Dairy Thoughts

cass0314
cass0314 Posts: 39 Member
edited September 2016 in Health and Weight Loss
I am growing increasingly less tolerant of lactose these days and I've been thinking of giving it up more or less completely so as to avoid the discomfort. I have no general objections to dairy, I'm not someone who thinks it's incredibly harmful, but I've read there can be other benefits to be gained from consuming little to no dairy.

My question for those who have stopped or drastically reduced dairy consumption, what differences have you noticed? Has your skin cleared up? Are you less bloated or sluggish? Or is your tummy just happier? Curious to know what others have experienced. I'm also curious to know how easy you find it to do without cheeses/yogurts, and what substitutes you choose. I have been leaning heavily on almond milk for my smoothies and coffee. Share your experiences!

Thanks!

Replies

  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
    Just a suggestion, but if lactose is the issue, have you tried lactose free dairy/milk?
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    A long while back I gave up dairy because I basically believed in this long laundry list of benefits that I would see...I didn't really see any benefits other than at the time I consumed quite a bit of dairy so I cut out a lot of calories.

    Dairy is something I truly enjoy and I'm not lactose intolerant so after about 12 weeks of no miracles I reintroduced it...I do consume it more responsibly though...it is calorie dense and back in the day I could seriously sit down with a 1/4 Lb of good extra sharp cheddar and a pint of whole milk and be in heaven.

    If I was lactose intolerant, I guess I'd just deal with it...but I think a lot of the "benefits" of giving up dairy are just anecdotal hype.
  • cass0314
    cass0314 Posts: 39 Member
    elphie754 wrote: »
    Just a suggestion, but if lactose is the issue, have you tried lactose free dairy/milk?

    Not yet! I've opted for almond milk and cashew milk, but have yet to try something like Lactaid.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    edited September 2016
    I cannot drink regular cow milk. I cannot even eat the lactaid cottage cheese.
    I do fine with yogurt and cheese like cheddar and such. When I want easy protein, I drink soy milk because almond milk has almost no protein.
  • macgurlnet
    macgurlnet Posts: 1,946 Member
    I've mostly given up yogurt and milk, and it seems to have helped my skin clear up. I had some persistent acne (always at least ONE spot), and I no longer have that issue. I still eat several kinds of cheese, though, and I'll get milk every so often for cooking.

    I use half & half in my coffee, still, but I suspect it's such a small amount that it doesn't have much affect.

    I never really had/have any stomach issues, just the acne.

    So, probably not truly lactose intolerant, but more like milk and my body just aren't the best of friends :P

    ~Lyssa
  • tlflag1620
    tlflag1620 Posts: 1,358 Member
    At the recommendation of a dermatologist some years ago, I eliminated dairy for about six weeks, to see if my eczema would clear or improve (apparently cow's milk is a common dietary culprit). No dice, and no other improvements during the elimination phase. I also didn't notice any ill effects when I reintroduced it. It was bittersweet - as much as I had hoped my eczema would clear, I was really, really glad I could keep eating cheese!

    As an aside, it was going low carb that fixed my eczema... Not sure if it was gluten that was the culprit or what, but it sure wasn't dairy.

    If you are lactose intolerant, you could either try lactose free products, or give dairy up entirely... It's not really necessary to consume milk or milk products. It is enjoyable tho :)
  • cass0314
    cass0314 Posts: 39 Member
    tlflag1620 wrote: »
    It is enjoyable tho :)

    Yep. The hardest part for me would be cheeses and yogurts. And ice cream... oh god

  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    edited September 2016
    If I eat dairy I get cystic acne. This only started after being overtreated with antibiotics (and another medical injury). However, I do eat a high quality fermented kefir in pretty high quantities every day without that reaction. Though sometimes I do have a histamine reaction (also from the medical injuries). There are other foods that my body can't digest as well. So, it's worth a try. My doctor had me keep a food diary carefully tracking diet and symptoms. It was very helpful. I was very sick. And doing much better now since tracking my reactions and changing my diet.
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    I'm lactose intolerant but I love dairy. I drink lactose free milk (Fairlife) and can eat cottage cheese if I take Lactaid.

    I can't eat ice cream, though. Weird.

    Yogurt and cheese don't bother me.

