How is dairy lactose-free????
Lactose is a milk sugar and is made from a glucose molecule and a galactose molecule bound together. Lactose is too big to be absorbed by our cells so in order to digest and absorb lactose the bond between the glucose and galactose needs to be broken by an enzyme. If you are lactose intolerant that means that you do not possess the enzyme necessary to break that bond.
Bacteria used to culture milk into cheese or yogurt has the ability to break the glucose-galactose bond. The longer the bacteria have been able to “culture” the more lactose it is able to break down. This is why cheese aged over 30 days and yogurt that is cultured for 24hours is lactose-free. Ghee is lactose-free because it is clarified which means that the sugars and proteins have been removed and all that remains is pure fat, which does not contain any lactose.
Why use lactose free dairy?
Lactose-free dairy is a great option to broaden the types of foods you can eat and is especially helpful for patients that are concerned about losing too much weight. In addition, it is an economical way to reintroduce probiotics into your diet. Each cup of 24 hour yogurt contains about 700 billion bacteria.
What is lactose-free dairy?
- Ghee – great for cooking and baking
- Aged Cheese: Asiago, Blue, Brick, Brie, Cheddar, Colby, Edam, Gorgonzola, Gouda, Gruyere, Havarti, Jack, Jarlsberg, Muenster, Parmesan, Provolone, Romano, Swiss, any others aged past 30 days
- 24hr yogurt
- Dry curd cottage cheese
What dairy should be avoided?
- Fresh or non-aged: mozzarella, ricotta, gjetost, feta
- Extra sharp cheddar
Ready to make your own lactose-free yogurt? Click here to view recipe.