No Milk, No Yogurt, But Cheddar Cheese Ok?

[sagemoon]

Hi All,

This question is probably answered somewhere else, but after reading through a few threads, I'll just ask again. My IGG allergy test came back to say I am allergic to milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, whey and mozarella, but not to cheddar cheese. Since cheddar seems to me to be the same ingredients but with added rennet and then aged, does it mean that the lactose is used up in the process and that casein is OK for me? The reason I am asking you all and not the testing lab (Optimum Health Resource - very bad choice, see my thread under Pre-testing for that saga) is because I am not getting the information I need from them to complete the picture. I am also retesting with another lab this week just to make sure of these results.

So, what do you think?

I also tested allergic to eggs - now that has thrown me for a loop and I am mulling that over today. I made pumpkin pie without the crust yesterday using ground flaxseed and water as the egg replacement, it's OK, I guess. Certainly not as smooth.

[Michi8]

The allergy test you had would not test for lactose intolerance...it's a different reaction in the body. If it were just lactose intolerance, then yogurt would likely be okay for you as well as the cheddar cheese since the bacteria consume the lactose. I'm lactose intolerant myself and have no problems with yogurt or hard cheeses such as cheddar.

In terms of cheese/dairy allergy, I'd be surprised if you were allergic to dairy but not to cheddar cheese, especially since cheddar cheese produces histamine so can cause a reaction in absence of a true dairy allergy (cheddar cheese used to make my mouth itchy just like with my other oral allergies).

The IgG allergy testing is a bit controversial, and from what I have read, can produce false positives. From what I understand, the body produces IgG in response to exposure to foods/proteins but does not necessarily correlate with allergy. There all all sorts of conflicting info out there about various allergy testing methods...of course there are those that believe in it and those that say it's a bunch of bunk. Gotta take what works for you, and ignore the rest.

I'm beginning to think that the best way is to do a thorough elimination test on one's own, and carefully document any and all reactions: physical & emotional.

Michelle

[Felidae]

Most aged cheeses, like cheddar are lactose-free. You should probably try an elimination test to determine if you are casein or lactose intolerant. If you can handle cheese, but not milk, you are most likely lactose intolerant.