An estimated 50 million individuals shun dairy products because they experience the symptoms of lactose intolerance, which include abdominal pain, nausea, bloating, gas, cramps or diarrhea. Unfortunately, they miss out on the beneficial bacteria contained in yogurt.

Milk is normally not suitable for individuals who do not produce enough of the enzyme lactase, needed to digest lactose, or milk sugar. Undigested lactose produces stomach and intestinal symptoms within 30 minutes to two hours after eating.

Lactose intolerance can be found in people of all ages with males and females affected equally. However, it is often seen in older people, individuals with certain digestive disorders and some ethnic groups.

Making your own lactose-free yogurt from either cow’s or goat’s milk is one way to avoid lactose and still get the benefits of dairy. The trick is to ferment the yogurt for 24-36 hours. This lengthy fermenting process allows lots of beneficial bacteria to grow as the microbes consume all the lactose.

Here’s what you need:

Large pot
Whisk
1 quart to 1 gallon of raw goat milk or pasteurized cow’s milk
Candy or meat thermometer
Instant read thermometer
Glass measuring cup
Large spoon
Yogourmet yogurt starter or ¼ cup Dannon whole milk yogurt per 1 quart of milk
Glass jars with lids
Excalibur dehydrator or other yogurt-maker

Here’s what you do:

•Step 1: Sterilize all your materials by pouring boiling water over them.
•Step 2: Heat the milk to 180 degrees. Whisk often.
•Step 3: Let the milk cool to 64-77 degrees. Tip: place the milk in the refrigerator to speed up cooling.
•Remove one-half cup of cooled milk and mix in 1 packet of Yogourmet starter for one quart of milk. Or make a paste by adding ¼ cup of Dannon whole milk yogurt to the half cup of cooled milk.
•Add the mixture to the rest of milk and whisk to combine.
•Pour the milk into sterilized jars.
•Incubate in a yogurt maker or dehydrator for 24-36 hours.
•Make sure the temperature during incubation is 100-110 degrees. Monitor this with an instant read thermometer.
•Remove the jars and refrigerate.

Note: Goat’s milk yogurt will be slightly thinner than cow’s milk yogurt. The goat’s milk must be raw or it will not make yogurt.