
Want to know what food is lactose-free? Well, then read the following write-up and help yourselves.
Lactose is a disaccharide (complex carbohydrate) made up of glucose and galactose, which are simple sugars present in many foods. Talking about lactose, it is essentially a part of dairy products like milk, cheese, yogurt, butter, and ice cream. There are many individuals who cannot digest this heavy carbohydrate because of the lack of lactase, leading to what we call lactose intolerance. Such individuals suffer from vomiting, diarrhea, bloating, stomach cramps and gas, and are thus advised to indulge in lactose-free diets.
So, obviously this particular diet plan has been devised to exclude all of these as well as few others which contain any of these lactose rich foods. So, in case, you also belong to this category of people, you would have to plan your diet differently, mainly consisting of very low or absolutely no lactose foods. Let us see how to go about the treatment.
Well, this isn’t a very difficult diet plan to follow. What you need to do is make some substitutions and plan your breakfast, lunch, and dinner in that manner. Lactose intolerance is nothing to worry about as such, and the only possible solution to lessen the symptoms is to follow the dairy-free menu given below to avoid any bowel discomfort. The table given below would help you understand which foods you can eat so take a look.
Lactose-free Foods | |||||
Dairy Foods | Breads and Starches | Fruits and Vegetables | Meat and Meat Substitutes | Soups and Sauces | Sweets |
• soy nutrition drinks • lactose-free milk • non dairy creamers • rice milk drinks • soy milk • lactose-free cheese |
• Italian and French breads • pasta, noodles, macaroni • potatoes and cooked grains • rice and rice cakes • whole grain crackers • barley • cereals w/o milk • saltines crackers |
• all fresh fruits and vegetables • cooked or baked vegetables • roasted vegetables • fruit juices or pieces |
• fresh meat, fish, poultry • cooked dried peas and beans • eggs • peanut butter • nuts and seeds • soybean • tofu products |
• vegetable or chicken broth • gravies with water • herbs and spices • vegetable or meat soups w/o milk |
• frozen pureed fruit bars • gelatin desserts w/o milk or cream • honey • sugar and syrups • jellies and jams • pies and cakes w/o milk • margarine w/o milk • lactose-free ice cream |
As you must have guessed, there are a number of food options available for a lactose intolerance diet, which you can include either in your breakfast, lunch, or dinner. To make it simpler, let us see some good options. You could have orange juice, eggs, oatmeal, or margarine toast for breakfast along with a cup of coffee or tea (with nondairy creamer). For lunch, you could have salads or breads with soy milk and banana. Dinner, however, could be made a little heavier, consisting of meat products like roast beef, chicken, or fish, along with noodles, and as dessert you could have jellies or frozen fruits.
Having said this, most people with milk allergy fear of suffering from calcium deficiency, which is because of cutting down of the dairy products especially milk. However, there is no need to worry, since there are other calcium-rich non-dairy foods like sardines, soy milk, tofu, shrimp, broccoli, spinach, pinto beans, rhubarb, salmon, lettuce, oranges, and tuna which would help you.
This was all about a lactose-free diet. I hope the aforementioned diet foods would prove to be beneficial in case you are suffering from lactose intolerance. Take care!