Living la vida Lactose-Free

Before you get to singing, let’s kick things off by dropping some knowledge about lactose! It’s a natural form of sugar found in cow’s milk and other dairy products. When we drink or consume any dairy product, our bodies produce an enzyme called lactase to break it down into smaller, more digestible parts.

But what happens when our bodies don’t produce enough of this enzyme? Well, it results in something that you may be familiar with—lactose intolerance. People with this condition experience uncomfortable symptoms because the digestive system is working extra hard to discard undigested lactose.  
 

If ever you feel queasy after eating cheese, drinking milk, or gulping down that last drop of ice cream on your bowl, you might want to schedule an appointment with your doctor. And in case you do find yourself having lactose intolerance, don’t worry! There are lactose-free products that you can enjoy. 

If you’ve experienced symptoms after consuming dairy, you might find yourself having a mental tug-of-war about reaching for that tub of ice cream on a hot summer day. Sure, there are lactase capsules that you can take to get rid of the symptoms before they even occur, but if you don’t want to the medical route, you can always replace traditional dairy products with lactose-free alternatives such as lactose-free milk, lactose-free cream, vegetable drinks, and more!  

Yup, you read that right! Now before we hit that ‘skepticism button’, lactose-free milk is simply cow’s milk with additional lactase. To explain the process, the milk does not go through any different process than traditional milk, except for the addition of the enzyme so that the sugar is already broken down before being packaged.

Remember how lactase breaks down lactose inside your body? Well with lactose-free milk, it’s already broken down for you! Because of this process, lactose-free milk and products have a sweeter flavor.
 

Although lactose-free milk is much more common than other lactose-free products in groceries, other products—such as oats, powdered and condensed milk, cream, milk drinks, and yogurt also come with lactose-free versions. Obviously, plant-based drinks do not have lactose, being made of vegetables and plants like grains, nuts, and other veggie byproducts. 
 

A happy tummy equals a happy mood. Thanks to these lactose-free alternatives, the milk glass will always be half-full for lactose-intolerant foodies, especially when they feel free to enjoy their meals to the fullest! 

More references:

Lactose Intolerance: Facts you need to know. National Nutrition Council, 2021. 
Lactose Intolerance: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment. Hello Doctor, 2022.