Anyone else find lactose intolerance makes low-fat meals more difficult?

[raspberrycupcake]

I've been lactose intolerant for years, and although it is frustrating a lot of the time, most of the time I manage to find alternatives to dairy or take lactase tablets to counteract it. (although I hate doing this!)

It gets more difficult when trying to diet however. For example I really like both soya yoghurt and the lactofree ones, but compared to the weight watchers yogurts they have more calories, and more weight watchers propoints. It's the same with cheese, cheese spread etc, and although when I have previously dieted I have relied on options hot chocolate sachets for a chocolate fix they are out of the question as the lactase tablets aren't very reliable with drinks.

Its not fair ! Maybe one day there will be a manufacturer who realises it is possible to be both a dieter and lactose intolerant!

Is anyone else lactose intolerant? Or does anyone have any ideas for low-point protein additions that are easy to add to a meal? I'm quite a fussy eater too btw!!!

 

[Alderica]

That's something that puzzles me..... over here in Germany every supermarket stocks a range of lactose-free dairy products. However, they don't appear to do low-fat versions - you can get semi-skimmed lactose-free milk, for example, but not skimmed. And the prices are a bit scary as well. I just hope the food industry will catch up with us lactose-intolerant individuals as time goes on.
For my part, I'm doing Slimming World and just make sure I avoid the dairy products except for 250 ml lactose-free milk on cereal and in tea as the obligatory healthy extra to make sure we get enough calcium.

 

[raspberrycupcake]

That is exactly what they do here! You can get both semi-skimmed and full-fat milk, but not skimmed! I have no idea why! To give the company some credit, they have made life easier for me since bringing out single-use milk portions, as before that if I wanted a cup of tea out somewhere I had to either drink it black or with coffee creamer! Yuck! Whereas now I can just carry a few milk portions in my bag for when I want them. But why dont they think of doing anything reduced fat?!

 

[Alderica]

I've just been doing some internet research... apparently, the less fat there is in the milk, the more lactose it contains. I suppose the process is just not commercially viable at this time for skimmed milk, it's already criminal how much more you have to pay for lactose-free than you do for "normal" milk

 

[raspberrycupcake]

Really? That's interesting!

Although surely it wouldn't affect the manufacture too much - don't they just add the lactase enzyme to it and wait for it to break down the lactose?

 

[raspberrycupcake]

Actually, I'm sure when I was in America earlier this year they had the equivalent of skimmed milk! ( I get a bit confused because they have 1%, 2% etc!). They even had chocolate milk too, which was really nice! I was green with envy looking at all their lactose-free and soya products!

 

[Alderica]

Yes, we're living on the wrong continent *lol* I found one European supplier of lactose-free skimmed milk... but he's a small private producer in France

 

[raspberrycupcake]

You can get lactase drops that you put in liquid and leave for 24 hours or something like that, after which it is supposedly lactose free! So theoretically we could make our own skimmed milk . . but I think I would be too scared to try it! It's scary enough when I put my faith in the lactase tablets!

 

[Alderica]

Hmmmm.... doesn't sound very appetising to me

 

[raspberrycupcake]

Ha ha it doesn't sound very appetising to me either!