Nutrition Tip of the Week

"A Milky Way for the Lactose Sensitive"

People can tolerate different amounts of lactose. The inability to digest lactose, a milk sugar that accounts for almost half of the calories in milk, can result in variable degrees of stomach discomfort in a number of individuals. Lactose is found only in milk products and in a very small number of a few inedible tropical plants. Despite the fact that yogurt is fairly high in lactose, many milk-sensitive individuals can consume yogurt because the “live active cultures” in the yogurt help to break down the lactose allowing for easier digestion. If you are lactose sensitive, check your yogurt labels to make sure they contain live active cultures. When talking cheese, aged and hard cheeses (Colby, Jack, Cheddar, Swiss) are best tolerated because they are particularly low in lactose. In fact, some lactose is removed during the cheese making process. Lactose-free milk products (Dairy-Ease, Lactaid) are available and can be used in place of regular milk for most recipes, but keep in mind that these products taste slightly sweeter than regular milk. Rice milk (Rice Dream) is a good dairy substitute for most desert recipes and is a little lighter than other substitutes, and, perhaps, naturally a little sweeter. If these lactose-free dairy alternatives are a little too sweet for your taste, soy milk is a great dairy alternative for most normal cooking/baking applications.

This nutrition tip of the week is brought to you by Melinda Safir, R.D. Melinda specializes in weight management as well as preventive and cardiovascular nutrition and wellness. For more information or to schedule a nutrition consultation, call 972-560-2655.