Dairy ?

[georgie]

I am really distressed tonight. My Dr thinks I have a dairy intolerance as well as my Gluten. I have just checked my gluten-free bread and it has milk powder ! I am thinking that a world without cheese and milk products is terrible ! I feel so down....

[darlindeb25]

Georgie, many people with milk allergies use soy milk, rice milk, coconut milk, etc. I am with you, I can't imagine my life without my dairy. Others will come along who can tell you how they cope without dairy, I still have it in my diet, although I have given up so much other foods.

I'm sorry you feel so bad, wish I could help.

[georgie]

Thanks Deb, Still feeling a bit scared. Going gluten-free was bad enough.... I can't have soy. No one with thyroid troubles should have soy. I live ina small town with limited choices. I have just found gluten-free bread that my local supermarket can order for me. Today I went in and cancelled my weekly order...It has milk powder in it....

[Mango04]

I can't do gluten, dairy or soy either. When I was in Australia I enjoyed Early Harvest bread. I actually thought it was one of the all time best gluten-free breads.

Most (if not all) Orgran products are gluten, dairy and soy-free as well. They make some great cookies, baking mixes, pancake mixes etc. etc. etc.

Aussie Dream rice milk is my all time favorite dairy-free milk. I found it everywhere over there (and I travelled through some really small towns ) The calcium enriched version tastes especially good for some reason.

Your country makes some great gluten, dairy and soy-free muesli (which tastes great with the Aussie Dream).

My all time favorite chocolate muffins are also made in OZ

Hmmm...let me know if you need more ideas.

[georgie]

Thanks ! I will do a search to see if Early Harvest Bread is available in my state. Do you use rice milk just like normal milk? Could you cook with it ? What type of 'butter' did you use for your bread? I don't know if I am dairy intolerant or not - but Dr thinks so - and wants me to do the Dairy Challenge. I did that with Gluten once and that was the last time I was ever able to eat Gluten! So - expecting this to be a one way street as well. What are the symptoms of dairy intolerance ? All I have is some stomach pain from time to time and chronic headaches ( non stop for 30 years) and weight issues.

[diamondheart]

Sorry you can't have dairy. It's definitely a tough one to give up as there are no good substitutes for cheese. I've been successful substituting coconut milk for cream in my soup recipes that call for cream. I also use ghee (clarified butter) instead of butter. We can buy it here in the States in the natural foods stores. If you can't buy it already made, you can make your own. Just look for a recipe on the internet. Clarified butter is basically pure fat, without the milk solids that contain the allergens. Ghee works pretty well for most things. There are a few things it doesn't work great for though, and you'll figure that out through trial and error.

If you bake, I've found that using a combination of ghee (1/3) and vegetable shortening (2/3 from palm oil) works well.

I haven't had dairy for a year and a half. I pretty much went cold turkey. I'm starting to add a little dairy back into my diet in the form of kefir and yogurt, though I'll probably never eat much again. I can tell when I get a reaction to dairy because my nose clogs up and I get post nasal drip. I didn't have to use my nose spray to clear my sinuses nearly as much once I cut out dairy. It was a nice perk.

Claire

[georgie]

What does a dairying feel like ? I had icecream tonight, and have had this incred pain for hours. I can't sleep. It feels like a hot poker iron is in my stomach. I have gas, and nausea. I have had pain before but never this bad. Its scary.

[girlfromclare]

Hi,

My son is dairy intolerant and celiac. We discovered the dairy first though... once we took him off dairy, the projectile vomiting stopped and also his bowl movements became solid and for the first time in his little life they took on a proper healthy brown colour as opposed to the pale white they had been previously. Although removing dairy from his diet did stop most of his gastro issues, his mood swings and unexplained crying did not stop. It wasnt until we discovered that he had celiac disease that everything started to fall into place. Apparently the enzyme that breaks down dairy is produced i think in the small intestine - if the small intestine (the villi) is not functionind i.e. if you have celiac disease, then it makes sense that you are suddenly not producing the necessary enzyme for breaking down dairy and then you will have problems digesting it. Its not as terrifying as it originally sounds. My son drinks soy milk which doesnt bother him at all, he has his own butter, his own cheese, his own ice cream which is gorgeous!!! His own bread etc due to celiac and a lot of celiac foods will be gluten free and dairy free as well as manufacturers are beginning to realise that they tend to go hand in hand now.

Hope all of that is of some help,

Good luck x

[emcmaster]

Dairy intolerance feels different to everyone. My symptoms are just like those of gluten.

If you weren't diagnosed too long ago, your dairy intolerance might be temporary. Whether I can handle dairy or not depends on how damaged I am - I've noticed that after a severe glutening, I can't handle it for a while until I heal again.

But really, it's an individual thing. Keep track of your symptoms and note when you've had dairy or not.

[georgie]

I have been reading and they say that it can be lactose or casein and lactaid tablets work if its Lactose only? The article said to drink milk and have the tablets but would icecream be the same ? This pain is really scary/ Its 1am here and I can't lie down or sleep. I have been having lots of these small attacks but this is the worst. I guess the Dr was right ?

[ArtGirl]

I'm casein intolerant - for life (dx. from Enterolab).

Symptoms vary from one person to another.

I'm not totally sure what all my symptoms were from eating dairy, but one I do know for sure was itchy skin, and so sensitive that it would welt from scratching lightly with my fingernails or drying with a towel. It took at least two months after eliminating dairy for my skin to quit being so sensitive. My husband, who is also casein intolerant, will immediately get a stuffy head and start sneezing. (He thought he had hayfever, but it was the milk!)

