9 Foods You Did Not Know Had Lactose

When they tell you that you are lactose intolerant, the first foods that you delete from the shopping list are milk, cheese or butter. However, the list can be made a little longer if you look closely at the label of products such as mayonnaise or a pack of sausages… Here are nine foods you did not know contained dairy. 

1. Sliced bread

In general, in the manufacture of bread, lactose is added in order to maintain moisture and tenderness.

This sugar retains the quality of the flavor for a longer time and helps to form a more attractive color during cooking and baking.

It also helps to last longer in conditions of being consumed, since it keeps the appearance and development of mold at bay.

2. Soups and sauces

In the soups sachets or in the powdered purées there is the possibility you will find disaccharide (lactose) among its ingredients.

The main objective when adding lactose to these products is to take advantage of their ability to enhance the flavor.

For the same purpose it is included in salad sauces or mayonnaises.

3. Hamburgers

In principle, a hamburger or a sausage does not seem to be suspect foods containing lactose.

However, the meat industry uses it to mask unpleasant flavors caused by emulsifying salts, phosphates and other bitter compounds.

4. Sausages

Sausage sandwiches can be another obstacle in the menu of a person lactose intolerant. Some slices of these and other sausages provide, among other things, lactose.

The manufacturers use this substance in its preparation since it is a source of carbohydrates that participates in the fermentation and subsequent production of lactic acid

5. Condiments

To season a stew of meat, to give color to the paella or to season an octopus are habitual gestures in any kitchen. The point is that you have to take into account that many of them are made using lactose.

Two of the main reasons that justify its presence are to avoid caking and ensure a uniform dispersion.

Although this sugar also serves to enhance the flavor and aroma.

6. Energy bars

In addition to cereals, nuts, raisins and honey, the energy bars "hide" a surprise ingredient: lactose.

The reason is that it is used as a sweetener due to its low glycemic index.

It also helps to preserve color, reducing costs in other ingredients.

7. Alcoholic beverages

It seems that casein and albumin (both proteins of milk) have been used since time began in the process of making wine, beer and other alcoholic beverages.

In the case of beer, lactose is added directly to make it sweeter and give it more body, especially in dark beers.

8. Sweets, candies, industrial pastries…

One can intuit that in a bakery you will find a lactose bun, either because it contains milk or butter between its ingredients, or because it has been used as an additive.

However, in the case of candies it costs a bit more to see the connection. These sweets usually contain lactose, since it contributes to improve its texture, aroma and chewiness.

9. Toothpaste

Ok, it is not a food, but it is worth knowing that some toothpastes and cosmetics (lipstick) contain lactose in its components.

As a general rule, the amount used is unlikely to produce allergic reactions, since it is minimal and also not ingested.

Lactose (milk sugar) is found naturally in all dairy products and derivatives that come from any mammal (cow, goat, sheep and human milk) and usually find it in milk, cheese, yogurt, cream or the butter.

However, the food industry resorts to lactose in a huge amount of products that we put every day to the shopping cart.

In this article, we have selected some of the foods in which the lactose content is not so evident and is "hidden" among the rest of the ingredients of many processed products.

It is also present in many medicines, since it is used for the preparation of tablets.

Lactose in your pet's diet

• Dogs can also be lactose intolerant. Your reaction will depend on the amount of lactose that includes the milk that you give to eat (yogurt or panela contain a little) and their degree of intolerance.
• Now, in "your food" there can also be lactose, since it is used as an additive to improve the flavor and conservation of animal feed.