Cream cheese contains lactose and may or may not be suitable for consumption if you're lactose intolerant, depending on the severity of your condition. Every person diagnosed with lactose intolerance has a different degree of intolerance. You may be able to eat 1 tbsp. of cream cheese with no symptoms, but you may not be able to handle 2 tbsp. Follow an elimination diet to determine the degree of your lactose intolerance, under a doctor's supervision.
The Cause of Intolerance
When you eat any food, your intestines have to break down more complex proteins and sugars into simpler forms so that your body can absorb them. Enzymes break down these substances. The inability to produce enough lactase, the enzyme needed to digest lactose, results in lactose intolerance. Your body doesn't create enough lactase to turn the lactose into glucose and galactose, which are easily absorbed into the blood. The undigested lactose is passed into the large intestine, or colon, causing common symptoms.
Elimination Diet
You can use an elimination diet to determine how much cream cheese you can tolerate. An elimination diet typically helps identify allergens, but it can also reveal how much lactose you can tolerate in a specific product. Completely eliminate all dairy products from your diet for up to two weeks. At the completion of the two weeks, introduce cream cheese back into your diet under controlled conditions. Begin by consuming ¼ tsp. of cream cheese. Every day thereafter, increase the cream cheese by ¼ tsp., until you experience symptoms. Keep a log of your findings and discuss them with your doctor.
Signs and Symptoms
Signs and symptoms to look for include gas, bloating, foul-smelling stools, stools that float, diarrhea, nausea, abdominal pain and vomiting. The more cream cheese you eat, the more severe your symptoms will be. Although lactose intolerance symptoms are uncomfortable, they do not cause any harm to the intestines or digestive tract. Alarming signs of a more serious condition include excessive weight loss, blood in your stools or dehydration.
Treatment
You can still enjoy cream cheese if you're lactose intolerant. Some cream cheese manufacturers add lactase during production, making the cream cheese lactose-free. You can also take an enzyme supplement at the first bite of the cream cheese to prevent adverse reactions.
