Cheese For The Lactose-Intolerant

06/28/2012 06:00 pm ET | Updated Aug 28, 2012

cheese lactose intolerant

by Kirstin Jackson, Cheese Expert for the Menuism Cheese Blog


If dairy doesn't always agree with you, three possible reasons for the aggravation follow. Feel free to play around to see if you actually have more dairy leeway than you think. Quick note, I am not a doctor, nutritionist, or in the science profession -- I'm a cheese and wine professional and writer. The following ideas are ones that I've researched and read about, but are in no way substitutions for medical advice or for you listening to your own body.

Milk Frustrations



So if you think you might be lactose-intolerant, try cheeses with less lactose -- the aged ones. Most of the lactose should have morphed into lactic acid by the time it gets to you.

2. Milk protein. One of the components of milk is protein. Amino acids, to be specific. If you are allergic to the milk protein, this is something completely different than being lactose-intolerant. It's a protein thing, not a sugar thing. However, different milks are made up of different proteins. Goat and sheep's milk, for example, are formed with shorter amino acid protein chains than cow's milk, and many folks who are bothered by cow's milk have little to no problems eating goat and sheep's milk cheeses. Play around.

3. Pasteurized milk. When milk is pasteurized, it is ridded of a lot of potentially harmful bacteria. Unfortunately, many good bacteria are also killed, and some of those beneficial bacteria help break down milk in bodies. And they taste good to boot. Try raw milk cheeses. Ask your cheesemonger to recommend some. They're not illegal, so don't worry about being arrested by the dairy police. If a cheese is aged over 60 days, it's allowed to be raw. Just like your love for cheese.

Related Links from the Menuism Cheese Blog:
• Artisanal Cheese 101
• And They Called Them Stinky (Great Stinky Cheeses)
• All About Goat's Milk Cheese

Kirstin Jackson is a professionally trained cook, wine bar manager and cheese program director, food and wine writer, consultant and instructor, whose fridge and head is almost entirely consumed with cheese. Her cheese blog, "It's Not You, It's Brie," was launched in April 2009, and has since received accolades from, Foodista, and Apartment Therapy's The Kitchen.