Well, look at the source!

Very true, but given that people can get sick if the advice is bad, it does make me wonder.

I think there are plenty of folks like me, who are only mildly lactose intolerant. I can still deal with a splash of milk in my oatmeal or coffee, etc. I am usually fine with the products where the lactose is pre-digested/broken down like yogurt or cheese, for example I am ok eating pizza so long as I don't over indulge. But, glass of regular milk? creamy mashed potatoes? cheese souffle? no way.

Lactose is in the whey. Greek yoghurt has most of the whey drained out of it. There is also yoghurt made from milk which has had the lactose removed. Hard cheeses, including blue cheese, have the whey pressed and aged out of them. People with lactose issues should be able to eat most hard cheeses. (This comes from the medical scientists who've studied it, not inference, but not personal experience--I have no such issues.)

Encouraging people with issues to eat things that might be problematic is not a good thing, but I don't know that the advice is "bad" per se. Perhaps just a little too blithe.

Thanks, Oaktown.

Plllog, that makes sense, thanks. Yes, decidedly too blithe.

Lactose intolerance is a case-by-case issue, not one-size-fits-all. I've been dealing with this issue since 1981 with our son, then our granddaughter, and hubby also. It's one of the reasons I've used lactose-free and low-lactose whey-based milk substitutes since 1981.

Many people continue to make some of the enzyme necessary to break down lactose, others may not make any at all or only infrequently, so it often depends on the amount, type, and frequency of dairy products consumed.

Add to that, the higher the fat content (butter, whole milk, half & half, cream) the lower the amount of lactose. Ghee, which has the milk solids removed, is nearly lactose-free because only the fat remains. Conversely, the lower the fat content the higher the amount of lactose. That's why one person can have whole milk, half & half or cream in small amounts, but low-fat milk bothers them. Most don't have an issue eating cookies made with butter, as an example of a high-fat dairy, in my experience.

Homemade kefir has very little lactose due to fermentation, and the small amount that remains, is for the most part, broken down so it's easy to digest without causing stomach distress. The same can be true of yogurt, especially if it's made with whole milk.

-Grainlady

Thanks, Grainlady. I was hoping you'd weigh in.

Lactose intolerant doesn't mean saying bye-bye to all dairy products. The bad stuff is milk (of whatever fat %) and things made with it such as ice cream, puddings, and sauces.

Your body doesn't have enough lactase to break down the lactose, so the bacteria in the colon do it, resulting in the bloating, gas and diarrhea. There is a threshold - you might be OK with a serving of milk gravy and not with a glass of fresh milk.

I checked their menu and the yogurt (fermented) was used with lactose-free milk in the mashed potatoes. Anything with lactobacilli is not going to have much lactose, because the bacteria ate it all

Parmesan and other aged dry cheeses have little to no lactose because of the fermenting and aging processes.