Goodbye My Sweet Friend Dairy...

[Marz]

So after 5 days gluten-free, I'm suddenly getting severe reactions to milk. I wasn't lactose-intolerant before going gluten-free, I was happily having milk with cereal, extra glass of milk each day, yoghurt, cheese on everything etc.

Yesterday, every time I put something dairy-related in my mouth, my stomach got upset, intestines churning after an hour or so.... And add to that my normal nasal drip turned into a torrent. It really seems that dairy is causing problems, and I've read that casein is often the culprit

Today I'm dairy free as well, and I'm feeling a lot better.

I'm really hoping this goes away after a while. Can you be casein-intolerant for a while after going gluten-free, and then be able to tolerate it again?

Is it "safe" to continue with dairy even if you know you can't tolerate it - it isn't like gluten where trace amounts can seriously screw you up right? I might experiment with small amounts of dairy and see what my tolerance level is.

So diet at the moment:

Beef/Lamb/Pork - no spices except salt and pepper

Veges of all kinds - no sauces except home-made with gluten-free ingredients

Cucumber/lettuce salad - plain salad, no dressing

Fruits of all kinds - fresh, not tinned etc

Rice/Potato/Sweet potato and starchy veges for the carbs

Nuts/dried fruit/peanut butter for snacks.

Does this sound healthy? Anything else I can add to this to increase my healthy fat/carb consumption? I'm underweight at the moment, just worried I could be starving myself further by taking dairy away.

[ravenwoodglass]

So after 5 days gluten-free, I'm suddenly getting severe reactions to milk. I wasn't lactose-intolerant before going gluten-free, I was happily having milk with cereal, extra glass of milk each day, yoghurt, cheese on everything etc.

Yesterday, every time I put something dairy-related in my mouth, my stomach got upset, intestines churning after an hour or so.... And add to that my normal nasal drip turned into a torrent. It really seems that dairy is causing problems, and I've read that casein is often the culprit

Today I'm dairy free as well, and I'm feeling a lot better.

I'm really hoping this goes away after a while. Can you be casein-intolerant for a while after going gluten-free, and then be able to tolerate it again?

Is it "safe" to continue with dairy even if you know you can't tolerate it - it isn't like gluten where trace amounts can seriously screw you up right? I might experiment with small amounts of dairy and see what my tolerance level is.

So diet at the moment:

Beef/Lamb/Pork - no spices except salt and pepper

Veges of all kinds - no sauces except home-made with gluten-free ingredients

Cucumber/lettuce salad - plain salad, no dressing

Fruits of all kinds - fresh, not tinned etc

Rice/Potato/Sweet potato and starchy veges for the carbs

Nuts/dried fruit/peanut butter for snacks.

Does this sound healthy? Anything else I can add to this to increase my healthy fat/carb consumption? I'm underweight at the moment, just worried I could be starving myself further by taking dairy away.

The diet sounds very healthy, healthier than most people do. Yes you may be able to tolerate dairy again. Give yourself a few months of healing and then try yogurt and cheddar cheeses and see how you do. Those have very little lactose so if it is a lactose intolerance after you have healed there is a good chance you will be able to consume them. If it's casien then well dairy may be out for the long term. I am able to tolerate a bit of dairy in my coffee but that is about it. There are some good dairy replacements out there, I like Wegmans rice milk, don't get Rice Dream as that is not safe. The only way I can drink rice milk is with chocolate syrup but it works for cereal. There are also almond milks and hemp milk. Hemp milk is high in protein if you feel you need a bit extra.

Your not alone most of us can't tolerate dairy at first but many are able to add it back in after we are healed.

[kayo]

Looks very healthy to me. My only suggestion would be to add some grains, gluten-free of course, like quinoa and buckwheat. I make salads like taboule out of them and I also make a breakfast cereal with the quinoa adding blueberries, sugar and cinnamon. Prepped like this it reminds me of oatmeal.

I'm also lactose intolerant and I use hemp milk. There's also soy milk (chocolate Silk is to die for), coconut milk, and nut milks. I eat a lot of rice already so I didn't want to add rice milk into my diet.

[Mari]

What may be happening is that you have had an allergy or intolerance to cow's milk before you went gluten-free but since the gluten is gone you are noticing the reaction more. Also it may be that as long as we were eating gluten our bodies tried to minimize the reaction and damage and it also minimized the reaction to allergies. In allergy to cow's milk can be tested for by blood test or fecal tests (Enterolab.com). The blood test may be negative if you have been not eating the allergin for too long a time. I showed a positive even tho I'd avoided cow's milk for years. I use goat's milk products.

[julandjo]

What may be happening is that you have had an allergy or intolerance to cow's milk before you went gluten-free but since the gluten is gone you are noticing the reaction more. Also it may be that as long as we were eating gluten our bodies tried to minimize the reaction and damage and it also minimized the reaction to allergies. In allergy to cow's milk can be tested for by blood test or fecal tests (Enterolab.com). The blood test may be negative if you have been not eating the allergin for too long a time. I showed a positive even tho I'd avoided cow's milk for years. I use goat's milk products.

