10 Lactose Intolerant-Friendly Recipes

An estimated 30 million to 50 million Americans identify as being lactose intolerant. The symptoms of lactose intolerance vary based on the person and may include uncomfortable symptoms like bloating, stomach aches, loose stool and flatulence. The National Institute of Health expert panel and the National Institute of Health recommend that folks with lactose intolerance keep dairy foods in their diet. Research shows that a person with lactose intolerance can slowly build up tolerance to 12 grams of lactose (the amount in 1 cup of milk). Here are 10 lactose intolerance-friendly recipes and tips on how to tolerate dairy foods more easily.

For people with lactose intolerance, one trick to taking in dairy is to combine it with other foods. Combining the foods slows down the absorption of the lactose, like in this smoothie.

Choosing lower-lactose foods is another way people with lactose intolerance can better tolerate dairy. Compared to 1 cup of milk with 12 grams of lactose, natural cheeses like Cheddar, Swiss and mozzarella have less than 0.1 grams of lactose per 1 ounce. Start by topping your chili with a tablespoon or two of shredded cheese.

Make Ellie Krieger's Vanilla Spice Oatmeal and swap the regular milk for lactose-free milk. (You can do this in other recipes too!) It still provides the 13 nutrients found in milk, but without the lactose. Both milk and lactose-free milk are from cows, but in lactose-free milk, the lactose sugar is broken down for you. You can also swap in a plant-based milk (like almond, oat or hemp), but you won’t get the full array of nutrients found in cow’s milk or soy milk.