in the absence of lactase, leading to a variety of unpleasant symptoms, such as:
- nausea
- Ache
- gas
- swelling
- diarrhea
Fear of developing these symptoms may lead people with the condition to avoid foods that contain lactose, such as dairy products. This isn’t always necessary, though, as not all dairy products have enough lactose in them for intolerance-prone individuals to experience issues.
It’s thought that many individuals who have a lactose intolerance can consume up to 12 grams of lactose per day without showing any symptoms. To put that into perspective, 12 grams is the amount in 1 cup (230 ml) of milk.
Lactose intolerance affects everyone differently. For some people 12 grams may still be too much. It’s important to be aware of your symptoms and how much lactose you can handle.
Also, remember that the 12 gram estimate is for the entire day. So if you drink a glass of milk, then butter on your bread and cream in your coffee, you’ll exceed 12 grams, despite choosing low-lactose options.
Some dairy products are naturally low in lactose. Below are 5 of them.
1. Low lactose butter:
Butter is a high-fat dairy product made by blending cream or milk to separate its solid and liquid fat components.
The final product is composed of approximately 80% fat, as during processing the liquid part of the milk, which contains all the lactose, is eliminated.
This indicates that butter has a very low lactose content. In actuality, there are just 0.1 grams of lactose in 3.5 ounces (100 grams) of butter.
Even if you have an intolerance, levels this low are unlikely to cause issues.
Even less lactose is present in butter derived from fermented milk products and ghee products like ghee than in ordinary butter.
So unless you have another reason to avoid butter or need to use a lot of it, ditch the dairy-free spread.
2. Hard cheese:
Cheese is made by adding bacteria or acids to milk and then separating the curds that form from the whey.
Since milk lactose is found in whey, much of it is eliminated during cheese production.
However, the amount present in the cheese can vary and the cheeses with the lowest quantities are those that have aged the longest.
This is due to the fact that some of the lactose that is still there can be broken down by the bacteria found in cheese, reducing its content. The longer the cheese is aged, the more lactose the bacteria present are able to eliminate from it.
This means that mature and hard cheeses are often very low in lactose. For instance, there are merely trace amounts in 3.5 ounces (100 grams) of cheddar cheese.
Low-lactose cheeses include Parmesan, Swiss, and cheddar. People with lactose intolerance can usually tolerate moderation in these cheeses.
Cheeses such as pecorino, made from sheep’s milk, are also naturally low in lactose, as sheep’s milk has lower lactose concentrations than cow’s milk.
Cheeses that tend to be higher in lactose include spreadable cheeses, soft cheeses like Brie or Camembert, ricotta, and mozzarella.
Even some high-lactose cheeses may not cause symptoms in small portions.
3. Probiotic yogurt:
Yogurt is frequently far easier for lactose intolerant people to digest than milk.
This is because the live bacteria found in most yogurts can aid in the breakdown of lactose, leaving your body with less to do on its own.
For instance, one study that was part of a 2014 review of research on the digestion of lactose revealed that when lactose intolerant individuals ate yogurt, their digestive tracts retained 60% less undigested lactose than when they consumed the same amount of milk.
According to the same study, yogurt also causes fewer symptoms, with only 20 percent of people complaining of digestive distress after eating yogurt, compared to 80 percent who experienced problems after drinking milk.
It’s best to look for yogurts labeled “probiotic,” which means they contain live cultures of helpful bacteria. Pasteurized yogurts, a process that kills bacteria, may not be well tolerated.
Additionally, full-fat and strained yogurts, such as Greek and Greek-style yogurt, may be an even better choice for people with lactose intolerance.
This is because compared to low-fat yogurts, full-fat yogurts have more fat and less lactose-rich whey.
Greek and Greek-style yogurts are filtered during processing. This further eliminates whey, resulting in a naturally lower lactose content.
4. Low-lactose protein powders:
For those who are lactose intolerant, selecting a protein powder can be challenging. Protein powders are usually made from whey protein, which is the liquid part of milk containing lactose.
However, the amount of lactose present in whey protein powder can vary depending on how the whey is processed.
Whey protein powder comes in three primary varieties:
Whey concentrate: Contains up to 85% protein and a small amount of lactose.
Whey Isolate: Contains a higher concentration of protein and less lactose than whey protein concentrate.
Hydrolyzed whey: Contains a similar amount of lactose as concentrated whey, but some proteins in this powder have already been partially broken down.
The best choice for lactose-sensitive individuals is whey isolate, which contains the lowest levels of lactose.
However, lactose content can vary considerably between brands, and most people have to experiment to see which brand of protein powder works best for them.
5. Kefir:
Kefir is a fermented drink traditionally made by adding “kefir grains” to animal milk.
Like yogurt, kefir grains contain live cultures of bacteria that help break down and digest the lactose in milk.
This means that kefir may be better tolerated by people with lactose intolerance if consumed in moderate quantities.
In fact, a previous study from 2003 found that, compared to milk, fermented dairy products such as yogurt or kefir could reduce intolerance symptoms by 54-71%.
Other low-lactose options:
Brands that make popular dairy products often offer low-lactose alternatives, created by mixing lactase directly into the product to break down the lactose before you even take a bite.
Brands with entire lactose-free product lines include Lactaid and Green Valley Creamery.
Plant-based dairy alternatives marketed to vegans are also great lactose-free options.
Take Away:
Contrary to popular belief, people with lactose intolerance do not need to avoid all dairy products.
In fact, some dairy products, like those discussed in this article, are naturally low in lactose.
In moderate, controlled quantities, they are generally well tolerated. Some people may find that some of the foods listed above are harder on their digestive system than others.
Also, remember to pay attention to portion sizes and that more than one low-lactose food consumed together may result in more lactose than your system can tolerate.
Through trial and error, as well as moderation, you can create a list of low-lactose foods that are best for you.