Navigating lactose intolerance
If you experience digestive problems after eating dairy foods, you may be lactose intolerant. If so, follow the strategies below for navigating lactose intolerance.
What is lactose?
Lactose is a disaccharide, i.e. two simple sugars linked together. It is the sugar present in dairy foods, i.e. milk and foods made from it. This includes yoghurt, cheese, cream, and ice cream. It also includes foods that have milk as an ingredient, such as most chocolate, some pastries, baked goods, packaged snacks, etc.
Navigating lactose intolerance
1. Consume dairy alternatives
Many people employ they strategy to deal with their symptoms. Foods in this category include plant-based dairy alternatives such as milk, yoghurt and cheese made from soy, almond, oat, rice, etc. These foods are often labelled as plant-based, vegan and/or dairy-free.
If you decide to use this strategy, note that dairy alternatives are not necessarily nutritionally nor culinarily equivalent to the products they replace. For example, many plant-based milks do not contain the same amount of protein and calcium than dairy milk.
In addition, many non-dairy alternative foods contain added oils, sugars and other ingredients to approximate the taste and texture of their dairy counterparts.
2. Consume lactose-free dairy foods
These days there are many lactose-free dairy products widely available in supermarkets. Examples include milk, cheese, yoghurt, cream, sour cream, custard, ice cream and flavoured milk. Likewise, most cafes offer lactose-free milk for beverages.
Lactose-free foods are clearly labelled, as seen in the example below.
Lactose-free dairy foods are made by adding lactase, the enzyme that lactose intolerant people lack. This enzyme breaks down lactose into glucose and galactose, making lactose-containing foods easier to digest. As a result you may have noticed, for example, that lactose-free milk tastes sweeter, despite it containing the same amount of total sugars.
3. Consume low lactose foods (and/or or smaller quantities)
If you are lactose intolerant, you will experience symptoms when the amount of lactose you consume exceeds your threshold of tolerance. This means you can potentially consume foods that are lower in lactose or even foods higher in lactose but in smaller quantities.
The table below shows the amount of lactose in grams per 100 grams of some dairy foods.
Despite this, some foods such as yoghurt might be easier to tolerate than other foods that are technically lower in lactose such as some cheeses. This could be due to the fermentation process, the presence of probiotics or perhaps the presence of postbiotics (metabolites produced by microbial fermentation).
Finally, some foods are lower in lactose due to the addition of lactase but still contain some lactose. These foods will not have the words “lactose free” on the label even though they will have lactase as an ingredient in the ingredients list. Some products will show the amount of lactose per serve and 100g/mL of product, however this is not mandatory in Australia. See example below.
4. Use lactase tablets
Given the widespread prevalence of lactose intolerance, lactase tablets are widely available in chemists. These are to be taken just before eating lactose-containing foods and allow the body to break down the lactose, preventing symptoms.
Taking tablets all the time might not be ideal because it can get expensive and you might forget to buy or take them. I recommend having the tablets as a backup option when eating out.
Navigating lactose intolerance: Summary and recommendations
If you don’t know if you are lactose intolerant, talk to your doctor or dietitian first. If you are truly lactose intolerant, you can employ any or a mix of the strategies listed above. I recommend stocking lactose-free foods at home and having tablets at the ready when eating out.
This website is for educational and informational purposes only. Click here if you need personalised nutrition advice.
