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how could lactose-free milks cause problems?

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Posted 6/29/2011 12:59 PM (GMT 0)
I've identified lactose as a pretty reliable problem for me, especially regular milk straight up and ice cream. So I've begun experimenting with lactose-free options. I'm excited about almond milk (all the calcium!) and made sure to buy the Silk Pure Almond unsweetened kind with no carageenan and no sugar. But I still found (on two separate occasions) that it immediately made me very burpy and gassy, in a way almost no other foods do. Had the same problem when I tried using lactose-free regular milk in my tea. Can there be any rational explanation for this? I really didn't expect any problems from these products. Has anyone else had similar issues?
Posted 6/29/2011 1:08 PM (GMT 0)
What other ingredients are in it? I make homemade almond milk, which is pretty easy and *just* has almonds in it:

1. Soak 1 cup almonds for 8 hours in enough water to cover + 1 inch
2. Pop almonds out of skins (if desired, makes a whiter milk)
3. Boil 5 cups water (I use filtered)
4. Put almonds in blender with 3 cups water and blend for 2 minutes (start slowly at first because of hot water)
5. Strain through a cheesecloth; return almond solids to blender
6. Repeat with remaining water

This makes a little over a quart and tastes amazing. I store in a glass container in the refrigerator; it lasts me around 5 days, and I have it on cereal in the morning and for an evening snack. You can find cheesecloth in most grocery stores. If you have Trader Joe's, that's a good place to get the almonds.

...if the Silk milk really does have just almonds as its ingredients, then I don't know -- perhaps you're sensitive to almonds? Or maybe it's just coincidence (what else did you eat along with the almond milk)?
Posted 6/29/2011 1:12 PM (GMT 0)
I can't explain why virtually lactose-free SCD yogurt causes me problems either, I just accept that it does without being able to say why. I also bought some Almond Milk just like yours with no bad stuff but it sits on the shelf untried lol, Ima scaredy-cat.

I love high fat dairy in my non-caffeine tea so I use coconut milk from cans, I skim the creamy stuff from the top (don't shake the can). Must be the fat that makes tea taste so much better since I'm getting no caffeine bump.

Honestly I have given up trying to figure "WHY?" on some foods, just keep notes and remove foods as they cause problems. BTW I've had the lactose-intolerance test and it says I'm not. hahahaha.
Posted 6/29/2011 1:30 PM (GMT 0)
Lactose in milk can cause problems, but milk also contains casein which can also cause problems for some.
Posted 6/29/2011 2:03 PM (GMT 0)

BabeintheWoods said...
Lactose in milk can cause problems, but milk also contains casein which can also cause problems for some.

agree. people with UC tend to get alergic to many proteins wich if unproperly digested can trigger allergic reaction thus gut inflammation.

the only diary i can have is swiss cheese - maturated for more than 30 days, wich means that the casein is more easy to digest.
Posted 6/29/2011 2:37 PM (GMT 0)
Alinus, what about other aged cheese? Cheddar is often aged for up to two years or more, as is asiago, parmesan, and a whole host of others. In fact, I usually think of swiss cheese as a relatively "unaged" one, at only a few months!
Posted 6/29/2011 2:54 PM (GMT 0)
The aged cheese thing actually makes sense to me because I have no problem with Parmigiano and others of that kind. I thought again that that was because aged cheeses are lower in lactose, but so are fresh non-cow cheeses like feta, and the jury is still out on those.
Posted 7/1/2011 12:54 AM (GMT 0)
Did you try the nonfat or 1% milkfat lactose-free milk? (Starting with a small amount-- to test response?) I do fine with those, up to 8 oz. with breakfast. Swiss cheeses also agree: emmentaler, gruyere, appenzeller. They are relatively low-fat, low-salt. Another yellow that I tolerate well is grana padano, from Italy. It has more salt than the Swiss, but less than parmaggiano. / Old Hat (30 yrs with left-sided UC; presently in remission taking brandname Colazal)
Posted 7/1/2011 6:23 AM (GMT 0)
Would definitely have to agree on the protein bit. Reading that homemade almond milk recipe has made me decide to do it. I drink Silk Unsweeted too, and to be honest, it does settle a little weird. It doesn't make me gassy, but just a bit tense in the gut.

Same thing with SCD yogurt, and even homemade Kefir milk. Admittedly, the homemade kefir was far less unsettling than the SCD yogurt, and that may be due to the way I was making them.

I've since given up on all dairy, with the exception of small occassional amounts of old cheddar, feta and the like.
Posted 7/1/2011 8:00 AM (GMT 0)

NovaGal said...
Alinus, what about other aged cheese? Cheddar is often aged for up to two years or more, as is asiago, parmesan, and a whole host of others. In fact, I usually think of swiss cheese as a relatively "unaged" one, at only a few months!

yes. cheddar is ok for mee too. but at this moment i cannot find a reliable brand where i am living. there was some, but the producer got out of bussines.

the others are too expensive here to be considered a daily option for me.

yes, swiss cheese is younger, but for me it does it's job.

and all those, besides the fact that maturation ease digestion are naturaly lactose free (or almost)
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