One of the biggest revolutions in the lifestyle and food industry in contemporary times is non-dairy products. It has become a trend, a healthy trend among people of all ages. More and more people are choosing non-dairy products over animal-based. There are numerous sustainable reasons for this paradigm shift but the catalyst among them all is the health benefits non-lactose products have over animal-based. Take milk, for example. There are two types of milk varieties now, depending on their source of origin- lactose and non-lactose milk.
Lactose is the sugar found in milk and milk products that are composed of galactose and glucose. When consumed by the human body, lactose breaks down into galactose and glucose to be absorbed by the body with the help of lactase enzyme, deficiency of which can cause lactose intolerance.
Lactose intolerance is one of the most common allergies in the world. People are sensitive to lactose and suffer from stomach bloating, stomach aches, intestinal cramps and even gas if your body is highly sensitive to lactose.
Now, milk is a whole food, containing all the essential nutrients, necessary for the proper growth and functioning of the human body. Therefore, to meet the milk demand of the consumers, non-lactose milk was introduced.
There are different kinds of non-lactose milk available online. Depending upon its plant source there are numerous types of plant-based milk available. Some of them are as follows:
- Almond milk
- Rice milk
- Soy milk
- Oat’s milk
- Nut milk
- Hemp and flax milk
Keeping in mind your body’s response and its needs you can choose anyone from the above.
To buy non-lactose milk online, you must be as thorough as buying any other packed food. It is essential to be aware of the intensity of your sensitivity to lactose. The prior knowledge of your sensitivity will help you analyze the labels on the packaging which, and emphasizing it, must be read very diligently, especially if the sole reason for your shift to plant-based milk is your lactose intolerance.
There is no specific law regarding the labelling of lactose-free products. It is true that if a product is labelled as lactose-free won’t have a high concentration of lactose and probably would be completely devoid of lactose but due to lack of censoring in the upcoming food sector, the term lactose-free is left to interpretation a lot.
The best way to tackle this ambiguity is to not just look for the label but also read the packaging carefully. it contains details like ingredients that might add to the lactose concentration indirectly, preservatives, emulsifiers, other additives, and ingredients that can trigger other food allergies and food intolerances.
Before you buy non-lactose milk online, heavy emphasis must be given to evaluating the labelling of the allergens. Here, you can trust the written word. There are strict regulations regarding the labelling of ingredients that can cause allergies. You can see them in bold or some sort of highlighting amidst other information on the package. These typically include potential allergens like peanut, egg, walnut, wheat, soy.
You can do a patch test or other easily available tests to check your body’s sensitivity to the potential allergens and then buy non-lactose milk online, accordingly.
Another thing to keep in mind before buying plant-based milk online is to know the difference between terms like “lactose-reduced” and “lactose-free”. Look for terms like “lactose-free” rather than lactose-reduced; the latter being a clever loophole created by advertising teams of certain companies.
Having known all the benefits of non-lactose milk, it is not unknown that lactose milk (cow milk) has all essential nutrients, compared to singular source plant-based milk.
For example, rice milk lacks calcium which can be seen as a drawback when compared to cow milk. But the advancement in food sciences allows processes like fortification of non-lactose milk and thus rice milk after fortification becomes rich in calcium and any essential nutrient that it otherwise lacks.
Fortification doesn’t take away any of its nutritional value or taste, it just adds the nutrients in the most naturally acceptable way.
Therefore, it is recommended to go for non-lactose milk which is fortified with all essential nutrients.
Non-lactose milk is the new way of the modern world. It is not only much more healthy but also sustainable and environmentally friendly. You can look for leading companies like Alt co, as reliable distributors of non-lactose milk. There is a reason why more and more people are going for plant-based milk. They are equally tasty, equally nutritious, cruelty-free, and devoid of the issues related to lactose.