To remove lactose from milk and other foods, you need to add a specific product that you can buy at the pharmacy called lactase to the milk.
Lactose intolerance is when the body cannot digest the lactose present in milk, causing symptoms such as abdominal cramps, gas and diarrhea, which appear moments or hours after ingesting milk or products containing milk. Find out how to know if you have lactose intolerance.
How to remove lactose from milk at home
The person must follow the instructions on the label of the product purchased at the pharmacy, but normally only a few drops are needed for each liter of milk. This process takes around 24 hours and the milk must be kept in the refrigerator during this period. It is also possible to use the same technique on other liquid products such as cream, condensed milk and liquid chocolate drinks. Lactose-free milk has all the nutrients of regular milk, but has a sweeter flavor.
Those who don’t want to do this work or can’t find lactase easily can buy milk and products prepared with lactose-free milk. Just look at the food label because whenever an industrialized product does not contain lactose it must contain this information or take lactase tablets after eating foods that contain lactose.
What to do if you eat something with lactose
After eating a food that contains lactose, one option to avoid intestinal symptoms is to take a pill with lactase, as the enzyme will digest the lactose in the intestine. It is often necessary to take more than 1 dose to feel the effect, so each person must find their ideal amount of lactase to take, according to the degree of intolerance they have and the amount of milk they will ingest. See what the symptoms of lactose intolerance are.
Other foods also recommended for those who have problems with lactose digestion are yogurt and aged cheeses, such as parmesan and Swiss cheese. The lactose in these foods is degraded by bacteria of the type Lactobacillus, with a process similar to that which occurs in lactose-free milk. However, some people also cannot tolerate yogurt, and can replace it with soy or lactose-free yogurt. See how much lactose is in food.
Find out what to eat when you have lactose intolerance by watching:
