Casein Free Diet?

[jesscarmel]

Hi

So it was suggested by my dermatologist that i go dairy free since it seems to be linked to my acne. my naturopath suggested casein free. is casein the same thing as dairy? I LOVE cheese and cannot imagine not eating it. i dont drink milk so that wont be a problem. is there any good casein free cheese? any advice would be great!

thanks!

Jess

also is there is a way to "test" for a casein intolerance?

[confused]

I think the only way to test for casein intolerance is threw enterolab. I could be wrong tho, maybe someone will chime in.

If you can have soy, i know there are some soy cheese that you can eat. I just dont know what it is called, maybe the veggie slices that u can get at any grocery store are, im sure someone will know of good ones.

Im sorry im not more help.

paula

[byebyegluten]

i'm not sure about the testing, but you do have to watch which soy cheeses you eat. a lot of them still have milk protein in it which is what casein intolerant people can't handle. i like galaxy nutritional foods (i think i got the name right). they have rice slices that are pretty good.

good luck!

I think the only way to test for casein intolerance is threw enterolab. I could be wrong tho, maybe someone will chime in.

If you can have soy, i know there are some soy cheese that you can eat. I just dont know what it is called, maybe the veggie slices that u can get at any grocery store are, im sure someone will know of good ones.

Im sorry im not more help.

paula

[confusedks]

I can't have soy, so I'm not much help as far as the good substitutes. Dairy and casein are kinda the same thing. Dairy is the whole category of foods and casein is specifically the protein in dairy foods. Does that make sense?

You should cut out everything for a while and see what happens. I know it's hard to not have cheese, but you will get used to it. Trust me, I was the cheese queen and I haven't had it since March.

Also, be careful if you add a lot of soy products into your diet in place of the dairy products, because you can build a soy intolerance. That's what happened to me. Instead of using soy milk, etc. use almond, etc.

[tarnalberry]

casein is the dairy protein - it is present in all types of dairy, from all animals, though different levels of subtypes. I've never found a cheese (or any other non-milk substitute) that was acceptable, and mostly do without). I use a raw cashew sub for ranch dip, but that's about it. I also miss cheese, but you adjust.

[MySuicidalTurtle]

Open Original Shared Link

It is fabulous!!!!!

Though, it has soy but other than that it is casein/gluten-free and yummie. My friend and Mother both like it on pizzas and they are picky eaters.

[nmw]

There are blood tests for casein, as well as the Enterolab stool test. I can't eat any of the substitute cheeses (which are pretty blechy anyway, IMO) due to soy intolerance, and tested IgG positive for rice and casein. You are better off avoiding dairy completely. After awhile you stop missing it so much, just like anything else. BTW - my acne cleared up substantially after I cut out soy and dairy. Don't load up on soy as a substitute because it may become a problem for you. Everything in moderation.

[MrsMH]

Hi

So it was suggested by my dermatologist that i go dairy free since it seems to be linked to my acne. my naturopath suggested casein free. is casein the same thing as dairy? I LOVE cheese and cannot imagine not eating it. i dont drink milk so that wont be a problem. is there any good casein free cheese? any advice would be great!

thanks!

Jess

also is there is a way to "test" for a casein intolerance?

Hi,

One tasty casein free product is tofutti, they do cream cheese-like products. Not a substitute for cheddar I know, but excellent on toasted items ! My gluten-free/CF child likes their slices on pizza too...( I recommend adding a bit of olive oil and salt, etc ), be warned it does have partially hygrogenated soy in it. There is also a weird powder product called " Cheddar Chreese Mix" by Roads End Organics that is good for pasta dishes.(it has garbanzo in it which adds substance)...Amazon has it if you cant locate it, make sure you get the gluten free variety, if you need to.

There is a casein "peptide" test...

Rice cheeses are horribly gritty..YEKK

[hathor]

So many people say they can't give up cheese. I think it could be because of the high casein content. It, like gluten, plugs into the opioid receptor cells in the brain or something like this. People can actually go into withdrawal.

But you give it up and you lose your taste for it. I used to love cheese. Now I pass by a cheese counter and I have to hold my breath because the stuff smells so rancid.

