Mitigating the dairy disaster: lactose and cheese intolerance
If you’ve ever felt bloated, gassy, or just plain sick after eating certain dairy products, you’re not alone. Ironically, shortly after I started this gourmet cheese business, I found out that I was lactose intolerant. Certainly a cruel hand dealt by fate, or so I thought. Panic, depression and anxiety set in with the thought of never being able to partake in some of the most exquisite food. Cheese had become my life and livelihood. But after doing some research, I discovered that not all dairy products have the same levels of lactose, and that gourmet cheese can take back its rightful place in my daily diet (phew!).
Lactose intolerance is a hereditary condition that affects up to 70% of the world population. Populations in southern Europe, Asia and Africa tend to be the most affected. Lactose is a type of sugar found naturally in milk and milk products. Lactose intolerance occurs when the small intestine does not produce enough of the lactose-digesting enzyme called lactase. So when dairy products are consumed, the large intestine cannot easily digest the lactose and therefore stomach aches occur. Cramps, bloating, gas, and stomach pain are some of the (less severe) symptoms associated with lactose intolerance. The tricky part in managing lactose intolerance is that it affects people differently, as some types of dairy are easily tolerated (such as yogurt with live cultures) and in variable amounts. To help determine the right combination of dairy products that your body can handle without discomfort, it helps to know which milk-based foods have the lowest levels of lactose.
Milk, ice cream and yogurt are high in lactose (10 grams per serving). When it comes to gourmet cheese, the amount of lactose present is determined by the production and aging process rather than the type of milk used to produce the cheese. It turns out that cow’s, sheep’s, and goat’s milk contain about the same amount of lactose. Hard, soft, and blue cheeses all have less than 1 gram per serving. And most aged cheeses are virtually lactose free. How could this be if real cheese is made from milk? As cheese ages during the manufacturing process, lactose is converted to lactic acid.
So cheese lovers, foodies afflicted with lactose intolerance, rejoice! If you’ve been turning your back on gourmet cheese, invite it back into your life. If you’re not sure which cheeses to extend the invitation to (ie, how long a cheese has been aged), take a look at this list that differentiates fresh cheeses from aged cheeses, listed in order of lactose levels from lowest to elderly.
Hard cheese (virtually lactose-free per serving)
County
Dry cat
Parmigiano Reggiano
Piave
Firm Cheese (less than 1 gram of lactose per serving)
Asiago
Cheddar (like our 3 year old Cheddar)
Gouda (like our aged Gouda)
Gruyère
manchego
furniture
roman pecorino
provolone cheese
Swiss
Blue cheese (less than 1 gram of lactose per serving)
Our blue aged in caves
Gorgonzola
Roquefort
stilton
Semi-soft cheese (less than 1 gram of lactose per serving)
fontina
drunk goat
Ripened Soft Cheese (less than 1 gram of lactose per serving)
Brie cheese
Camembert
Pierre-Robert
Queso fresco (higher lactose levels) – proceed with caution
burrata
Chevre (fresh goat cheese)
feta cheese
Mozzarella (including Buffalo and Smoked)
Ricotta
Washed rind cheese (higher lactose levels) – proceed with caution
epoisses
taleggio
