Lactose intolerance plant-based food diet

Vegetarian food for lactose intolerance

HOW TO FEED WHEN MILK CAUSES US DISCOMFORT

How much lactose can we take from milk?

One of the questions asked by people who do not feel good about milk is how much milk they can drink without feeling bad.

The degree of lactose intolerance is very personal. Therefore, each person must learn to value the amount of milk or dairy products that can be ingested.

When a person presents a permanent intolerance should dispense with milk. Among all types of milk, human milk is the least recommended, followed by donkey milk, because they have a higher amount of lactose.

Goat milk is the one that has less lactose.

How much lactose is there in the different types of milk?

This is the lactose content of some types of milk per 100 g:

• Human milk: 6,8
• Donkey milk : 6,20
• Cow milk : 4,90
• Buffalo milk: 4,50
• Sheep milk : 4,30
• Goat milk: 3,90

Can milk be replaced by yogurt, kefir, cheese or other dairy product?

These products have a lower lactose content, therefore they can be tolerated by people who can not tolerate milk. Other people are more intolerant and do not digest many of these products either.

Some people do very well to replace milk with other dairy products such as:

• Lactose in cheeses: The lactose content in cheeses is lower than in milk. In this case, it will depend on the level of intolerance of the person. That is, the person may not tolerate the direct consumption of milk because of its lactose content and, on the other hand, if it can tolerate some cheeses that, thanks to their elaboration and maturation process, have a lower content in this sugar, and therefore can be more tolerated than fresh ones.In general, cured or fermented cheeses have a lower content of lactose, which is why they are better tolerated than fresh cheeses.

  In spite of this, if the level of intolerance is absolute, the consumption of any cheese is not recommended.

  

  Yogur mixed with apple. Some people who are intolerant to milk, can tolerate yogurt because it has less lactose

• Lactose in yogurt: Each person should control their tolerance level. That is, it can not tolerate milk but can tolerate products with less lactose such as yogurt, due to its content of lactic acid bacteria containing lactase (enzyme that digests lactose). There are some yogurts that contain dairy solids that can make them less tolerant.
• Lactose in kefir: Both in the case of yogurt and in the case of kefir, two foods resulting from the fermentation of milk are produced and, therefore, this process of fermentation increases the digestibility and, consequently, its tolerance regarding milk. That is, both yogurt and kefir are better digested than milk and cause fewer problems.
• Lactose in cream: Contains a lower proportion of lactose, so it can be tolerated by some people who can not tolerate milk.
• Lactose in butter: Its content is less than milk. The personal reaction to this product must be assessed.

How to replace milk or milk products with other foods rich in calcium?

Completely eliminating milk or milk products could cause a deficiency of calcium, which is so important, for example, for the bone diet, for the lactation diet or to avoid osteoporosis. Therefore, people who can not tolerate milk or milk products should consider this and seek how to obtain it from other sources.

The problem is aggravated when the affected person is strictly vegetarian, because milk, in addition to calcium, is a very important source of proteins and other minerals and vitamins

How to replace milk source of calcium in vegetarians?

In vegetarians who can not tolerate milk or milk products, it must be taken into account what foods can cover the protein and calcium intake of dairy products. In these cases, it is especially important that foods should be introduced in the menus for people with lactose intolerance to meet these needs. For example:

• Natural ” horchata de chufa” (tiger nuts drink) does not contain lactose or fructose, components to which part of the population may have intolerance. This drink is therefore a nutritious and healthy drink for people with lactose intolerance and fructose intolerance.
• Oat milk: Oat milk or oat drink, very rich in calcium, does not contain lactose.
• Almond milk: It is a common food this product among celiac consumers, to whom dairy products usually cause digestive discomfort

* Related information: Calcium food for vegetarians

More information on milk problems .

Written by Editorial Botanical-online team in charge of content writing

19 October, 2021