Dairy Issues

[faegan]

Posted this yesterday, but it didn't show up on the forum:

4 Oct 2007

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Dairy Intolerance

Hey... hope everyone is enjoying the fall... my favorite season.

Over the course of the last 6 weeks, I've gone dairy free - completely - and have seen the problems I've had with my, well, #2s go away. This is a major buzzkill for me. I don't care about milk itself, or even cheese, it's all the other foods - such as pamela's mix - that have helped me since I've been gluten-free. What's interesting is that I don't think I had any problems with dairy before being gluten-free.

I was wondering if anyone has been able to go back to dairy - at least in limited quantities - after being gluten-free/DF for a while. I've been gluten-free for a year and a half now. Once my system has had a chance to heal for a few years more - I hope I'll be able to tolerate more foods that I might be able to now.

Thoughts? Experiences (better)?

Thanks!

[Lisa]

I was gluten free for over a year when I started issues with dairy. That period lasted about six months. I gradually introduced it to my diet and now I don't appear to have any issues at all.

I hope the same for you.

[nikki-uk]

Similar tale to Lisa'a post above.

My hubby had been gluten-free for 6 months before he had a problem with milk (Not dairy really as he could still tolerate hard cheddar,butter & yoghurt)

He cut it out for around 4 months - re- introduced it slowly and is ok with most milk products now (although he can't overdo rice pudding! )

[frec]

I have been gluten free for five years and I still cannot eat dairy. I can tolerate it as a minor ingredient in a baking mix or chocolate bar, but no ice cream, no yogurt, no cheese. If I overdo a bit I figure at least there isn't any intestinal damage as with gluten. The mixes I have right now from Namaste Foods, Bob's Red Mill, and The Gluten Free Pantry don't have dairy.

[little-c]

I'm curious because I've been thinking about trying dairy free for a while but I'm afraid to. What do you use as a calcium supplement if you're not eating dairy? I'm afraid of osteoporosis.

Thanks.

[holiday16]

Does anyone know why the dairy issue would show up after being gluten free for a while? I just started having stomach pains again and it seems to be related to dairy. I've been gluten free for almost a year and never noticed a problem with it until recently. I'm cutting it out to be sure, but I'm pretty sure that's it as I think I had something yesterday which had milk in it and my stomach has been hurting ever since. I'm also noticing that having dairy makes me shake and gives me headaches that are similar to gluten related ones. Thankfully they clear up fairly quickly.

So glad I read this thread as now I know others are going through the same thing!

[Cynbd]

I have been gluten-free for about a year now... and this summer I finally gave up dairy completely. I was still eating yogurt, and cheese along with Lactaid, but found I was having a lot of problems and decided it must be the dairy. I have been having a lot less problems since I eliminated it completely.

I also gave up caffeine (switched to decaf) this summer and that has helped a lot too.

If I have to give up Smarties I might be in trouble tho...

[hathor]

I'm curious because I've been thinking about trying dairy free for a while but I'm afraid to. What do you use as a calcium supplement if you're not eating dairy? I'm afraid of osteoporosis.

Thanks.

A simple question, which calls for a long answer for completeness. Of course, I don't expect you to simply take my word for it. Do your own research. But don't simply rely on what the dairy industry says or what the dairy industry-lobbied federal government or nonnutritionally-educated doctors say. Look at the statistics and the actual studies (including how they were performed).

There is no need to be afraid of dropping dairy. (There are other arguments against dairy, but I will just address the osteoporosis angle.)

I have a strong family history of osteoporosis. My mother had it and my sister has osteopenia. I've done a lot of research on this area as a result. I'm not afraid of osteoporosis because I do NOT consume dairy (or animal protein).

Where do you think plant-eaters like horses and elephants get their strong bones? Plants and weight-bearing exercise. Why would evolution make it necessary that we consume, as adults, the milk intended for the young of another species?

Worldwide dairy consumption is linked with osteoporosis. That is, the higher the dairy consumption, the higher the rates of osteoporosis. The dairy industry once funded a study giving post-menopausal women only added milk (only one such study has been performed to the best of my knowledge). The group that got the extra milk had more bone loss at the end than the control group. You don't see them mention this one, do you? (You can also see why they haven't funded any more studies like this one.) The societies with no osteoporosis to speak of are the ones that don't consume dairy (and little other animal protein).

Osteoporosis isn't a calcium deficiency disease. It is an extra protein, or more specifically, an excess animal protein disease. The extra amino acids in the blood need to be neutralized; the body does this with calcium from the bones. There are some other things that can leach calcium from the bones as well, such as phosphoric acid (as in colas), salt, caffeine, and alcohol. There was one study where milk drinkers built bone, but this is where they also gave the participants antacids every day to neutralize all that acid.

The animal protein is worse because it is higher in sulfur-containing amino acids, which create a more acidic environment and thus need more buffering. Protein studies show adult women need 15 grams a day, and men need 20. The US government doubled those and added a margin of safety, coming up with 45 and 56 grams as RDAs. The average US consumption is 110. I heard a lecturer once say that the studies show that the calcium starts leaching out when you get to around 75 to 90 grams per day.

The highest calcium intake (this time from fish bones) is among the Inuit. They suffer from extreme osteoporosis.

The body will absorb different amounts of calcium from food given its needs at the time.

Here you can read all about this subject:

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

If you do want a calcium supplement, I would get one that has magnesium as well. For instance, see:

Open Original Shared Link

You can also drink calcium-fortified soy milk and/or orange juice if you wish.

Edit:

More about protein: Open Original Shared Link