Lactose Intolerance is No Excuse

By Ben Lubin

 

If you thought cheese was off limits because of lactose intolerance…you were wrong.

 

For many, the consumption of cheese strikes fear in the heart. Most adults have varying levels of milk intolerance. The reason? The milk sugar, lactose, cannot be absorbed and used by the body. It must first be broken down into its component sugars by an enzyme called lactase. The problem? Lactase is at its maximum level in the human body right after birth…and steadily declines as we get older. But there is hope! Cheese, that beautiful and nutritious super food, contains little or no lactose. Lactose is converted to lactic acid during the cheese making process and what little remains is broken down during the aging process. So what does this mean for the lactase deficient? The cheese making and aging process digests the lactose for you!