Lactose is a natural sugar found in milk and has many benefits. What foods contain lactose? And what if you can’t consume lactose?
What is Lactose?
Lactose is a sugar consisting of glucose and galactose. Both are simpler types of sugar and are used by the body directly as an energy source. Lactose is a sugar broken down in the body by an enzyme called lactase into glucose and galactose.
Lactose is a natural sugar found in milk and has many benefits. This type of sugar is an essential energy source for babies. Lactose is also often used in food processing.
What are Foods that Contain Lactose?
Lactose can be found in breast milk, cow’s milk, and other dairy products. However, not all milk contains lactose.
Only cow’s milk, goat’s milk, and breast milk contain this type of sugar. Meanwhile, plant-based products do not contain lactose.
Claims on Food Products Related to Lactose are Based on BPOM
Food product claims related to lactose are regulated in Food and Drug Supervisory Agency in Indonesia namely Badan Pengawas Obat dan Makanan (BPOM) Regulation in No 1 of 2022 which contains:
- Lactose claims can only be included for products commonly containing lactose, such as powdered milk, yogurt, and wedding products such as soy and almond juice drinks.
- Lactose claims, as referred to in point 1, must meet the following requirements:
- It can be claimed as Low Lactose if it contains ≤ 2 g/100 g
- It can be claimed as Lactose-Free if it contains ≤10 mg/100 kcal
- Apart from the word “free,” it can contain equivalent words such as “without”, “does not contain.”
Plant-Based Milk as An Alternative
In some people, there is a condition of lactose intolerance, also known as lactose intolerance, which is the inability of the intestines to break down the natural sugar known as lactose.
The inability of the small intestine to break down lactose into simpler sugars, namely glucose and galactose, causes lactose to turn into gas; the presence of this gas causes various symptoms of digestive problems.
In this case, you can replace foods containing lactose with various alternatives. One of them is plant-based milk or milk that comes from plants.
Cashew milk from Arummi could be the choice for you. Besides containing rich nutrients, cashew milk from Arummi is also safe to avoid the risk of lactose intolerance.
Arummi barista and classic are available in Indonesia.
Choose Good and High Quality Low or Lactose-Free Products!
Make sure you always choose the best products, rich in nutrients and quality, to accompany your healthy life. For those who are lactose intolerant, you can choose cashew milk from Arummi, an alternative to plant-based milk.