EU-label decoder
Reads ingredient lists in 24 EU languages and flags every form of lactose, including derivatives.
- Whey, casein, ghee detection
- Allergen warnings parsed
- 'May contain milk' flags
Lactose-free living
Find hidden lactose before your gut does.
Lactose hides in bread, sauces, processed meats and 'lactose-free' yoghurts that still contain whey. A Gut Day scans labels, decodes ingredients and tracks your personal threshold.
Lactose intolerance is a dose problem, not an on/off switch
Most lactose-intolerant people can handle 6 to 12 grams of lactose per day without symptoms - roughly a small glass of milk. The trouble is, lactose adds up across the day, and a lot of products contain small hidden amounts. A Gut Day tracks your daily cumulative lactose and warns you before you cross your personal threshold.
What you get
Barcode scanner
Scan any EU product. The app flags lactose, milk powder, whey, casein, ghee and 30+ aliases.
Daily lactose budget
See your cumulative grams. Set your own threshold or let the app find it from your data.
Hidden-source library
Bread, deli meat, instant soup, salad dressing, medication fillers - the usual suspects in one place.
How A Gut Day helps
Built for this exact problem
Personal threshold finder
After 4 weeks of logging, the app shows your dose-response curve.
- Grams-per-day chart
- Symptom-by-dose breakdown
- Recommended daily limit
Lactase-pill tracker
Log when you take lactase enzyme - see if it actually works for you.
- Pill timing tracker
- Effectiveness score
- Reminder before risky meals
Restaurant mode
Photo-snap a menu and the app flags likely lactose suspects (cream sauce, butter, parmesan).
- Menu OCR
- Common-pitfall flags
- Save safe restaurants
How A Gut Day helps you go lactose-free
- 1
Scan everything for the first week
Build your safe-product list. The barcode scanner tags lactose presence and grams per portion.
- 2
Log symptoms with timestamps
Bloating, cramps and gas usually start 30 minutes to 2 hours after dairy.
- 3
Let the app find your threshold
After 4 weeks you get a dose chart showing where symptoms start.
- 4
Use the budget to cheat smart
If you tolerate 8g/day, you can have a slice of cake at dinner if breakfast was dairy-free.
Why 'lactose-free' on the label is not always safe
EU lactose-free typically means under 0.1g per 100g, which is fine for most people. But cumulative intake matters. Five 'lactose-free' products plus a lactose-free latte can still add up to 1 to 2 grams - enough to trigger symptoms in the very sensitive.
A Gut Day cumulates these trace amounts so you see the full picture.
Lactose vs milk allergy vs dairy intolerance - they are different
Lactose intolerance is a dose-dependent enzyme issue. A milk allergy is an immune reaction even to tiny amounts. A2/A1 protein sensitivity is a third thing entirely.
The app lets you tag which one you are tracking so the warnings make sense for your case.
Frequently asked questions
- Will the app tell me lactose grams for non-EU products?
- It works best with EU labels. For non-EU products you can scan and add the grams manually if listed.
- Do I need a hydrogen breath test first?
- No. The app helps you find patterns either way - many people self-diagnose successfully with 4 weeks of logging.
- Is butter lactose-free?
- Almost. Pure butter has under 0.1g per 100g. Whipped butter and 'spreadable' versions often contain milk solids - the scanner catches those.
- Are aged cheeses lactose-free?
- Hard aged cheeses (parmesan, aged gouda, cheddar over 12 months) are essentially lactose-free. Soft cheeses still contain lactose.
- What about lactose in medication?
- Many tablets use lactose as filler. The app has a known-medication list and lets you tag your prescriptions.
Spot hidden lactose in seconds
Free barcode scanner, EU-label decoder and personal threshold finder.
Create your free account