Re-introducing Dairy

[germangirl]

I've gone gluten-free now after my bloodwork came back in the above-normal ranges, but what makes me far more sad than giving up "normal" breads and pizzas and such is the thought of never having tea with milk (soy milk is okay, but it's not the same), homemade yoghurt, or good cheeses again. And my first batch of Gluten-Free cookies, made with margarine, tasted okay, but were hardly as good as they would have been with real butter.

I've read that sometimes the lactose/dairy intolerance is a false symptom - that is, that it goes away when the intestines have healed. Has anyone experienced this? And more importantly, how long does one have to wait to carefully reintroduce dairy, and how does one best go about doing this?

I've been gluten-free for a week now, and I can't wait.

JoAnne

[Felidae]

I've gone gluten-free now after my bloodwork came back in the above-normal ranges, but what makes me far more sad than giving up "normal" breads and pizzas and such is the thought of never having tea with milk (soy milk is okay, but it's not the same), homemade yoghurt, or good cheeses again. And my first batch of Gluten-Free cookies, made with margarine, tasted okay, but were hardly as good as they would have been with real butter.

I've read that sometimes the lactose/dairy intolerance is a false symptom - that is, that it goes away when the intestines have healed. Has anyone experienced this? And more importantly, how long does one have to wait to carefully reintroduce dairy, and how does one best go about doing this?

I've been gluten-free for a week now, and I can't wait.

JoAnne

You'll get used to it. I found I went through withdrawal from dairy and it was difficult in the beginning. Try to replace dairy with something like nuts, nut butters, beans (such as make hummus or other dips), avacados, meat and eggs. After one year I can happily eat cheese again. But I actually love my coffee with Silk soymilk.

[Aerin328]

I'm a newbie at this too but I've read that you may able to reintroduce dairy after 8-12 months , when the villi have had a chance to heal up. (The villi produce the enzyme necessary to digest dairy, so if they are messed up, dairy intolerance can result)

[oceangirl]

I'm a newbie at this too but I've read that you may able to reintroduce dairy after 8-12 months , when the villi have had a chance to heal up. (The villi produce the enzyme necessary to digest dairy, so if they are messed up, dairy intolerance can result)

I am working on my 5th month gluten, dairy, corn and soy-free and am hoping, like you, to try dairy again someday. Right now, though SO MUCH better, still symptomatic so I'm going to hang in there a few more months before I give it the old bovine try. Good luck to you!

lisa

[par18]

I've gone gluten-free now after my bloodwork came back in the above-normal ranges, but what makes me far more sad than giving up "normal" breads and pizzas and such is the thought of never having tea with milk (soy milk is okay, but it's not the same), homemade yoghurt, or good cheeses again. And my first batch of Gluten-Free cookies, made with margarine, tasted okay, but were hardly as good as they would have been with real butter.

I've read that sometimes the lactose/dairy intolerance is a false symptom - that is, that it goes away when the intestines have healed. Has anyone experienced this? And more importantly, how long does one have to wait to carefully reintroduce dairy, and how does one best go about doing this?

I've been gluten-free for a week now, and I can't wait.

JoAnne

Hi Joanne,

I was Dx'd via biopay last year (May 05). I don't know how badly my villi were only that I was able to get a positive diagnosis. I only waited two weeks on diet to try dairy because all other symptoms went away in about 2 days after starting the diet. I had no problem with milk or cheese and continue to eat dairy to this day with no problems. I have heard the intestine can heal fairly quickly and in my case maybe it did. I wonder if those persons who have had issues with dairy before and after Dx maybe could reintroduce at some point. What I don't know is how often one should try before finally deciding they are lactose intolerant.

Tom

[olalisa]

Hi Joanne. Welcome to the board. I've been gluten free for 4 months now and began reintroducing dairy about a month ago. I read that lactose intolerance often clears on a gluten free diet as the villi heal. I also read somewhere that lactase (the enzyme that breaks down lactose in dairy) is actually produced on the tips of the villi, so that makes perfect sense! I have no problems with yogurt, can eat cheese now (I usually stick to fairly small amounts) and milk on my cereal. I find that if I'm going to drink a big glass of milk that I still need to take a lactase enyzme pill beforehand. Interestingly enough, the lactase enzyme pills had stopped working for me in the 6 months or so before going gluten free, I'm guessing because my body didn't absorb those either.

So give it a little time, a few months, and try reintroducing dairy carefully. Just monitor your reactions, and your body will tell you when the time is right.

One more little tidbit....in the final months before my diagnosis, I CRAVED cabbage. I'd get up in the middle of the night and eat it....go to the store in the middle of the day and buy a head and eat most of it as soon as I got home....and I still crave it some now. I learned shortly after diagnosis that cabbage is on the list of "super foods" because it contains an amino acid that HEALS INTESTINAL VILLI. So how's that for listening to your body? So if I'm craving it I don't fight it and you might want to eat lots of cabbage to speed the healing, too.

Good luck, and keep us posted!