I just started Jeffery Steingarten’s book, “The Man Who Ate Everything,” and was surprised by a paragraph concerning cheese and lactose.
“Overnight, everybody you meet has become lactose intolerant. It is the chic food fear at the moment. But the truth is that very, very few of us are so seriously afflicted that we cannot drink even a whole glass of milk a day without ill effects. I know several people who have given up cheese to avoid lactose. But fermented cheeses contain no lactose! Lactose is the sugar found in milk; 98 percent of it is drained off with the whey (cheese is made from the curds), and the other 2 percent is quickly consumed by the lactic-acid bacteria in the act of fermentation.” (p.8)
I fell victim to this food myth as well, but wonder why some cheese gives me an upset stomach. Maybe when I was eating a cheesy food like pizza, I was also overeating. After all, should anyone actually be eating TWO slices of Lorenzo’s at 2:00 am? I definitely get an upset stomach from drinking milk, but cheese is certainly getting reconsidered. I’ll have to do a little research into this, and eventually update the post.
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Mmmm…. delicious prose.
Comment by RICKM — March 4, 2008 @ 11:58 am
I’ve always thought that lactose intolerance is kind of a hoax since all of a sudden everyone and their mother seems to have it… I once decided not to go out with someone again because on the second date I wanted to share a cheese plate and he told me that he never eats cheese because he’s lactose intolerant (he was also painfully awkward and kind of obnoxious, but mostly it was the cheese thing that got me). I mean, come on. Cheese is amazing.
I’m only slightly embarrassed to admit that I went on a cheese-buying binge last weekend and spent nearly $50 on 4 absolutely amazing cheeses. So worth it. Mmmm…
Comment by Leah — March 11, 2008 @ 3:10 pm