So, you’re at a party and the cheeseboard comes out. There are all sorts of great looking cheeses on there but which one to choose and how will my dairy intolerant gut handle it?
Rule No. 1 – Always ask to read labels. What is in it? Is it cow, goat, sheep, buffalo or vegan?
Rule No. 2 – Understand your intolerance? Is it lactose or casein and what’s the difference?
Cow’s milk makes up most cheese and there are two types: A1 and A2. These are proteins. A1 is the little bugger that causes all the tummy upsets in the dairy intolerant. It is also much higher in lactose (milk sugar) another culprit.
A2 on the other hand is a different protein and similar to human breast milk, goat, sheep and buffalo milk. Incidentally these milks are much lower in natural sugars and these sugars are better tolerated. The A2 protein and lower levels of lactose are the reason you can eat goats’, sheeps’ or even buffalo cheese without embarrassing yourself in public or having to run to the bathroom constantly.
If lactose intolerance is your only problem, you can probably stick with low lactose milk. But for the rest of the dairy intolerant community, you could try goat, sheep or plant based milk products. Goat milk is an acquired taste if you have been raised on cow milk and sheep milk is similar and harder to come by because it is so high in fat and not produced in the same volume.
Again, I cannot impress upon you how important it is to read the label. Many cheeses contain cows’ milk when the label says goat cheese. Buffalo mozzarella in many instances is all cows’ milk.
Investigate plant based cheeses.
Personally, I have made, and have some recipes on my website for nut cheeses. And, even if I do say so myself, they are pretty darn good. I have also purchased several different kinds of plant based cheeses and most of my guests quite enjoy the flavours and say that they are not dissimilar. Cheese making animal or vegan is quite the art form and requires a lot of skill especially with what is being produced today. I have recently discovered there is even a blue vein plant cheese. It’s next on my list of cheeses to try. I’ll let you know how it goes.
As for food pairing, all the vegan cheese that I have tried goes well with crackers (wheat free, gluten free) fruit, fruit pastes, artisanal bread (if you can eat it), and your favourite glass of wine if that’s your thing.
Of course, if you are more about saving the planet than your gut you will win on both fronts. Plant based cheese is kinder on your stomach, unless you have a problem with legumes (cashews, yes, they are a legume!). You can stick to other nuts or plant based mylk cheeses. There is also a much lesser impact on the environment, especially with green house gases and the production of methane and that’s not just from the farm animals. Also, there is less water usage from all and sundry. Less flushing!
And if all else fails you can always bring your own cheese but take two different kinds because invariable those without allergies always seem to gravitate to the allergy free food because it tastes so good.
I’ve got to go, here comes the cheeseboard, time to tuck in.
Enjoy!
Natale xx
