Of the lactose-free cheeses ? It could look like a UFO, and yet. Cheese and a lactose-free diet are not incompatible. Explanations.
Is there lactose in cheese?
For years, the consumption of milk and dairy products has been debated. In question ? Lactose, accused of (almost) all the wrongs because over the years, it would be more and more difficult to digest! Whether you are allergic, intolerant or have adopted a lactose-free dietwe have every reason to be interested in lactose-free cheeses.
The lactose, it is the main sugar in milk. And it is found in milk of animal origin such as cow’s milk, sheep’s milk, goat’s milk… Result? Lactose is found in all preparations made from animal milk, whether yoghurt, white cheese, butter, fresh cream… or cheese! We would therefore be entitled to assume that cheese contains lactose. But it is less simple than it seems. In reality, different manufacturing processes affect the lactose concentration of dairy products. In the case of ripened cheeses, between 80 and 90% of the lactose is eliminated during production. And some cheeses contain almost no lactose!
What cheeses should not be eaten when avoiding lactose?
Avoid at all costs? THE highest lactose cheeses ! These are mainly cow’s milk cheeses and fresh cheeses, to spread:
- le cottage cheese
- Saint Môret®
- le Philadelphia®
- the Kiri®
- the Caprice of the Gods®
- Boursin®
- le Tartare®
- Fresh Square®
- white cow cheese
Which cheeses are the lowest in lactose?
In case of’severe lactose intolerancebetter to run away from them, but for people with a degree of severity of theLactose intolerance less, some cheeses can be interesting: they contain only small traces of lactose – i.e. less than 1 g per 100 g of cheese – which allows them to be categorized as ‘lactose-free cheeses‘. Even better: over time the lactose is transformed into lactic acid by the bacteria present in the cheese and, in fact, the lactose content decreases. Thus, by favoring ripened cheeses, the risk of exposure to lactose is reduced accordingly. But here again extreme vigilance is required for intolerant people.
THE cheeses to favor when avoiding lactose ? Cheddar, Parmesan, Gruyère, Emmental, Gouda, Mimolette, Comté, Cantal, Tomme, Edam, Raclette, Reblochon, Saint-Nectaire. The advantages of these cheeses? They contain little lactose and, in addition, can be ripened for many months, which reduces their lactose content !
Lactose-free cheese, making the right choices
In case of severe intolerance, there is no need to play Russian roulette with cheese! The best solution is to carefully scrutinize the list of ingredients to be sure about the presence (or not) of lactose! In general, the line indicating the sugar content corresponds to lactose! Another element not to be overlooked: humidity, because the lower its percentage of humidity, the less lactose a cheese contains…
Another option for people who banish lactose from their diet? Choose a “false mage“, namely a cheese prepared from vegetable milk from cereals, oilseeds or tofu and therefore lactose-free!