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Given the prevalence of lactose intolerance I think it’s hard to classify ice cream as “the ultimate” comfort food. When I hear people talking about “comfort f

Given the prevalence of lactose intolerance I think it’s hard to classify ice cream as “the ultimate” comfort food. When I hear people talking about “comfort food” it’s usually talking about simple (easy to prepare), high-carbohydrate foods with balanced proteins like mac & cheese, spaghetti & meatballs, pizza, grilled cheese sandwiches, etc. The stuff you’d feed to children with unsophisticated palettes and an unending desire for calories and protein.

kortilla 4y ago
> lactose intolerance > mac & cheese > pizza > grilled cheese sandwiches I think I have some bad news for you about where cheese comes from…
- smegsicle 4y ago
  > not understanding that cheese is enjoyed by cultures all over the world as a way to consume dairy without bothering digestion > "bad news" for someone who obviously can't eat ice cream but knows they have no problem with mac and cheese (sounds almost like gpt but ithink even a robot ought to pick that up..)
  - throwaway183747 4y ago
    >Not understanding that cheese generally still has lactose in it, and thus can still be problematic for lactose-intolerant humans. Turns out the world is full of nuance. But generally speaking, humans with lactose intolerance will have trouble enjoying the consumption of dairy-based products... Including - you guessed it! Cheese! Certainly, some hard cheeses are lower in lactose. But that which constitutes Mac & Cheese? Oof.
    - klodolph 4y ago
      In the US, the most common cheese in mac & cheese has got to be cheddar. Cheddar is low in lactose. “Fancy” mac & cheese might use gruyère instead, which is also often acceptable to people with lactose intolerance.
- klodolph 4y ago
  If you’re gonna mock me at least get one of your facts straight. Ice cream has something like 50x as much lactose, by weight, as mozarella cheese. That’s why people who are lactose intolerant often have no problems eating cheeses, or at least certain cheeses in limited quantities. However, even people who think that they’re not lactose intolerant have digestive problems after eating ice cream—it turns out that it’s quite common for people to have some degree of lactose intolerance and be unaware of it.
jmyeet 4y ago
So ice cream isn't the ultimate comfort food because of lactose intolerance but that's a factor in 3 of the 4 other foods you mentioned. You also say an "unednding desire for calories and protein". *Protein?" Where? Even with metaballs you're not really eating that much meat (aka protein). Did you mean fat? It's kind of a weird take overall. Ice cream clearly has huge cultural significance in the US as a comfort food.
- klipt 4y ago
  > "Protein?" Where? Cheese is very high in protein. It's basically concentrated milk. Obviously not lactose free though.
  - sokoloff 4y ago
    Hard cheeses tend to be low in lactose, often enough to not bother people who are moderately lactose intolerant.
- jayd16 4y ago
  Cheese is low lactose compared to cream.
- klodolph 4y ago
  Ice cream has far, FAR more lactose than most cheeses, especially hard cheeses. Just a quick look-up online—a 50g serving of ice cream has something like 1.6g lactose. The same amount of cheddar has around 0.05g lactose, and mozarella has around 0.03g. That’s like a factor of 30x-50x. This explains why even people who don’t think they are lactose intolerant still have digestive problems when they eat ice cream, but have no problems with cheese. Ice cream may be culturally significant, I just haven’t heard it called a comfort food before. I’m also a bit confused about the protein comment. Go read the nutritional facts for cheese some time. Cheddar is about 1/4 protein by mass. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/328637/nutrients https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/328637/n...
  - ragazzina 4y ago
adeelk93 4y ago
There are so many dairy free options nowadays, I hardly feel the inconvenience of lactose intolerance. Including on ice cream.
- alex_dev 4y ago
  Dairy free ice cream tastes horrible. But lactose-free ice cream tastes exactly like any other ice cream. I wish all ice cream was made lactose free.
  - bigDinosaur 4y ago
    I've found quite a few good coconut/soy milk based ice-creams in terms of flavour. Once you spend time noticing the texture though (e.g. xanthan gum) they can become unpleasant. That's what ultimately made me stop buying them.
willcipriano 4y ago
> The stuff you’d feed to children Perhaps that's why it's comforting? Reminds you of a simpler time, dad taking you out for ice cream on a summer day.
- gunfighthacksaw 4y ago
  Also hearty food traditional to the culture(s) you exist in. When I’m in the UK, bangers and mash. In Central Europe some cutlet and sauerkraut. This is also because I ate it with my grandparents and they probably enjoyed it from the war when meat was scarce and it was hard to get food from other lands. Like you say, a simpler time.
- _carbyau_ 4y ago
  There's twofood related experiences I want my kid to know me for: 1. Going out for icecream. 2. Pancakes at home on the weekend. Of course, non-food related experiences I hope to add up to much more.
lr4444lr 4y ago
Sugar is both serotonergic and dopaminergic, IIRC. Not as fast and intensely as alcohol, but it's pretty good.
micromacrofoot 4y ago
Plenty of good tasting plant based ice creams… I don’t even bother eating the real thing unless i’m out somewhere
988747 4y ago
Is lactose intolerance more common in the US than in Europe? In my country no one ever bothers with offering lactose-free products.

