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Do I Need To Give Up Dairy Temporarily

finlayson

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finlayson Explorer
finlayson
Posted

I have recently been diagnosed with celiac disease. So far the changes in my diet are going well (although I am totally obsessed with deciding what my next meal will be - I know it gets easier from reading other posts). I had very few symptoms before diagnoses (asymptomatic my doctor said). Many people on this board have said they gave up dairy to aid the healing process. I'm a vegetarian and giving up dairy is not something I would choose to do. Will not giving dairy up simply slow the healing process or will it do harm since my villi are damaged? Since I have no symptoms to tell me how I'm doing I don't know how to proceed. Would taking someting like Lactaid before consuming dairy give me some insurance in case I'm not processing the dairy properly? Sorry this is long and rambling. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

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ksymonds84 Enthusiast
ksymonds84
Posted
I have recently been diagnosed with celiac disease. So far the changes in my diet are going well (although I am totally obsessed with deciding what my next meal will be - I know it gets easier from reading other posts). I had very few symptoms before diagnoses (asymptomatic my doctor said). Many people on this board have said they gave up dairy to aid the healing process. I'm a vegetarian and giving up dairy is not something I would choose to do. Will not giving dairy up simply slow the healing process or will it do harm since my villi are damaged? Since I have no symptoms to tell me how I'm doing I don't know how to proceed. Would taking someting like Lactaid before consuming dairy give me some insurance in case I'm not processing the dairy properly? Sorry this is long and rambling. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

There are a lot of celiac's that have been able to continue to eat dairy. It really depends on how damaged your villi are. If you are getting better by only removing gluten then you may be one of the lucky one's. If you start to feel you are not healing, Dairy would be the first to eliminate to see if you feel better without it. Welcome to the board!

DingoGirl Enthusiast
DingoGirl
Posted

Welcome to the forum, and yes, it really does get easier. :)

Many people do have to temporarily give up dairy, I was one of those, and it was for about three months, I'd say? It was just really painful.......caused a distinct bloat and discomfort that wasn't gluten-related. I'm pleased to report that I can eat dairy, no problems at all.

If you are confident that you're sticking to a strict gluten-free diet, but experiencing pain/bloat/discomfort (or brain fog), it would be a good idea to remove dairy for a period of time, and see what happens. Some celiacs can never eat dairy again, :( but many can......

ShayFL Enthusiast
ShayFL
Posted

Do you have a copy of your Endoscopy lab report? Were your villi damaged or flattened? If yes, then if it were me, I would give up dairy for a few months to let those very tips of the villi heal.

Often Casein the protein in milk is the biggest problem. Lactose is a sugar that many cannot break down.

IChaseFrisbees Explorer
IChaseFrisbees
Posted
Will not giving dairy up simply slow the healing process or will it do harm since my villi are damaged?

This is actually something I'm curious about as well, will eating dairy before full recovery cause further damage, or just unpleasant symptoms (in my case)?

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