FYI, There Are Certain Cheeses You Can Still Eat If You’re Lactose Intolerant |
FYI, There Are Certain Cheeses You Can Still Eat If You’re Lactose Intolerant
Nutritionists reveal how and why you can get away with eating these.
During an icebreaker game in college, one of my classmates confessed that she wasn’t allowed to eat cheese in her apartment.
Her fiancé couldn’t stand the sight or smell of cheese. Personally, that would be a relationship dealbreaker, but for others, avoiding cheese isn’t just a personal preference.
“Lactose intolerance occurs when the small intestine produces too little lactase, the enzyme that digests lactose, which is the natural sugar in milk,” explained Michelle Routhenstein, a preventive cardiology dietitian and certified diabetes educator at Entirely Nourished.
“Undigested lactose passes into the large intestine, where bacteria ferment it, causing bloating, gas, cramps and diarrhoea.”
Despite these unpleasant symptoms, you don’t have to write off cheese entirely if you’re lactose intolerant. As it turns out, there are several types of cheese you can still enjoy, even if you’re sensitive to lactose.
Below, we consulted registered dietitians about what to look for in a cheese and which cheeses you can eat in moderation if you’re lactose intolerant.
Should you avoid lactose?
“Many people with lactose intolerance can tolerate about 1 to 4 grams of lactose per serving, especially when eaten with other foods, though individual thresholds vary,” Routhenstein said.
“Sticking to roughly 1 ounce of cheese, enjoying it as part of a meal, and spacing servings throughout the day can help improve tolerance.”
She also explained that lactose intolerance differs from a true milk allergy. “Anyone with a dairy allergy should avoid these cheeses entirely,” she said.
But if you’re sensitive to lactose or concerned about it affecting your digestion, you don’t need to avoid cheese completely. “Most of the lactose is strained out with the whey when making cheese,” Amanda Sauceda, a........