Many people can’t imagine a life without cheese — especially since your brain sees it as an addictive substance — but when you are lactose intolerant, consuming dairy products isn’t often a viable option. But, thanks to Green Valley Creamery, lactose intolerant individuals have choices from their ever-expanding lactose-free cheese line. And, last month, they introduced an organic cottage cheese!
The new Green Valley Creamery cottage cheese is the only lactose-free option on the market that is FODMAP-friendly and certified organic. It is available in various organic markets and natural food stores throughout the country and they sell it in a 12-ounce package along with a suggested retail price of $5.29.
Some of the stores selling the new cottage cheese include New Seasons Market on the West Coast, MOM’s Organic Market in the Northeast, and Roundy’s and Mariano’s in the Midwest.
The company says the cheese has a “rich, creamy taste and mild cultured flavor,” and they make it with organic milk and cream, lactase enzyme, Celtic sea salt, and live, active cultures. The cottage cheese does not contain any additives, gums, stabilizers, or preservatives, and has four percent milk fat.
The nutritional facts for each serving include 12 grams of protein and 3 grams of carbs — making it a great protein boost when you serve it with things like pancakes, quiches, and muffins.
Green Valley Creamery says that cottage cheese is “the most-requested item” from their customers, and Vice-President of Sales & Marketing Rich Martin describes their newest product as versatile, and something that can be enjoyed in a variety of ways.
According to the company, there are an estimated 30 to 50 million American who are either lactose-intolerant or lactose-insensitive, and their goal is to bring the joy of dairy back into their lives. Redwood Hill Farm & Creamery — a 50-year-old company — created the lactose-free Green Valley Creamery because of their commitment to digestive health. Other products in their lactose-free line include butter, cream cheese, yogurt, sour cream, and kefir.
In addition to being lactose-free and certified organic, their products are also kosher and gluten-free.
So how do they do this? Green Valley Creamery uses a “simple enzymatic process” to break down the lactose in milk and cream, but it still leaves the nutritional value intact. They use just a few organic ingredients, and slowly ferment them with live and active cultures, and this process yields “billions of probiotics per serving.”
Lactose intolerant individuals can actually have regular cheese, but the fresher the cheese, the more lactose. Aged, harder cheeses can be less harmful because, during the aging process, portions of the lactose turn into less harmful lactic acid. Also, some of the lactose is separated and drained off with the whey.
A good rule of thumb is to think of lactose as “cheese sugar,” so you never want to eat a serving of cheese with 5 grams or more of sugar. And luckily, lactose-intolerant people do have options. Muenster, Camembert, Cheddar, Brie, Provolone, Parmesan, and Gouda all have low amounts of sugar, so lactose-intolerant individuals can enjoy these cheeses when they have a dairy craving.
