7 Commonly Asked Questions about Cheese

Do lactose-intolerant people have to exclude all cheeses?

Hard cheeses are generally lower in lactose than cheese spread and soft cheese. During the cheesemaking process, milk is thickened a starter culture; the liquid whey is separated from the solid curds. Because the liquid whey has more lactose than the solid curds do, a lot is removed when hard cheeses are made. More importantly, the longer those hard cheeses age, the less lactose they have. This is because the bacteria break down lactose in cheeses into lactic acid. So aged, those with lactose intolerance may consume small amounts of firm cheeses (aged Cheddar, Gouda, Parmigiano-Reggiano, etc.)