You CAN have cheese on a FODMAP diet
At the beginning of my FODMAP journey, one of the biggest downers was that cheese would be a no-no. Milk contains lactose, which falls into the D (Disaccharides) of FODMAP, and cheese is made of milk – game over.
And then, I watched a documentary about a sheep farmer in New Zealand who had started milking his sheep, and lo and behold lactose intolerant people were drinking sheep milk no worries. So when I walked into a winery’s cheese store, I thought “why not try goat cheese?” and got the gouda.
Goat’s milk does contain lactose, though it is slightly lower in lactose than cow’s milk, and has been shown to be easier to digest for kids and adults with sensitive stomachs – possibly because the fat molecules in goat’s milk are shorter than those in cow’s milk. During the fermentation process (which is part of turning milk into cheese), there is a reduction in the amount of lactose.
Enzymes used in the cheese-making process break down lactose more and more over time, so after the 6 months needed to make an aged cheese, there’s very little lactose left.What does it all mean? Not only can you eat goat cheese, you can eat any cheese, provided it’s old enough!
Since lactose is the sugar found in milk, what this boils down to is a sugar game: whichever cheese has the least sugar left at the end of the cheese-making process, will be the most FODMAP friendly. When you’re at the grocery store, you can check the nutritional information on your cheese to get an idea of how much sugar (and therefore lactose) they may contain. The fewer grams of sugar on the label, the more likely the cheese will fall into a safe, low FODMAP range.
Where you draw the line as to what you can and can’t have depends on your body and how sensitive you are to lactose. My advice – try something with very little sugar first, and work your way up from there.
References
http://www.drgourmet.com/askdrgourmet/goatcheeseallergy.shtml#.WIQDhFmYbqA
http://www.prevention.com/food/dairy-for-lactose-intolerant-people/slide/6