Question About Eliminating Dairy

[Coolclimates 14]

I've been on the gluten-free diet since early May, but have not had much relief (I was diagnosed with Celiac disease). So now I'm trying to eliminate dairy for awhile and see if I start feeling better.

I have a few questions:

1. can I still have goat and sheep milk, yogurt, etc, as long as it isn't cow?

2. do I need to avoid products with dairy that has been cooked into them, such as cake or cookies? Or do I just need to worry about raw dairy?

I would like your imput.

[jerseyangel 413]

I've been on the gluten-free diet since early May, but have not had much relief (I was diagnosed with Celiac disease). So now I'm trying to eliminate dairy for awhile and see if I start feeling better.

I have a few questions:

1. can I still have goat and sheep milk, yogurt, etc, as long as it isn't cow?

2. do I need to avoid products with dairy that has been cooked into them, such as cake or cookies? Or do I just need to worry about raw dairy?

I would like your imput.

Since you are still having problems, it would be best to eliminate all dairy from all sources, both raw and cooked. Give it a good trial--a couple months at least to see if that helps.

If it turns out to be a dairy problem, at some point after you've been feeling better, you could try a little goat's milk cheese to see how you do with it.

I was dairy free for over 5 years, and found at that point I could tolerate it again.

[cassP 175]

some people who cant do dairy CAN do sheep & goat. i have goat yogurt in the fridge- it's delish

like the above poster said (correlating with what ive read)- it may be possible to eat dairy again after your villi in your small intestine have healed.

i really believe in a diet (which i will not name since people dont like it)- BUT- i really believe that i should not be eating dairy. HONESTLY- sometimes dairy bothers me & sometimes it doesnt. since ive been gluten free, its been better but sometimes it will give me a little D. and a couple of times without giving gross TMI- i have seen that i was UNABLE to digest some cheese.

its hard for me to give up dairy.. good luck

oh- and ps- ive taken a liking to HEMP milk- its delish in my cereal... but still cant find a substitute for my coffee cream

[lucia 54]

CoolClimates,

My impression from reading everyone's posts is that for both these questions, the answer is going to depend on your body. For awhile, I could tolerate goat's cheese and yogurt even though I couldn't tolerate other kinds of cheese or milk. Then, I started reacting to goat's cheese and yogurt as well.

Lucia

[Coolclimates 14]

thanks for all of your imput, everyone. Oh gosh, this is gonna be harder than I expected. It's hard enough eliminating all the gluten from my diet, but now dairy as well. I was hoping sheep and goat products didn't count. I've never had any of the severe stomach problems that some celiacs do (I only have acid reflux), and I don't seem to notice much change if I get glutened. So hopefully my body is not that sensitive. But I've just been feeling so tired all of the time, and that is frustrating.

[cassP 175]

thanks for all of your imput, everyone. Oh gosh, this is gonna be harder than I expected. It's hard enough eliminating all the gluten from my diet, but now dairy as well. I was hoping sheep and goat products didn't count. I've never had any of the severe stomach problems that some celiacs do (I only have acid reflux), and I don't seem to notice much change if I get glutened. So hopefully my body is not that sensitive. But I've just been feeling so tired all of the time, and that is frustrating.

maybe u should ask your doc to check your B12 & D levels. and GET A COPY OF YOUR RESULTS!!! your levels could be too low- and the doc could just brush it off. A LOT of Celiacs need major B12 & D supplements! i got mine checked cause im ALWAYS tired- but my B12 was great?!? so, i think the thyroid is the next test- which is another thing u need to get checked with Celiac!

[lcarter 9]

Here's something else to think about if you are continuing to have problems even though you are religious about staying on a gluten free diet. Celiac disease falls under the heading of a "Malabsorption Syndrome". It is not unusual for people with celiac disease to also have malabsorption issues with one or more of the following: dairy [all factions of milk] and fructose [found as fruit sugars + long starchy chains of fructose molecules called "Fructans"...found in wheat, plus some other foods. Sorbital, and HFCS are particularly problematic. Look up "Fructose Malabsorption" on the internet for a complete list of offending foods to avoid - be careful not to mix it up with a very serious disease with a similar name, called "Hereditary Fructose Intolerance".]. Two other frequent problem-makers for celiac disease patients are soy and corn. [There's probably others that I am not familiar with.] An elimination diet is probably your best bet for discovering what else it could be besides gluten in wheat, rye, barley...and for some of us, oats. At first, it is best to make a short list of safe foods and stick to it. Then, gradually try adding other individual offending possibilities, one at a time, every 3-5 days, or longer if you tend to have symptoms which are a delayed reaction rather than immediate. It should become very evident what is causing your continuing symptoms. Remember..."a patient can have as many diseases as he/she pleases"...so it could be more than one food causing symptoms. So, continue the elimination diet until you run through all the possibilities. Good luck...this takes some time to do on your own. Unfortunately, not many doctors are very helpful with this or knowledgeable about malabsorption syndromes in general. [i am familiar with Dairy Intolerance and Fructose Malabsorption because I have both as well as Celiac Disease. Luckily so far, corn and soy are not problematic for me.] Sure hope this helps - your situation can be sooooo frustrating! Best of luck, Linda

[txplowgirl 97]

Hey Cool,

It's tough but you will feel so much better. I am gluten, dairy and soy free. Hang in there. It's been over a year and i find that i'm finally starting to be able to eat some dairy every once in a while. Like some little thing about once a week. No more than that or i have consequences.

You can do it.

[Coolclimates 14]

Well, I HAVE been gaining weight (probably 6-7 pounds) since going on this gluten-free diet but i can't tell if it's because I'm now absorbing nutrients or if this new diet is just causing me to gain weight (without necessarly healing my intestines). I'm trying to be careful not to eat too many bad foods, but it's hard because i've always eaten a lot of sweets and carbs and I'm now worried I will keep gaining weight, so I'm trying to cut back a bit or at least eat things with more nutrients. I've been staying away from dairy for the last few days, but am still eating sheep and goat cheese. I'm hoping that is not considered "dairy." Which is another question: when people say "dairy" do they mean only products from cows or from other animals as well?