If you are lactose intolerant, or you are trying to avoid dairy, then you have probably wondered if Greek Yogurt is dairy free, or contains any dairy.
Unfortunately, Greek Yogurt does contain dairy and it is a fermented dairy product. However, this does not mean that you can not eat it if you are lactose intolerant, and there are a lot of people who are lactose intolerant who still enjoy Greek Yogurt because of its unique properties as a dairy product.
However, this is not the case for all lactose intolerant people, and some will still react badly to Greek Yogurt.
The reason why some lactose intolerant people can enjoy Greek Yogurt is because it has a unique makeup for a dairy product.
This unique makeup is actually why Greek Yogurt contains less lactose than a standard dairy product. It contains less lactose than other dairy products like ice cream, milk, or just standard yogurt.
The reason for this is that Greek Yogurt goes through quite a unique straining process when it is being produced, and it also has a different style of fermentation compared to standard yogurt, and this is why it contains less yogurt.
It is also worth pointing out that the active live cultures which are inside the Greek Yogurt aid in breaking down lactose, so the little lactose it contains has already been broken down.
It is also worth mentioning that like most yogurt, you can also buy completely lactose free versions of Greek Yogurt and these will of course contain no lactose and will be fine for any lactose intolerant people.
People want to eat Greek Yogurt because it contains a lot of positive nutrients like protein and calcium, but unfortunately it also contains dairy, but there are ways to get around this for lactose intolerant people.
For example, people who can only have a small amount of lactose, for example in snacks or in meals, have often been able to eat Greek Yogurt because of the lower amount of lactose which it contains.
This is why a lot of people who are lactose intolerant have chosen to eat foods which contain small amounts of lactose, for example, natural yogurt, or a strained yogurt like Greek Yogurt. These have shown to help build up tolerance and have minimal negative effects.
If you are lactose intolerant, it is worth looking into how much lactose different dairy products have, and seeing if you are only reacting to those which contain a lot of lactose.
If only a lot of lactose is making you react, then products with much less lactose like Greek Yogurt could be safe for you to eat.
And if this is not an option for you, then it is recommended that you keep an eye out for lactose free versions of the products you want to eat, like lactose free Greek Yogurt.
Benefits Of Eating Greek Yogurt
Eating products like Greek Yogurt can actually aid with digestion of things like lactose if you have issues with doing this naturally.
This is because Greek Yogurt nearly always contains active and live cultures, and these are best for helping you with digestion, and one of the things they help you digest is lactose.
If you do not know much about it, lactose is a sugar which is naturally found in milk. This sugar is made from 2 different simple sugars which are glucose and galactose.
If you are lactose intolerant, this usually means that your body is not naturally producing enough lactase. Lactase is an enzyme which is naturally occurring for most people, this enzyme is made to break lactose down into the aforementioned 2 simple sugars.
The reason why lactase breaks down lactose is that these simple sugars are much easier to digest than lactose is.
So, the reason why lactose intolerant people are unable to digest lactose is because they lack in enough of this enzyme to break it down. So, this is where the live cultures come into play and can help with breaking down lactose.
If you are unsure if you have lactose intolerance, the most common symptoms are frequent abdominal pain, as well as flatulence, diarrhea, and bloating. It is best to talk to a physician to confirm if you have lactose intolerance.
By getting this confirmation you will be able to work out how sensitive you are to lactose, and work out methods of overcoming it.
Other than this, there are other benefits to eating Greek Yogurt, for example, it contains a lot of high quality proteins, as well as nutrients which are useful for everyone like zinc, calcium, as well as vitamin B12, this is why so many people want to incorporate it into their diet to get its benefits.
It is also often used as a substitute for mayonnaise, cream cheese, sometimes even oil, and a lot more.
Differences Between Greek Yogurt And Regular Yogurt
If you do not know, yogurt is a dairy product which is fermented, and lots of different cultures have their own version of it since it can be prepared in a variety of different ways.
Recently Greek Yogurt has started to gain a lot more popularity, especially amongst health enthusiasts who appreciate all the specific benefits you get from this type of yogurt.
Both standard yogurt and Greek Yogurt are made similarly to other fermented dairy products. This is done by converting lactose into lactic acid through use of different types of bacteria.
For normal yogurt, this is made through yogurt being heated, and then bacteria is added to this, and then it is left to ferment until it has rhea pH 4.5 and then it will be cooled until it reaches the right thickness and consistency.
Greek Yogurt is made in a slightly different method through straining, this eliminates more whey which is a liquid which will often be found in standard yogurt.
This reduces the volume of the yogurt and is why you need more milk to make Greek Yogurt than you do with regular.