Lactose free Yogurt: Does Greek Yogurt Cause Lactose Intolerance?
Do you know that milk has a natural sugar? Yes, milk contains as well and it is known as “Lactose”. Although, the term is probably familiar with you, I will try to explain several other facts about it. Today, my write-up will be covering lactose free yogurt and its benefits mainly, lactose free Greek yogurt, foods with lactose, lactose free foods and some other interesting facts as well. Moreover, I will be focusing on lactose intolerance (perhaps a new thing for you) and I will try to provide you with a list of lactose free diet that will help you if you are suffering from lactose intolerance. So, let us move on.
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What is lactose?
Basically, the compound is milk sugar and it is a disaccharide. It covers almost the 2-8 percent of the milk by weight and it has a widespread use in food industries. Its characteristic blend flavor makes it as a stabilizer component in aromatic products. In addition to that, it has a higher use in pharmaceutical industries as well.
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Lactose intolerance
Before going to discuss lactose intolerance, I will try to let you know something about your digestion. There is an enzyme named “lactase” secreted by your intestine, which helps to digest that compound. The function of the enzyme “lactase” includes the breakdown of complex disaccharide into simple molecules. Therefore, lactase converts the milk lactose into glucose and galactose in order to aid your digestion. Now, what is lactose intolerance? To answer that, when your intestine does not produce sufficient amount of lactase enzyme, your stomach will may not properly digest the lactose which you got by drinking milk. Therefore, the insufficient amount of lactase enzyme producing, results to the intolerance and I will show the symptoms of later on. So, if you are an intolerant person, your doctor will probably suggest you to consume lactose free foods. I will suggest you to eat lactose free Greek yogurt, It will be the best option for you.
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Lactose intolerance and milk allergy
People can often become confused with milk allergy and lactose intolerance. But, they are totally different. Allergic reactions are specific immune responses; a person can be allergic to certain foods such as, milk, milk products, prawn, some vegetables such as, brinjal, beans, etc. On the other hand, lactose intolerance is a digestive problem where digestion of the compound is being interrupted due to the lacking of lactase enzyme.
Lactose free yogurt
Lactose free yogurt can be an excellent choice for your breakfast. Because, these yogurt contains essential nutritions. If you face problem by consuming milk products, then you can consult with your doctor.
Why lactose free Greek yogurt?
When the Greek yogurt is produced, the regular yogurt undergoes straining process for several times. Multiple straining processes provide the Greek yogurt its characteristic flavor and taste. Moreover, it removes much of the lactose as well. Greek yogurt contains three times less amounts of lactose than the lactose present in the same amount of milk. Therefore, Greek yogurt is recognized as a lower lactose food.
The baby with lactose intolerance, can attack with severe diarrhea by drinkink milk because, his/her stomach cannot digest the lactose of the milk.
Though, the dairy products contain lactose, there are lots of other nutritional elements are there which are essential for the growth of the baby.
Lactose free foods to buy
If you are lactose intolerant, you have to choose foods which are lactose free. As I said earlier that, there are so many food products are available in the market which are lactose free. Among those foods, I recommend you to buy lactose free Greek yogurt. I do emphasize on this because, lactose free Greek yogurt has less amount of lactose than other lactose free products and it contains enough amount of live culture which are beneficial for your digestive system.
Where can I buy lactose free yogurt?
You probably think about that, where to buy this type yogurt? You can buy lactose free yogurt from any supermarket. But, while buying, you should observe the following aspects:
1. Read the label and find whether it has been labeled “lactose free” or not.
2. Try to buy from a reputed store.
3. See the company name and its reputation. Because, you are much likely to get a better product from a reputed company.
4. You also have to avoid the foods which are labeled “may contain milk”.
What foods have lactose?
The following foods have high lactose content:
• Any kind of food which is made from milk
• Milk and milk based drinks
• Whipped cream
• Soup and sauce that are made with milk cream
• Cheese
• Butter
• Puddings, custards, etc.
Other foods: Lactose also present in breads, baked food products like biscuits, cookies, breakfast mixes, pancakes, etc. Foods that are refrigerated, such as salad dressings, margarines also contain a little amount of lactose as a preservative agent.
Some processed foods can also contain lactose. Milk and milk products can be used in prolonging the shelf life of processed foods. Therefore, observe the label of food products to identify sources of lactose if present and try to avoid it if you are lactose intolerant.
Some medicines also contain lactose, such as, birth control pills.
Benefits of lactose free foods
Lactose free food products have several benefits. It is important to keep foods with lactose away from your meal if you are lactose intolerant. The beneficial aspects of lactose free foods are as follows:
Reduce gastric problems: If you are intolerant to lactose and eat lactose food products, lactose will reach to your colon without being break down and combine with your intestinal bacteria which can cause gastrointestinal problems, production of gas, etc. Therefore, if you avoid consuming lactose free food, you are more likely to get relief from those problems.
Advanced nutrition: A study of National Institute of Health (NIH) shows that, People with lactose intolerance, may face malnutrition, less Body Mass Index (BMI), and reduced growth rate. So, in case of lactose intolerance, removing lactose containing foods from the diet list will help you to get much nutrition as it helps increasing the absorption of nutrition by the stomach.
Diet for disabled: Generally, children with autism are intolerant to lactose and gluten. Therefore, doctors suggest a lactose free diet for them. Feeding them with lactose free foods can bring up a better improvement.