I too am newly cutting dairy out of my diet. Is goat's milk/cheese okay to eat? I have an awesome turkey/quinoa/goat cheese meatball recipe that I LOVE. If I could continue to eat this it'll make my whole month!

[pigeonsailor]

Why no dressing on the salad? You can make your own. A delicious honey mustard vinaigrette, for example. I find beans to be really important for me too, and I'm digging quinoa these days.

[Rob Sutton]

I have severe Celiac and have done ok with cream cheese and other cheeses. I also avoid meat which helps keep the intestines clean and smooth moving so dairy does not fester. Meat and gluten are the biggest issues for dairy digestion. I am happy as a lacto-ovo vegetarian. I eat a lot of corn and bean tacos with cheddar cheese. I eat cream cheese with sprouted sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Finding the right combination and portion size is the key. Too much dairy can cause issues. Too little and you will not have energy. Dairy is a great source of condensed energy and protein. Make digestion your focus rather than the hype about dairy. I use some liquid meat protein for example. I don't eat meat merely because it takes too long to digest. If I had not other choices I may eat a small piece. Vegetarian is not a religion it is only about digestion and good health to me. Digestion, digestion, digestion!

[Marilyn R]

Hi Marz,

Good luck! It takes a journey to find out what is bugging you.

Personally, quuinoa kicks me almost dead. So do certified gluten-free oats. But that doesn't mean that they will affect you, and there are foods that will bug you that won't bug other people. We have a mean little army working inside our bodies that want to attack what we stick in our mouths or put on our hair or face and skin.

I've been off dairy for about a year. I bought goats milk two weeks ago and poured about a Tbsp. in my cup of coffee. I took two sips and chickened out on my challenge. I just didn't want to get sick again. I tossed my coffee out, got a fresh cup of black java. Maybe I should be more courageous.

I wish you well.

[Marz]

I have severe Celiac and have done ok with cream cheese and other cheeses. I also avoid meat which helps keep the intestines clean and smooth moving so dairy does not fester. Meat and gluten are the biggest issues for dairy digestion. I am happy as a lacto-ovo vegetarian. I eat a lot of corn and bean tacos with cheddar cheese. I eat cream cheese with sprouted sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Finding the right combination and portion size is the key. Too much dairy can cause issues. Too little and you will not have energy. Dairy is a great source of condensed energy and protein. Make digestion your focus rather than the hype about dairy. I use some liquid meat protein for example. I don't eat meat merely because it takes too long to digest. If I had not other choices I may eat a small piece. Vegetarian is not a religion it is only about digestion and good health to me. Digestion, digestion, digestion!

Thanks for the reply Not sure if you noticed, it was a year ago that I posted this. I was still trying to get a handle on what was upsetting my stomach. Since then my gut has healed up and I can eat dairy without a problem. Still have problems with soy though.... I don't think I could ever go vegetarian, I feel like my diet is too restricted as it is already! Red meat is sometimes too much for me digestion-wise, but I can handle white meat/fish fine

[Marz]

Hi Marz,

Good luck! It takes a journey to find out what is bugging you.

Personally, quuinoa kicks me almost dead. So do certified gluten-free oats. But that doesn't mean that they will affect you, and there are foods that will bug you that won't bug other people. We have a mean little army working inside our bodies that want to attack what we stick in our mouths or put on our hair or face and skin.

I've been off dairy for about a year. I bought goats milk two weeks ago and poured about a Tbsp. in my cup of coffee. I took two sips and chickened out on my challenge. I just didn't want to get sick again. I tossed my coffee out, got a fresh cup of black java. Maybe I should be more courageous.

I wish you well.

Thanks Marilyn I'd really encourage you to try a bit of milk, like Rob said - you might be able to handle some small amounts of cheese at first. Quinoa also kicks my butt, no idea why. I haven't tried certified gluten-free oats yet, too scared of the reaction! I had some non-gluten free oats once, and my reaction was ugly... not sure if it was gluten or the oats itself.

[NatureLover36]

Hi I'm new to the forums and was so happy to see your journey with dairy!

But I have a question - even though I've shown no detectable reaction to dairy, I tested positive for casein intolerance(as well as gluten, soy, and egg) with Enterolab. Should I avoid eating ALL dairy because of this test, forever? Or can I eat small amounts infrequently since I have no reaction?

I react very strongly to even small amounts of egg, so I don't eat eggs, and of course can't have gluten, and I'm vegetarian. I've lost a lot of weight unintentionally after going gluten-free. I'm underweight and feel like maybe if I ate cheese or yogurt, it would help me gain weight.

Please help - should I keep avoiding dairy forever, or not?

Thanks!