My name is Sabine and I am the co-founder and art designer of The Cheese Wanker. Today, I want to share with you my journey of discovery as a lactose intolerant cheese lover.
SEE ALSO: What is lactose and which cheeses are lactose free →
We are all different
I want to preface my story with a disclaimer. I can fully appreciate that every lactose intolerant person is different. And that some intolerances extend to milk protein. But this is my personal story. And what has worked for me.
A life-changing discovery (or is it?)
I discovered that I was lactose intolerant in my mid 20s. That was a crushing realisation because I love cheese. But would suffer tremendously every time I ate cheese. Or butter. Or drank milk. The latter I could manage to go without. But cheese was going to be a very hard one.
After more than 12 months of cheese deprivation, I decided I couldn’t bear to go without anymore. And started doing some research on how I could reintroduce cheese into my diet. And my life.
I proceeded to break down various cheeses into 3 categories. Keep reading after the break to find out what they are.
1. Definitely can’t eat it without suffering
Unfortunately, most soft cheeses would fall in this category. Brie, Camembert and soft blue cheeses have got a much higher lactose content (sometimes in excess of 1g per 100g) and I would really struggle every time I had some.
Because I really love Brie, I tried to take lactase enzyme tablets with it to help with the digestion. It worked for a while but gradually wore off.
So, I tried instead to stick to very small amounts and make sure that I will be home for the hours that follow.
The ones I’ll happily go without
There’s another type of cheese that falls in this category for me. Processed cheese. Anything from slices to pre-shredded Mozzarella. Wreaks all kinds of havoc to my digestive system. Those I will happily go without.
2. It depends
This second category has been a pretty exciting one for me. It’s made me realise that I don’t have to deprive myself of some of the cheeses that I love the most.
Mozzarella is one of those. I was amazed to find that my gut can actually take fresh Mozzarella. The one that is still in a ball. And sold in a brine solution.
Also in this category, I’ve found that some melting cheeses like Gruyère (the real Swiss cheese), Raclette and Monterey Jack are ok for me in moderation.
3. Come to me baby!
These are the ones that I’ve been able to enjoy pain-free. Mostly hard cheeses fall in this category. Everything from Cheddar to Gouda. Through Parmesan.
And some harder blue cheeses like Stilton. It was an amazing discovery for me!
The reason why I’ve been ok with those cheeses is because they are matured for so long that lactose is only present in trace amounts. (Less than 0.1g per 100g)
How about plant-based cheeses?
I’ve also tried lactose free and plant based “cheeses” but, to be honest, I’ve found it difficult to get used to them. Like I said at the start, our bodies are all different.
Are you also lactose intolerant? I’d love to hear your story. Drop me a comment below to share your journey. And let me know which cheeses have been OK for you.
Wow, thank you so much for your article. I found out nearly 10 months ago that I’m lactose intolerant but have been struggling to keep cheese out of my diet until I found lactose-free cheese from my supermarket. That was a happy day but even happier was to read your articles just now on lactose-free cheese and low-lactose varieties. I’m a very happy woman.
Thank you so much! 🙏🏼
Thank you so much for leaving a comment on our post Sabina. There are indeed more amazing cheeses that are lactose free than we might think. I’d love to hear more about your experience with digesting cheese.