Can You Eat Ghee if You are Lactose Intolerant?

Can you eat ghee if you are lactose intolerant?

Do you have a lactose intolerance and are looking for a butter alternative that is healthier for you than Nuttalex? 

Is it okay to eat ghee instead?

If you’re lactose intolerant, then you know that dairy can be a real pain in the butt (and stomach!) But what about ghee?  

Here’s what you need to know.

Ghee is made by simmering butter, at very low temperature for a long period of time.  During this time, all the water evaporates and the milk solids settle at the bottom. These solids are then caramelised as a way to infuse flavour into the ghee and then removed. 

What is left behind is a pure, golden ghee oil that is rich in nutrients and flavour. (If you want to know what ghee taste like click here)

We remove the milk solids.

The milk solids that are removed include lactose, casein and whey. All the common allergens. With 99.9% of these removed, it means that it is considerably lower in lactose than regular butter.

Because of this, many people use ghee as a butter or seed oil spread alternative if they are intolerant to lactose.

In addition to being lower in lactose, ghee also contains higher levels of butyric acid, a short-chain fatty acid that has been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects and healing on the gut lining.   

This is good news as being lactose intolerant has symptoms of nausea, gas, bloating, cramps caused by the inability to break down lactose in the small intestine.  Read here for more signs, symptoms and how lactose intolerance occurs.

Most with lactose intolerance sadly swap butter for less desirable and chemically laden products such as margarine and seed oil based spreads.  These products do nothing to improve wellbeing. 

If you are looking for a butter alternative that spreads, cooks and taste like butter, is lactose free and healthy for you, then ghee is your answer.

In summary, can you eat ghee if you are lactose intolerant?  Yes and the bonus is all the additional health benefits.

So, if you are lactose intolerant and looking for a butter alternative that you can cook with and is still rich in nutrients and flavour, ghee may be a good option for you.

Just be sure to check with your doctor or dietitian first to make sure it is okay for you to consume.