If you're lactose intolerant, goat cheese may provide a minor advantage in eating a low-lactose diet. Every person has a different degree of tolerance towards lactose. For example, you may be able to drink 4 oz. of cow's milk without any symptoms, while someone could develop severe symptoms from drinking the same amount. If you are moderately lactose intolerant, you may be able to eat certain amounts of goat cheese without developing any symptoms. Before you eat goat cheese, talk with your doctor for her recommendations.
Goat Cheese
Goat's milk contains minimally less lactose than cow's milk. According to AskDrSears.com, one cup of cow's milk contains 4.7 percent of lactose, while 1 cup of goat's milk contains 4.1 percent of lactose. When dairy is used to make cheese, some of the lactose is eliminated because of the enzymes added to the cheese product. Just 1 oz. of goat cheese contains about .72 g of lactose, according to IBSFree.net. Depending on the severity of your intolerance will determine how much goat's cheese you can eat without any adverse reactions.
Lactose Intolerance
Every time you eat or drink something, your small intestines create certain enzymes to breakdown the proteins and sugars in the food or beverage. Lactose is a sugar found in milk that is too complex for the human body to absorb it. Lactose requires lactase to breakdown the lactose into glucose and galactose, according to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse. Once broken down, these simple sugars are easily absorbed into your body. If your body doesn't produce enough lactase, you are considered lactose intolerant.
Symptoms
If your body doesn't produce enough lactase, the lactose will remain in your digestive system until it is digested by bacteria. The bacteria cause the gut to become irritated and inflamed. This results in common lactose intolerant symptoms, such as diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, bloating, gas and foul-smelling stools. You may also experience abdominal cramping and pain as a result of a severe reaction.
Consideration
If you want to know how much goat's cheese you can without developing lactose intolerant symptoms, perform an elimination diet. Remove all lactose foods from your diet for two weeks. After the two weeks, add 1/2 oz. of goat's cheese to your diet and see if you develop any symptoms. Each consecutive day add a half ounce more to the amount you're consuming. Stop once you develop symptoms. You can also enjoy goat's cheese by taking a lactase enzyme supplement.
