Lactose is the naturally occurring sugar in cow’s milk. When consumed, lactose is digested and broken down into smaller units by an enzyme called lactase, before it is absorbed in the body. Lactose intolerance can occur when we consume more lactose than our body can digest.  Common symptoms of lactose intolerance include bloating, flatulence, diarrhoea and stomach cramps – usually within 30 minutes – two hours of consuming food or drink that contains lactose. 

While those with cow’s milk protein allergy should not eat any products containing dairy, this is not the case for those with lactose intolerance. If you have lactose intolerance, reducing your lactose intake, rather than avoiding it completely, is recommended. In fact, completely eliminating lactose from the diet can actually worsen the symptoms when lactose is consumed.

Dairy is a source of essential nutrients, including protein, calcium, B vitamins, phosphorus and potassium and unnecessary restriction can lead to a lack of certain nutrients that are important for good health unless an effort is made to get them from other foods.

Most people with lactose intolerance can still eat some dairy products and many can have up to a glass of milk every day, particularly if spread out over the day and consumed with meals. Most hard cheeses are low in lactose e.g. Cheddar, Colby, and Edam. Due to their lactose fermenting cultures, yoghurts can help further aid lactose digestion within the gastrointestinal tract so also tend to be well tolerated. There are also low or zero lactose milks available like Anchor Zero Lacto allow the freedom of dairy without the lactose.