Which Dairy Foods Contain the Most Lactose? (grams per indicated quantity)
Obvious Sources
- All cheeses
- Butter, many kinds of margarine
- Goat’s milk
- Half-and-half cream
- Ice cream and many sherbets
- Milk (whole, skim, dry powdered, evaporated)
- Yogurt
Hidden Sources
- Artificial sweeteners containing lactose
- Bread, biscuits and crackers, doughnuts made with milk
- Breading on fried foods
- Breakfast and baby cereals containing milk solids
- Buttered or creamed foods (soups and vegetables)
- Cake and pudding mixes, many frostings
- Candies with milk chocolate
- Cookies made with milk
- Hot dogs, luncheon meats, sausage, hash, processed and canned meats
- Mayonnaise and salad dressings made with milk
- Nondairy creamers (except for Coffee Rich)
- Pancakes, waffles, toaster tarts
- Pizza
- Weight loss products
- Many prescription drugs: birth control pills, thyroid medication, and medications for gastrointestinal disorders (such as Reglan and Xanax)
- Many types of vitamins
- Foods containing whey, casein, caseinate, or sodium caseinate
Your Next Step
If you’re a member of an ethnic group that has a high risk of lactose intolerance, and if you consume dairy products at all, it’s advisable to get a breath hydrogen test so that you can determine to what extent you have lactose intolerance.
Lactose intolerance is something that you need to deal with if you want to improve or preserve your health. Call our office for more information, toll-free at 888.546.6283.
Dr. Stephen Wangen is the award winning author of two books on solving digestive disorders, and a nationally recognized speaker on IBS. He has been on ABC, NBC, and Fox as well as public radio. He was recently named one of Seattle’s Top Doctors by Seattle Magazine.