Just don't immediately switch to a nondairy cheese. You need to wait until your taste buds don't remember what the real stuff tastes like

Casein does affect complexions. My children both notice that they breakout if they have dairy and their skin clears when they stay away from it.

Are you male or female, Jess? If the latter, one side benefit you could well notice from giving up dairy is that your periods become lighter and you are less likely to suffer from cramps. Way back when I largely gave up dairy (the complete avoidance only started after my Enterolab testing) I noticed this immediately. My daughter can pretty much predict what her periods will be like by how much dairy she has had. She claims her athletic performance also suffers with dairy.

I also found that I stopped getting sinus infections when I stopped dairy. I had been getting them several times a year.

If you do decide you want to go casein-free, there can be other benefits, in other words. I can provide some links to others if you want to convince yourself to go this way.

[Gwen B]

So many people say they can't give up cheese. I think it could be because of the high casein content. It, like gluten, plugs into the opioid receptor cells in the brain or something like this. People can actually go into withdrawal.

But you give it up and you lose your taste for it. I used to love cheese. Now I pass by a cheese counter and I have to hold my breath because the stuff smells so rancid.

Just don't immediately switch to a nondairy cheese. You need to wait until your taste buds don't remember what the real stuff tastes like

Casein does affect complexions. My children both notice that they breakout if they have dairy and their skin clears when they stay away from it.

Are you male or female, Jess? If the latter, one side benefit you could well notice from giving up dairy is that your periods become lighter and you are less likely to suffer from cramps. Way back when I largely gave up dairy (the complete avoidance only started after my Enterolab testing) I noticed this immediately. My daughter can pretty much predict what her periods will be like by how much dairy she has had. She claims her athletic performance also suffers with dairy.

I also found that I stopped getting sinus infections when I stopped dairy. I had been getting them several times a year.

If you do decide you want to go casein-free, there can be other benefits, in other words. I can provide some links to others if you want to convince yourself to go this way.

I've also always loved cheese but don't miss it so much now that my throat is always clear and sinuses never gluggy. I seem to have at least a topical allergy to soy, one sip of a soy drink and my mouth furs up and throat swells, even lipsalve makes my lips sting and peel. so I'm avoiding doing too much soy although it seems to be better when cooked. I think heating destroys the protein to which I react. However I did try a small amount of very mature (like 6 years) goat cheese as a treat at Xmas and did not react in any way. Goats' milk has a different kind of cassein which is more easily digested. I've also heard that the same is true of mature permigsan .So perhaps in moderation this may quell the cheese fix. The best reward to the Gluten-free Casein-free diet is that you feel soooo much better. Cheese isn't really worth it!

[hathor]

... However I did try a small amount of very mature (like 6 years) goat cheese as a treat at Xmas and did not react in any way. Goats' milk has a different kind of cassein which is more easily digested. I've also heard that the same is true of mature permigsan ....

I haven't heard that about parmasan at all. If it is made from cow's milk, how can the type of casein change as the cheese is aged? My understanding is that cheese has more casein in it than milk also.

Anyway, goat's milk MAY work. I've read that the casein-type distribution can vary from herd to herd however. Some goat's milk has none of the nasty sort of casein (for those of us who react to cow's milk) and some does. I've had some goat's milk cheese where I've been fine, and some where I've reacted.

I've seen speculation that it makes a difference if you get domestic or imported goat's milk cheese. I know I ate this cheese several times last summer in Europe and I was fine. I got some domestic stuff at home and really suffered. Different type of goats? Or maybe they start the cheese with cultures from cow's milk?

Anyway, it is something to be aware of. Right now I'm scared to try goat's milk cheese again.

[happygirl]

Many companies can test for casein intolerance (just like any other food, not just gluten and casein). Some use blood tests, some use stool tests. The validity of each has its pros and cons. "intolerance/sensitivity" tests are usually run via IgG, while "true" allergic reactions are IgE mediated.

Quest Diagnostics

Open Original Shared Link

[SpikeMoore]

Hi

I was just reading hathor's note on casein and menstrual cycles. very interesting. I am wondering if it is not the milk fat content of the cheese that affects the cycles because cheese and dairy fat converts into bad protaglandins in your body, that is to say, mediators of pain and inflammation, hence more cramps. I am trying a trial of no cheese and very little dairy for that reason. I think I was a cheese a holic, but you don't actually miss it too much, although I am starting to think I am running out of things to eat, but I'm just running out of my old standbys I guess.