Most importantly, following a lactose free diet will help you to maintain vegetarian diet. Recently, a large number of people have been following this because of beneficial health aspects. It has been proven that, a plant based diet can prevent heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Therefore, it is too distinct that, you will get huge benefits by following a lactose free diet.
Note: You can check the all important post about yogurt for diet, hope it will be helpful for you.
Bad sides of lactose free foods
There are several negative aspects of lactose free foods as well. You will miss something as well by avoiding lactose containing foods. I am going to talk about them now. So, please have a look.
New born babies’ energy requirements: Lactose can supply almost the half of the energy required for the babies.
The only source of galactose: The source of galactose is lactose only. It has been found that, galactose has a large number of beneficial functions, which are as follows:
Galactose provides neural and immunological support. The macromolecules of galactose are major components of nerve cell membrane.
Galactose is an element of ABO blood types determining molecule Absorption of minerals and nutrients: Recent researchers have found that, lactose can play major role in the absorption of minerals, such as, zinc and copper, and nutrients, such as, calcium.
Besides these, lactose supports the functions of the immune system, and fight with the aging associated immune functions by facilitating the growth of bifidobacteria present in the gut.
Moreover, the microorganisms that inhabit our gut may use lactose as their source of nutrition.
What causes lactose intolerance?
There are some reasons behind loosing the secretion of lactase enzyme, which causes lactose intolerance. Several digestive diseases, such as ulcerative disease, Crohn’s disease and diseases that are associated to the injurious small intestine are responsible for reducing the amount of lactase enzyme required to break down lactose properly. Sometimes, you may face lactose intolerance for a short period of time if your small intestine gets injured. But, you will be cured right after the healing of your small intestine.
Risk Factors
There are also several risk factors which are associated with lactose intolerance. They are:
Age: Lactose intolerance is mostly found in aged people, not in children and young generations.
Ethnicity: Ethnicity is also a factor because, researches show that lactose intolerance is comparatively much more common in people of American Indians, Africans, Asians and Hispanics.
Problems in th small intestine: Several functional problems of the small intestine also cause lactose intolerance.
Early born of babies: a child, who took birth prematurely, may develop lactose intolerance. Because, the development of lactase enzyme producing cells by the small intestine occurs at the end of the third trimester. Therefore, if a baby born much before the delivery time, his/her small intestine will not release sufficient lactase enzymes at all.
Radiation therapy: If somebody undergoes a radiation therapy in the abdomen, there is a higher risk of lactose intolerance.
Symptoms of lactose intolerance
The symptoms of lactose intolerance usually depend on the release of lactase enzyme by your small intestine. Depending on this, the signs can be moderate to dangerous. Symptoms generally start within half an hour to two hours right after consuming milk or milk products. The probable signs are as follows:
• You may feel pain in the lower belly
• You can feel unusual sounds from your lower belly
• Other symptoms include: production of gas, foamy stools, etc.
If you feel uncomfortable every time after consuming milk or milk products, then probably you are lactose intolerant. Sometimes, people who never faced any difficulties with milk or milk products, may also face lactose intolerance problems as they get aged.
The signs of lactose intolerance in infants are as follows:
• Loss of weight
• Dehydration
• Diarrhea
• Foamy stools
• Weakness
• Rashes in diaper
All of these are the probable signs of lactose intolerance. Sometimes, you may become confused with the symptoms and become worried. In that case, my suggestion is, do not become anxious, rather you should consult with your doctor.
Lactose intolerance and yeast infection
These infections are also associated with lactose intolerance. When your immune system shows weak response, microbes are more likely to get the opportunity to attack you. Due to lactose intolerance, yeasts can cause thrush to your mouth and tongue. A thrush refers to the development of rash in your mouth and tongue.
Lactose free diet list
A lactose free diet basically refers a list of foods which are lactose free. Several problems are associated with the consumption of lactose containing foods. People with lactose intolerance should avoid these foods in order to protect them from those problems. Your doctor can help to provide you a diet chart of lactose free food.
The following list of products is lactose free:
1. Canned soy drink: This is a drink which is made from soy and do not contain milk.
2. Soy milk
3. Lactose free whipped creamers
4. Lactose free Greek yogurt is a fermented milk product which contains a very little amount of lactose. Therefore, you can add it in your lactose free diet
Baked food products
1. Biscuits that are made without using milk are lactose free.
2. Pasta, noodles, macaroni, are also lactose free food
3. Cereals that are made without using milk are lactose free
4. Cakes without milk are also lactose free baked food product
Soups and sauces
You can eat any vegetable or meat soups and sauces which are not added to milk. You also can eat spices and plain herbs
Desserts
On a lactose free diet, you can eat jams, jellies, honey or syrups as a dessert. On the other hand, you should avoid desserts with milk, such as pudding, custard, etc.
To conclude, I want to say that, I have given my effort to provide you a nice write-up with necessary information based on recent researches. In the article, I tried to focus basically on lactose and lactose intolerance, lactose containing and lactose free foods and several other important facts related to these. Finally, I will again suggest you to consume lactose free Greek yogurt if you are lactose intolerant.
Note: Yogurt Trusted Brand: Chobani, Fage, Yoplait, Dannon, Oikos, siggi etc.