Can I Eat Cheese if I’m Lactose Intolerant?

Know anyone who doesn’t eat cheese due to lactose intolerance? Or perhaps you yourself have to turn down cheese because of a lactose allergy? What you probably don’t know is that lactose intolerance should NOT affect cheese consumption. You may actually be suffering from something else!

Surprisingly, most cheeses don’t contain lactose! What’s happening when milk turns to cheese is a souring process called acidification, whereby the lactose in milk is converted into lactic acid. This is the magical fermentation process in cheesemaking, when a sugar — in this case, milk sugar, or lactose — is converted into something else — in this case, lactic acid, which happens to be an entirely different entity from lactose. By the time a cheese is made, most or all of the lactose present in the milk no longer remains.

The longer that milk is left to sour, the greater the opportunity for all of that lactose to dissipate into lactic acid. A longer period of acidification allows the protein chains to form even stronger bonds, which will result in a firmer curd — and ultimately a firmer cheese that can age longer. Therefore, it’s the harder, drier, and more aged cheeses that will be the safest to eat if you’re lactose intolerant. Fresher cheeses that are higher in moisture may retain a small amount of lactose because the milk has not been left to ferment completely. People who are lactose intolerant may have issues with fresher styles.

If you don’t really know if you’re lactose intolerant, try eating a hard cheese like parmesan, which has virtually no residual lactose. No good? What you probably have then is a MILK allergy, in which case all types of cheese will give you problems. But if harder, (virtually lactose-free) cheeses are okay but you still have issues with fresher, high-moisture cheeses plus yogurt, ice cream, and other dairy products, then it’s probably safe to say that you are indeed lactose intolerant.

Lactose intolerance and dairy allergies are two different topics. The former consists of intolerance for milk sugars (lactose), while the latter implies a negative reaction to the proteins in milk and milk products. Unfortunately, those with dairy allergies are SOL, but there is hope for people suffering from lactose intolerance. In fact, almost all of us have a little trouble with lactose. 

If you are lactose intolerant you can eat some cheeses, but beware. Not all cheeses are created equal and some do retain much of their original lactose. If you are to embark on a new painless cheese lifestyle, you’ll have to follow a couple guidelines.

The Rules

Experiment on yourself!

But first, buy some Lactaid, just to be safe.

Avoid fresh cheeses

Most young cheeses, like mozzarella, have a high moisture content and retain a lot of whey, and therefore lactose. However, there are a few fresh cheeses, such as quark, that are made with cultured milk, which you might be able to stomach.

Start with older cheeses

Start with one ounce of a semi-firm cheese that’s at least 60 days old, such as young gouda, and see how you feel. If you feel discomfort, try an even older cheese. If all goes well, maybe go a little younger. Ask your local cheesemonger for help on gauging cheese ages.

Eat raw cheeses

Unpasteurized cheeses have more digestive enzymes than pasteurized, which of course means easier digestion

Try avoiding cow milk cheese

Some people have issues digesting cow milk, because the fat globules are harder to break down than the milk of other livestock animals. Try older sheep and goat milk cheese instead.