How to Find Foods With Hidden Lactose

Lactose intolerance is when a person's body lacks the enzyme needed to properly metabolize lactose that is present in many foods. To exacerbate the problem there are foods that contain hidden lactose and a person can ingest them without even knowing that lactose is present. There are measures to take to find these foods with hidden lactose before eating them.

Instructions

• 1

  Read the labels thoroughly of any foods you ingest. Look for whey and milk by-products in the ingredients list of the label. These ingredients often contain lactose but the product will not list lactose specifically on the label.

• 2

  Pay special attention to food that may contain lactose but not list lactose on the ingredient label. Bread, cereals, chips, margarine, dressings for salad, mixes or batters and powdered meal replacements are just some of the products that may contain lactose but not list it specifically on the label.

• 3

  Check the company web site that produced the food if there is any question. Sometimes the labels can be confusing or and list ingredients that seem lactose free when in reality they are not. If you check the manufacturer's website, it may contain a more detailed explanation of the ingredients.

• 4

  Make a list from the ingredient label of items that you do not recognize and can't find on the manufacturer web site. Then research the list of unknown ingredients.