is lactose important for us?what is it's substitute?

Answer 1

Something that can be used in place of milk. The most common reason to use a milk substitute is because of lactose intolerance. A person might also be trying to avoid using products that exploit animals; here I refer to products that are free of animal byproducts as 'Vegan'. Most of these may, depending on the manufacturer, contain gluten. None of these taste much like cow milk, but may be quite a bit better than nothing.

Try these:

Coconut milk: 1/2 canned coconut milk, 1/2 water, adjust to taste. Vegan. Can be used in many recipes that call for milk. Lactose free.

Soy milk: some people are allergic to this. Vegan. Can be used for cooking and possibly for weird tasting cereal. Lactose free.

Nut milk: Some people are allergic to this. Vegan. Can be used for cooking. Very different on cereal. Lactose free.

Rice milk: Vegan. Can be used for cooking and cereal. Lactose free.

Oat Milk: Can be used for cooking and cereal. Usually Vegan (may use honey as sweetener). Lactose free.

Potato milk: May not work for cooking. Appears to be Vegan. Lactose free.

Goat Milk: Does not contain the allergenic casein protein alpha-S1. Has slightly less lactose than cow milk, but not enough to make much of a difference. May be used for cooking and possibly on cereal.

Human Milk: Extremely healthy; recommended for all children for at least the first 6 months of life. Considered Vegan. No other milk-like substance should be used to replace this, with the possible exception of baby formula.

Answer 2

Lactose is a common disaccharaide (simple sugar) found in milk and dairy products. It is not an essential nutrient for the body, although the foods that lactose is found in (i.e. milk) is high in calcium and vitamin D, nutrients that we DO need in the diet.

If you want to get Calcium and Vitamin D without the lactose, you can drink calcium-foritied orange juice. Or if you're lactose-intolerant but like the taste of milk, you can buy lactose-free milk. The lactose in lactose-free milk has been broken down into glucose and galactose (so it's sweeter than regular milk). You get the goodness of milk without the unpleasantness of being lactose-intolerant.

Answer 3

Lactose is a disaccharide that consists of β-D-galactose and β-D-glucose molecules bonded through a β1-4 glycosidic linkage. Lactose makes up around 2-8% of the solids in milk. The name comes from the Latin word for milk, plus the -ose ending used to name sugars.
Since lactose occurs mostly in milk, in most species the production of lactase gradually ceases with maturity, and they are then unable to metabolise lactose. This loss of lactase on maturation is also the default pattern in most adult humans

Reduced or entirely lactose-free products (using milk substitutes, soy milk, almond milk, oat milk, or rice milk) are available allowing lactose-intolerant people to maintain approximately the same diet as those who are tolerant, without having to purchase medication or significantly alter their eating habits.

The food industry has successfully managed to create high quality low-lactose or entirely lactose-free products to replace the regular items. Lactose-free milk can be produced by passing milk over lactase enzyme bound to an inert carrier: once the molecule is cleaved, there are no lactose ill-effects. Alternatively, a harmless bacterium such as L. acidophilus may be added, which affects the lactose in milk the same way it affects the lactose in yogurt .

Finland has had "HYLA" (acronym for hydrolysed lactose) products available for many years, even though the number of lactose intolerant people there is relatively small. These low-lactose level cow's milk products, ranging from ice cream to cheese, use a Valio patented chromatographic separation method to remove lactose. The ultra-pasteurization process, combined with aseptic packaging ensures a long shelf-life. Recently, the range of low-lactose products available in Finland has been augmented with milk and other dairy products (such as ice cream, butter, and buttermilk) that contain no lactose at all. The remaining about 20% of lactose in HYLA products is taken care of enzymatically. These typically cost 2-4 times more than equivalent products containing lactose. Valio also markets these products in Sweden.

Many countries have similar product lines, and new consumer products continue to become available. In America over recent years (1990–2000) there has been a notable increase of available lactose-reduced and lactose-free dairy products; examples being cottage cheese, American cheese and ice cream.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactose_intolerance#Managing_lactose_intolerance

......all the best.

Answer 4

Lactose is a disaccharide sugar C 12 H 22 O 11 that is present in milk and yields glucose and galactose upon hydrolysis and yields especially lactic acid upon fermentation. Most people are intolerant and allergic. Soy products substitute animal products...soy milk, soy yogurt, soy milk, soy cheese... =) And it's healthier for you in the long run. You get more out of it than you do animal products. I hope I answered your question.

Answer 5

It's just a type of sugar. There are also fructose, sucrose, etc., and sugar is just an energy source, not essential like vitamins and minerals. You don't need a substitute.

Answer 6

no .it gets converted into sugar with the help of an enzyme lactase in ur gut .so it is as good as any other carbohydrate

Answer 7

wj has given a good answer.