kortilla 4y ago

> lactose intolerance > mac & cheese > pizza > grilled cheese sandwiches I think I have some bad news for you about where cheese comes from…

smegsicle 4y ago
> not understanding that cheese is enjoyed by cultures all over the world as a way to consume dairy without bothering digestion > "bad news" for someone who obviously can't eat ice cream but knows they have no problem with mac and cheese (sounds almost like gpt but ithink even a robot ought to pick that up..)
- throwaway183747 4y ago
  >Not understanding that cheese generally still has lactose in it, and thus can still be problematic for lactose-intolerant humans. Turns out the world is full of nuance. But generally speaking, humans with lactose intolerance will have trouble enjoying the consumption of dairy-based products... Including - you guessed it! Cheese! Certainly, some hard cheeses are lower in lactose. But that which constitutes Mac & Cheese? Oof.
  - klodolph 4y ago
    In the US, the most common cheese in mac & cheese has got to be cheddar. Cheddar is low in lactose. “Fancy” mac & cheese might use gruyère instead, which is also often acceptable to people with lactose intolerance.
klodolph 4y ago
If you’re gonna mock me at least get one of your facts straight. Ice cream has something like 50x as much lactose, by weight, as mozarella cheese. That’s why people who are lactose intolerant often have no problems eating cheeses, or at least certain cheeses in limited quantities. However, even people who think that they’re not lactose intolerant have digestive problems after eating ice cream—it turns out that it’s quite common for people to have some degree of lactose intolerance and be unaware of it.

jmyeet 4y ago

So ice cream isn't the ultimate comfort food because of lactose intolerance but that's a factor in 3 of the 4 other foods you mentioned. You also say an "unednding desire for calories and protein". *Protein?" Where? Even with metaballs you're not really eating that much meat (aka protein). Did you mean fat? It's kind of a weird take overall. Ice cream clearly has huge cultural significance in the US as a comfort food.

klipt 4y ago
> "Protein?" Where? Cheese is very high in protein. It's basically concentrated milk. Obviously not lactose free though.
- sokoloff 4y ago
  Hard cheeses tend to be low in lactose, often enough to not bother people who are moderately lactose intolerant.
jayd16 4y ago
Cheese is low lactose compared to cream.
klodolph 4y ago
Ice cream has far, FAR more lactose than most cheeses, especially hard cheeses. Just a quick look-up online—a 50g serving of ice cream has something like 1.6g lactose. The same amount of cheddar has around 0.05g lactose, and mozarella has around 0.03g. That’s like a factor of 30x-50x. This explains why even people who don’t think they are lactose intolerant still have digestive problems when they eat ice cream, but have no problems with cheese. Ice cream may be culturally significant, I just haven’t heard it called a comfort food before. I’m also a bit confused about the protein comment. Go read the nutritional facts for cheese some time. Cheddar is about 1/4 protein by mass. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/328637/nutrients https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/328637/n...
- ragazzina 4y ago

adeelk93 4y ago

There are so many dairy free options nowadays, I hardly feel the inconvenience of lactose intolerance. Including on ice cream.

alex_dev 4y ago
Dairy free ice cream tastes horrible. But lactose-free ice cream tastes exactly like any other ice cream. I wish all ice cream was made lactose free.
- bigDinosaur 4y ago
  I've found quite a few good coconut/soy milk based ice-creams in terms of flavour. Once you spend time noticing the texture though (e.g. xanthan gum) they can become unpleasant. That's what ultimately made me stop buying them.

willcipriano 4y ago

> The stuff you’d feed to children Perhaps that's why it's comforting? Reminds you of a simpler time, dad taking you out for ice cream on a summer day.

gunfighthacksaw 4y ago
Also hearty food traditional to the culture(s) you exist in. When I’m in the UK, bangers and mash. In Central Europe some cutlet and sauerkraut. This is also because I ate it with my grandparents and they probably enjoyed it from the war when meat was scarce and it was hard to get food from other lands. Like you say, a simpler time.
_carbyau_ 4y ago
There's twofood related experiences I want my kid to know me for: 1. Going out for icecream. 2. Pancakes at home on the weekend. Of course, non-food related experiences I hope to add up to much more.

lr4444lr 4y ago

Sugar is both serotonergic and dopaminergic, IIRC. Not as fast and intensely as alcohol, but it's pretty good.

micromacrofoot 4y ago

Plenty of good tasting plant based ice creams… I don’t even bother eating the real thing unless i’m out somewhere

988747 4y ago

Is lactose intolerance more common in the US than in Europe? In my country no one ever bothers with offering lactose-free products.