Determining the lactose content of cheese is not easy for the consumer because federal law does not require food manufacturers to provide information on the lactose content of foods. Even the U.S. Department of Agriculture does not consistently provide information on lactose. Fortunately, a little knowledge about the cheese-making process sheds light on whether lactose is found in cheese.
Lactose
Lactose is a sugar found in milk. One cup of whole milk has 12. 32 g of lactose. Lactose is broken down by the enzyme lactase. People who lack this enzyme are said to be lactose-intolerant. The UC Berkeley Museum of Paleontology reports that 10 percent of Americans and 99 percent of Chinese are lactose-intolerant. They experience nausea and other symptoms of gastrointestinal distress when they consume dairy products.
Cheese-Making
Since cheese is made from milk, it would be reasonable to assume that cheese contains lactose. However, this is not entirely true. Cheese is made from curds that form in milk. These curds are then separated from the whey, or the liquid portion that remains behind. Since lactose is found primarily in the whey, cheese has very little lactose.
Cheese Families
A 1 oz. serving of cheddar cheese has 0.07 g of lactose. A comparable size serving of Swiss cheese has 0.02 g. Soft cheeses like cream cheese have more lactose. For example, 1 oz. of cream cheese has 0.9 g lactose. Less whey is removed when making soft cheeses, so the lactose content of soft cheeses is higher than the lactose content of hard cheeses like cheddar and Swiss. The California Pacific Medical Center notes that Cheddar and Swiss are both low-lactose foods.
Soy Cheese
Soy cheese has no lactose. Like cheeses made from milk, soy cheese is a good source of protein and calcium. Unlike dairy cheeses, it has has no cholesterol or saturated fat, which makes it a good food for people watching their cholesterol. You can use soy cheese on sandwiches and even pizza.
References
- Colorado State University Extension; Making Soft Cheeses; C. McDaniel and P. Kendall; Jan. 2007
- Artisanal Premium Cheese: Soft Cheese
- California Pacific Medical Center: Lactose-Free Diet Guidelines
- Ilovecheese.com: Lactose Intolerance FAQs
- UC Berkeley Museum of Paleontology; Got Lactose? April 2007
- Milk Pail Market; Cheese and Lactose Intolerance; Bob Fusco; Oct. 1995
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