If you want to read the source of this info it is at endoresolved.org I think.

[hathor]

Yes, fat is one cause. But I believe there are others. For instance, cows are milked while they are pregnant. So there are estrogens in their milk.

[Ken70]

I can't remember where I read this but I believe casein is found in goat's milk but in such small quantities that it does not coat your intestines the way a dairy product derived from cow's milk does. Goat's cheese is the only dairy I allow myself and I don't feel any effects from it. I do binge on chocolate from time to time and I suffer bloating and gas and anxiety from it but I've given up so many things sometimes I just can't help myself.

If you read " The Answer" from the following web site it may help you understand the effects of casein as well as gluten.

www.dogtorj.net

[hathor]

I can't find the original link I saw about the varying alpha-type casein (the type we react to) content in goat's milk. But a little googling found the following:

"For milk proteins, the beta-caseins seem to be more dominant than alpha-caseins compared to cow milk (Jenness, 1980). However, more recent evidence from France and Italy has proven that the previously assumed general absence of alpha-s-1 casein in goat milk is not true (Boulanger et al. 1984; Ambrosoli et al. 1988; Mora-Gutierrez et al. 1991; Haenlein, 1991b). It is now recognized that certain goat breeds and strains within breeds may have either no alpha-s-1 casein or low or high amounts, depending on genetic types."

Open Original Shared Link

See also: Open Original Shared Link

The link I saw before had the overall distribution of reported alpha casein in goat's milk worldwide, which went from 0% to a far more substantial figure, which unfortunately I can't remember. Anyone interested can try researching this yourself. You may have to slog your way through a number of highly technical articles though ...

[tarnalberry]

not only that, but you can be sensitive to any of the subtypes of casein. while it is more common to be sensitive to the subtypes more predominant in cow's milk, it's not the only one people are sensitive to. and if you are highly sensitive to it, even the very small quantities present in other species of milk.

[Ken70]

I can't find the original link I saw about the varying alpha-type casein (the type we react to) content in goat's milk. But a little googling found the following:

"For milk proteins, the beta-caseins seem to be more dominant than alpha-caseins compared to cow milk (Jenness, 1980). However, more recent evidence from France and Italy has proven that the previously assumed general absence of alpha-s-1 casein in goat milk is not true (Boulanger et al. 1984; Ambrosoli et al. 1988; Mora-Gutierrez et al. 1991; Haenlein, 1991b). It is now recognized that certain goat breeds and strains within breeds may have either no alpha-s-1 casein or low or high amounts, depending on genetic types."

Open Original Shared Link

See also: Open Original Shared Link

The link I saw before had the overall distribution of reported alpha casein in goat's milk worldwide, which went from 0% to a far more substantial figure, which unfortunately I can't remember. Anyone interested can try researching this yourself. You may have to slog your way through a number of highly technical articles though ...

That is interesting. I have been eating goat cheese without any problems but I eat only very small amounts on a salad occassionally. The link I provided to DogtorJ's website has an interesting theory on cow vs dairy which definately argues that the casein in goats milk is found in such small quantities as to be insignificant. He could certainly be wrong. He does argue that man has been drinking goats milk for far far longer than cows milk and therefore has evolved to tolerate goats milk. Cows milk much like wheat is a relatively new introduction to our diets.

[dubseven]

Just my $.02.... I started getting severe ocular migraines about 2 years ago, and was able to get rid of them 100% by eliminating cows milk. I also had severe acne, and about 90-95% of it is gone, as long as I am extremely careful to avoid even trace amounts of cows milk/casein. I have noticed that I am able to eat goat + water buffalo milk products with absolutely no issues. I also seem to be able to eat cows milk products in Italy without any adverse effects (travel there often for work). Not sure if the cows there have a slightly varied protein that does not bother me?

I self-diagnosed gluten intolerance about a month ago, we will see if that clears the small remainder of acne. Already feeling much, much better w/o gluten.