Being lactose intolerant can cause for a few annoyances throughout life. The presence of dairy/lactose in so many different foods and drinks can make it difficult at times to find alternatives to certain things that won’t make your stomach upset, and this often results in shopping for groceries and eating out
This is something that I’ve heard a lot of people asking as of late, and it makes a lot of sense. Regular yogurt is typically quite tolerable for people that have an intolerance to lactose, so wouldn’t frozen yogurt be fine as well?
That’s what we’re here to answer.
We’ve spent some time looking very closely into the matter, and following all of our research, we’ve come up with 4 facts about frozen yogurt that you need to know if you’re someone that’s lactose intolerant.
What is Frozen Yogurt Made Out Of?
First off, just what is frozen yogurt made out of? Many people are under the impression that it’s made in the exact same manner as regular yogurt, but this is not the case. Frozen yogurt is its own unique thing, and as such, it contains certain ingredients that you won’t find with other yogurt products.
Although frozen yogurt does contain yogurt, it also typically has other dairy products in it as well. In addition to the yogurt culture that’s used, the other main ingredients include milk solids, sweetener, and milk fat. I recommend the Cusinart ICE-21 (available on Amazon) since it can produce frozen yogourt or ice cream.
Because of those yogurt cultures, it is possible for certain frozen yogurt products to contain live bacteria that
It can be easy to think that all frozen yogurt is regular yogurt that’s been frozen, but as you can now see, it’s quite a bit different than that.
Is Frozen Yogurt Lactose Free ?
Since frozen yogurt uses milk solids and milk fat, it is not lactose free. Frozen yogurt does contain lactose, and as such, you’ll likely encounter stomach issues should you choose to eat some if you’re intolerant to the stuff.
Should you choose to eat regular frozen yogurt, you’ll likely be facing diarrhea, stomach cramps, and nausea. There’s no doubt that frozen yogurt is a tasty treat, but if having some means that you’re going to be facing these issues, we’d much rather just live without the stuff.
Having to give up yet another treat because of your lactose intolerance likely comes as a bummer, but thankfully, all hope is not lost!
An Alternative to Traditional Frozen Yogurt
If you’re absolutely swept up with the frozen yogurt train and need to find a way to have the stuff despite your intolerance to lactose, there is one alternative that you can try — Frozen Greek Yogurt. I recommend the Euro Greek Yogurt Maker (available on Amazon).
Frozen Greek yogurt is often considered to be a safer alternative to frozen yogurt for people that are lactose intolerant, and this is because certain versions of frozen Greek yogurt have Lactobacillus acidophilus in them (active bacteria cultures). When looking for frozen Greek yogurt of this variety, you’ll want to make sure that it has a label along the lines of, “contains active yogurt cultures.”
These active yogurt cultures are a great benefit as they help with the deconstruction of lactose while your body is digesting it. As a direct result, frozen Greek yogurt along these lines is usually much easier for your body to fully digest.
Now, does this mean that you can eat frozen Greek yogurt and not have any issues whatsoever?
A lot of that is going to depend on the severity of your intolerance and how your body handles lactose when you do consume it.
Everyone’s lactose intolerance is different, so the best judges in this matter
Does Frozen Yogurt Have Less Lactose Than Ice Cream?
Although neither frozen yogurt or ice cream will show up on a lactose free foods list, people still debate over the two when it comes to which one has the higher lactose level.
Some people say that frozen yogurt has less lactose, whereas others are under the impression that ice cream takes this title.
To settle this matter once and for all, lactose typically contains less lactose.
While some of this depends on the amount of ice cream or frozen yogurt you’re eating and what kind of toppings have been added to it, frozen yogurt usually has less lactose as a result of it not using cream the way that ice cream does.
Frozen yogurt ditches the cream for cultured milk (aka yogurt), and this is why it’s sometimes more tolerable for people with an intolerance to lactose.
Is it a perfect solution with absolutely no lactose? Not necessarily.
However, in some situations, it is much more digestible for people that struggle with eating ice cream.
Final Thoughts
Although frozen yogurt may not be completely lactose free, you don’t necessarily have to rule it out of your diet for good if you’re someone that’s lactose intolerant. If you’ve never tried frozen yogurt before, give it a shot. If your body digests it without any problems, awesome! If you do run into some digestive issues, try the frozen Greek yogurt alternative. Play around with the different options you have, see how your stomach reacts, and make your decision from there.
