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Lactose Intolerant


tina a

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tina a Apprentice

hello. i've been told i am gluten intolerant as well as soy, and dairy intolerant. would lactaid help the dairy intolerance in my case you think? there are plenty of gluten free products out there but w/o soy or dairy its very hard and i was thinking it might be easier if i was able to handle eggs/butter baked in a gluten free cake (for instance) and was hoping lactaid would do it. is it a possibility? thank you...tina


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mushroom Proficient

hello. i've been told i am gluten intolerant as well as soy, and dairy intolerant. would lactaid help the dairy intolerance in my case you think? there are plenty of gluten free products out there but w/o soy or dairy its very hard and i was thinking it might be easier if i was able to handle eggs/butter baked in a gluten free cake (for instance) and was hoping lactaid would do it. is it a possibility? thank you...tina

Dairy products are composed primarily of lactose (milk sugar) and casein (milk protein). It is possible to be intolerant of lactose and still be able to handle casein. The primary sources of high lactose are milk, cream, ice cream (and frozen yogurt which is not like real yogurt). Products such as real yogurt, cheeses, sour cream, have cultures added to them, and these cultures serve to digest much of the lactose leaving a much higher percentage of casein. Some people can ingest the low lactose products without problem; others are intolerant of the casein also. So with dairy you have to experiment and find out what you personally tolerate. Some find that Lactaid helps, others don't. It's an individual thing. I personally only had to cut out milk, cream and ice cream. By the way, eggs are not dairy :rolleyes:

So to test, you could start with butter, which although not cultured has had the lactose churned out of it (comes out as buttermilk) and is composed primarily of fat and casein. If you tolerate butter (and if you don't you can melt and clarify it as ghee) then you can add in hard cheeses and see how you do with those, and continue on down the line. Everyone has their own limits of tolerance. :)

sa1937 Community Regular

Dairy products are composed primarily of lactose (milk sugar) and casein (milk protein). It is possible to be intolerant of lactose and still be able to handle casein. The primary sources of high lactose are milk, cream, ice cream (and frozen yogurt which is not like real yogurt). Products such as real yogurt, cheeses, sour cream, have cultures added to them, and these cultures serve to digest much of the lactose leaving a much higher percentage of casein. Some people can ingest the low lactose products without problem; others are intolerant of the casein also. So with dairy you have to experiment and find out what you personally tolerate. Some find that Lactaid helps, others don't. It's an individual thing. I personally only had to cut out milk, cream and ice cream. By the way, eggs are not dairy rolleyes.gif

So to test, you could start with butter, which although not cultured has had the lactose churned out of it (comes out as buttermilk) and is composed primarily of fat and casein. If you tolerate butter (and if you don't you can melt and clarify it as ghee) then you can add in hard cheeses and see how you do with those, and continue on down the line. Everyone has their own limits of tolerance. smile.gif

Thanks for the explanation of lactose/casein and high/low lactose products!

I'm still trying to figure out all of this for myself. I do buy Lactaid milk and yesterday picked up some Vance's DariFree to try a recipe for a "cream of whatever" soup mix since I don't feel ready to whip up a batch using regular dry milk. I seem to tolerate butter but also like non-dairy Earth Balance (soy-free) Buttery Spread. I've also been testing sharp cheddar cheese occasionally. Lactaid tablets don't seem to help me but then I haven't tested them for quite awhile. I've only been gluten free 5 months now.

A couple of weeks ago I found Breyer's Lactose-Free Ice Cream for $2.50 in Wal-Mart of all places (I bought vanilla, which I think is the only flavor they had). Same price as the other Breyers ice creams. I know Lactaid also makes ice cream but I haven't seen it where I shop. Of course, you'll have to watch for the usual things that may be lactose free but not gluten free.

jststric Contributor

Years ago when I was only lactose-intolerant, I would take Lactaid and it would be fine. Until one time it made me feel like someone was ripping my insides with a knife. I never too it again. Spring ahead 16 yrs or so and now I have glutens and other intolerances. I can do Lactaid milk and an occasional bite of soft, expensive cheeses. Cheddar KILLS me and I am unable to have any other kind of dairy. I cannot do nuts either, but many people on here use almond milk and say it works very well. Its getting more common to find also. Perhaps an almond or cashew butter would work for your cake?

tarnalberry Community Regular

BTW, for the OP, eggs have no dairy in them.

tina a Apprentice

post='638510']

BTW, for the OP, eggs have no dairy in them.

  • 3 weeks later...
bincongo Contributor

Dairy products are composed primarily of lactose (milk sugar) and casein (milk protein). It is possible to be intolerant of lactose and still be able to handle casein. The primary sources of high lactose are milk, cream, ice cream (and frozen yogurt which is not like real yogurt). Products such as real yogurt, cheeses, sour cream, have cultures added to them, and these cultures serve to digest much of the lactose leaving a much higher percentage of casein. Some people can ingest the low lactose products without problem; others are intolerant of the casein also. So with dairy you have to experiment and find out what you personally tolerate. Some find that Lactaid helps, others don't. It's an individual thing. I personally only had to cut out milk, cream and ice cream. By the way, eggs are not dairy :rolleyes:

So to test, you could start with butter, which although not cultured has had the lactose churned out of it (comes out as buttermilk) and is composed primarily of fat and casein. If you tolerate butter (and if you don't you can melt and clarify it as ghee) then you can add in hard cheeses and see how you do with those, and continue on down the line. Everyone has their own limits of tolerance. :)

Nice way to break it down. I needed that info too. Now I think I can say I am lactose intolerant but I don't have a problem with casein.


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