We drink almond milk and it works well with just about any recipe for sweet things like cakes and puddings (does not make good gravy). Coconut milk works well in pureed soups, if you don't mind the slight coconut taste.

I use coconut oil in place of butter or margarine in baking.

I miss cheese and ice cream the most - never really did like drinking milk as a beverage. BUT - as in everything, one adjusts to the new diet. I do make a tasty "shake" with almond milk and frozen strawberries run through the blender, and that helps with the ice cream craving.

[ArtGirl]

I have been reading and they say that it can be lactose or casein and lactaid tablets work if its Lactose only? The article said to drink milk and have the tablets but would icecream be the same ? This pain is really scary/ Its 1am here and I can't lie down or sleep. I have been having lots of these small attacks but this is the worst. I guess the Dr was right ?

I'm sorry you're so miserable - hope tomorrow will be better for you.

For now, it might be best to just eliminate all dairy and give your body a chance to heal up. If it is the damaged villi not being able to handle the casein, then it makes more sense to me to let some time go by before introducing it again.

[jerseyangel]

Valda,

Sorry to get a little off topic here, but I saw that you make puddings with almond milk.

I have yet to make a pudding that isn't runny! I use Vance's Dari Free potato based milk sub, as I'm intolerant to rice and soy.

I can, however, use almond milk. Do you use a mix, or make pudding from scratch? Does it set up as well as pudding made from milk?

Thanks--I'd love some pudding!

[Judyin Philly]

Valda,

Been watching with interest...so sorry your feeling so punk!

I've been soooooo sad about the ice cream and chesse too..much harder for me than gluten ever was.

i've been trying so very hard..don't have a dx yet with the dairy or casin. but will soon.

would like a thick pudding like patti said.

if you can help..love to know how to make it.

trader joes had a great choc puddding but it has milk and now can't have it.

hugs

hope you feel better soon.

j

[ArtGirl]

I make pudding from scratch - no mixes. I do believe, though, that there has to be some fat in the liquid for the starch to thicken up properly (which is why Jello puddings say not to use skim milk). By the way, although you'd have to read the ingredients, I would think that the pudding mixes that you cook (not instant) would be good.

Pudding is easy to make in a non-stick sauce pan - but you do have to stay with it and stir while it's heating up or it'll get lumpy. I use a wire whisk to help blend the ingredients, especially the powdery cocoa. If the pudding is too soft, next time you could add some unflavored gelatin before cooking and it will make the pudding set up more firm.

Chocolate pudding is basically cocoa powder, sugar, cornstarch and milk.

I sub arrowroot or tapioca starch for the cornstarch (becasue of a corn allergy), and almond milk or coconut milk for cow's milk.

I've made coconut pudding with reconstituted dehydrated coconut flakes, sugar and coconut milk and add vanilla. And banana pudding with bananas and vanilla.

Lemon puddings use water and egg yolks - no milk at all.

Speaking of bananas, I've been told that frozen bananas are good, and someone wrote that they drizzle melted chocolate over the bananas before freezing (that would have to be sweetened dark chocolate for those of us who are dairy-free).

[jerseyangel]

Thanks Valda,

The gelatin is a good idea. There is no fat in Vance's--which is probably why it didn't set up properly.

I would think almond milk would have enough fat to make it work.

I'm getting some almond milk this weekend and trying it! Thanks again

[Moondanse]

How do you determine if you have an intolerance to any other foods (dairy, soy, rice)? I know enterolab can check, but it's a bit pricey for me right now. Is the only other way to figure it out by elimination diet? If so, how long do you have to go without?

I ask because I've been gluten-free for about three weeks and seem to be feeling worse. It seems like anything I eat or drink right now is causing my stomach to rumble. All I've had so far today is apple juice and three gluten-free rice cakes (no soy, no dairy). My stomach is a wreck. I'm getting very frustrated.

BUT -- I was very sick last week and had to have a CT Scan. I had to drink three 16 oz cups of this horrific dye for the imaging. Within 1 hour, I was on the toilet violently ill and my stomach hasn't been right since. I swore the dye had gluten in it, but they got me a list of ingredients and it didn't appear to. I don't think I've ever been that sick, not even from gluten. So, it's possible I'm attributing how I'm feeling to the wrong cause.

Pardon my rambling, I'm just stressed. I would like to know how to determine other intolerances if anyone has feedback though.

Thanks!!

Kelli

[Moondanse]

Just read this about the CT Scan:

Q2: I had a CT Scan two days ago. I drank 3 glasses of what I believe was diluted iodine and was given an IV with another tracking substance at the time of the scan. Yesterday evening, I began to have diarrhea. It has continued today. I have done nothing different from my normal routine and have not eaten anything unusual. Is the diarrhea most likely a side effect of the formula I was given?

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A: Yes, the diarrhea is most likely a harmless side effect of the iodine solution that you drank prior to the CT examination. The iodine solution is thicker than water. Therefore, the fluid tends to remain in your bowel rather than being absorbed by the body. The presence of extra fluid in the bowel causes diarrhea. This type of diarrhea is usually very mild and should resolve within a day or two, after all the iodine has been excreted.

The iodine solution makes the bowel show up more clearly on the CT images, so that it can be more easily differentiated from other organs in your abdomen.

Although, my CT Scan was five days ago and my stomach is still a wreck. I tend to think this is the true culprit.