Lactose free yogurt ? Any suggestions
@gut health. Does anyone know of a lactose free yogurt. I’m just coming off vancomycin from my 3 reoccurrence of Cdiff. Flagyl didn’t work for mw so I’m hoping the vancomycin will. I’m 5 days out & just one loose stool each morning. I feel like I need some good yogurt. I’m having to eat a soft diet in order not to feel too full & let my gut heal. I lost 20 pounds in a month. I’m down to 85 pounds. I can’t afford much more weight loss. Any advice appreciated.
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@sandyabbey Greek youghurt is pretty much lactose free. Or take regular youghurt with a Lactaid pill.
@sandyabbey
I feel for your situation, how difficult to try to eat a soft diet and control loose stools and not eat yogurt. There are many brands of yogurt now that are made with non- milk products, like almond milk, coconut milk, soy milk, etc. You might look to see what grocery stores in your area carry them. Here is a website that discusses this, https://www.laurenrenlund.com/2017/09/09/yogurts-low-fodmap-lactose-dietitian/.
I encourage you to read the entire article from the link above, however, here is a quote from this website that discusses lactose-free yogurts:
"LACTOSE-FREE YOGURTS
Since the food industry knows that many people are lactose intolerant, they are creating more and more yogurt options that are lactose-free. Making lactose-free yogurt is pretty simple. The manufacturers just need to add lactase, the enzyme that breaks down lactose, and the result is a completely lactose-free yogurt. If you see a yogurt that is labelled lactose-free, lactase will be listed in the ingredients list. Lactose-free yogurts taste almost the same as regular yogurts (the taste might be slightly sweeter).
It’s important to note that if you look at the Nutrition Facts Table of a lactose-free yogurt, it will still list sugar. However, this sugar is okay as we know the lactose is already broken down into simple sugars that are easy to digest. For example, this plain lactose-free yogurt has 4g of sugar per serving, but since lactase is in the ingredients list, it is low FODMAP.
Even when a yogurt is labelled lactose-free, you still need to read the ingredients list to ensure it is low FODMAP. In particular, the flavoured versions commonly have high FODMAP ingredients added. Some common ingredients you need to look out for are high FODMAP fruits, honey, fructose, inulin/chicory root extract, glucose-fructose, and sorbitol. It can be simplest to just buy a plain lactose-free yogurt and add your own fruit, a sprinkle of cinnamon and maybe a drizzle of maple syrup.
COCONUT YOGURT
We now have one more option for low FODMAP yogurts. Monash University has recently tested coconut yogurt and found it to be low FODMAP at 125g (1/2 cup). This is a great option for those who are vegan or allergic to milk. Just like lactose-free yogurt, make sure to read the ingredients list and choose a yogurt without any high FODMAP ingredients such as inulin. Here is one example.
GOAT’S MILK YOGURT
Monash has tested goat’s milk yogurt and found it to be low at 1 tub (170g). Just like the other yogurts, read the ingredients list to check for any added high FODMAP ingredients.
LACTASE SUPPLEMENTS
You may have seen lactase supplements for sale in pharmacies. These supplements can be very helpful for managing lactose intolerance. They are taken moments before consuming dairy to help break down the lactose. I typically recommend clients to purchase lactose-free dairy products to use at home and save the lactase pills for when they are eating out. Talk to your dietitian to learn if they are the right option for you. Just like yogurt, some lactase pills have added FODMAPs. Read the ingredients to check to see if it has any mannitol, sorbitol, inulin, etc.
Lactase supplements aren’t always effective. This blog post by dietitian Patsy Catsos breaks down all of the possible reasons why."
Please post again, @sandyabbey, I'd like to know how you are doing.
@hopeful33250. This was very informative. I need things to eat that will help me heal my gut & help with my relapses with Cdiff. I’m going to check out all of yourinformation. You are so sweet to take up your time to give me the information. I’ll let you know what’s going on with me. THANK YOU.
@sandyabbey I prefer the taste of plain Kefir to yogurt. Also, drinking Kefir is much easier than eating yogurt. I really do not like the taste and texture of yogurt.
I’m like @astaingegerdm — I thought Greek yogurt was lactose free. Was told that by a dietician. Is that not true?
@sandyabbey What is kefir?
This was very interesting and helpful. Many thanks, Jane Brown
I tried making the 20 hour Specific Carbohydrate Diet yogurt (even purchased a yogurt maker) and could not eat it. I am still lactose free. Yogurt gave me diarrhea.
I take probiotics. Align and Florastor
When I was unable to tolerate cow's milk (lactose) I was able to tolerate cream, which has no milk (lactose) in it, I either had rice milk or cream. Anyone who can not tolerate lactose can have goat's milk or camel's milk - if you can get it in the United States. I am able to tolerate cow's milk now, after 30+ years of not have any, when I had a third of my GI Track removed. (I would not recommend this method.) I now have to eat yogurt, after the surgery, to make sure I have the necessary flora and fauna in my gut. When I was unable to have lactose I could have milk in baked items or aged (60 days) cheese and I did not have any cramping. I hope this information is helpful. Good luck.
mlmcg
More and more lactose-free products are beginning to show up, especially in stores like Sprouts, Natural Grocers, Whole Foods, Trader Joes... recently I have been able to buy dairy products other than milk (including sour cream and yogurt) with the brand name Green Valley Organics. Very good tasting and fairly reasonable price (I mostly buy when these items have been marked down, at Natural Grocers). In the past year, the number of quality lactose-free products seems to have grown.