    I'd probably be a little less bloated if I were to give up dairy completely, but it's a big source of protein for me since I'm a vegetarian. I find it to be really filling and ... I just plain like the taste.
  • CorneliusPhoton
    CorneliusPhoton Posts: 965 Member
    I have been lactose intolerant forever. I buy mega packs of lactase enzyme and eat all the dairy! I don't think that dairy or the lack thereof did anything to my skin, but my skin has totally cleared up in the last couple of years, which coincides with when I eliminated wheat from my diet.
  • dragon_girl26
    dragon_girl26 Posts: 2,187 Member
    cass0314 wrote: »
    tlflag1620 wrote: »
    It is enjoyable tho :)

    Yep. The hardest part for me would be cheeses and yogurts. And ice cream... oh god

    Well, I can vouch for the So Delicious Cashew Milk ice creams, at least (especially the Snickerdoodle!) ...those are incredibly delicious, so if you absolutely have to give up dairy, there's hope!
  • jgnickel
    jgnickel Posts: 80 Member
    I'm not lactose intolerant, but I have never liked milk or yogurt. I choked it down as a kid. I finally developed a taste for greek yogurt thinking I was doing the "right" thing by eating it. My stomach was always rumbly, and noisy and many unpleasant trips to the bathroom. I gave up pretty much all dairy with the exception of a little cheese now and then, and an occasional soft serve cone. This seemed to clear up all digestive issues I was having.
  • ronjsteele1
    ronjsteele1 Posts: 1,064 Member
    People like to throw around "lactose intolerant" when they have issues with dairy. The problem is being lactose intolerant means you actually lack or have little of the enzyme lactase that helps digest the lactose in dairy products. A very large number of people that declare they can't handle lactose actually can't handle whey or casein either which makes them truly allergic to dairy, not lactose intolerant. There is a big difference. I am highly allergic to whey. That means that things like yogurt, sour cream, milk, and soft cheeses (mozza, etc) are not kind to me. Whey is the liquid you find on top of yogurts or sour cream when you open them. While I can handle hard cheeses in small quantities (cheddar, parmesan - the whey is drained off of these cheeses), I have enough of a casein and lactose allergy that I will also react mildly to them. You really have to differentiate between an allergy and an intolerance because they are two different things.

    OP, as far as yogurts and cheeses - I have found going cheeseless is not hard. I just don't cook with it and rarely rarely ever eat it otherwise. I do use parmesan cheese on italian dishes because it's a hard cheese that I use little of. I use coconut yogurt but it's VERY expensive! I use it sparingly for that reason. I cook with coconut milk, otherwise we don't do cereal, etc. so I don't have to worry about that. Being DF is not hard, it just takes some thinking. There are so many alternatives these days. I would encourage you to do your research before subbing anything soy for your dairy. There are much better alternatives out there. Hemp, Coconut, etc.

    And whomever said Cashew Milk Ice Cream - oh yeah!! That stuff is so yummy!
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    My skin hates dairy, specifically milk. I get little white bumps on my chin and temples. I've cut down a lot my mixing cows milk and almond milk. I make up a jug in the morning of 200ml milk and 350ml vanilla almond milk and use that in my cups of tea throughout the day.
    I'm not sure if it's available in America, but switching to 100% A2 milk and yogurt has made a dramatic difference too, I have barely any spots on my face anymore.
  • cass0314
    cass0314 Posts: 39 Member
    ronjsteele1 wrote: »
    I would encourage you to do your research before subbing anything soy for your dairy. There are much better alternatives out there. Hemp, Coconut, etc.

    Yeah, I've done a fair bit of reading on soy dairy substitutes and don't really care to go that route. I buy almond milk and almond milk coffee creamer, so I haven't had any actual milk in a while.

    I'm heeding your advice on distinguishing between a dairy allergy and a lactose intolerance- I will try a few things and see how my body reacts! I know I ate some Arctic Zero ice cream over the weekend and it was not a good situation.. that ice cream is made with whey protein so it may very well be a dairy allergy. I'll figure that piece out for sure before making long-term changes. Thank you!
  • 85Cardinals
    85Cardinals Posts: 733 Member
    edited September 2016
    These days cheese, which I love, makes my face break out bad. Ugh, didn't used to when I was young. That's life. I was in desperate denial for weeks, but the evidence is in and the cheese is guilty. Really nasty zits too, gnarly ones with big white heads, just disgusting. So no more pizza or cheeseburgers for me. Where is the justice, one wonders. Not sure about yogurt, but I've never really been a yogurt man.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    dragon_girl26 wrote: »
    cass0314 wrote: »
    tlflag1620 wrote: »
    It is enjoyable tho :)

    Yep. The hardest part for me would be cheeses and yogurts. And ice cream... oh god

    Well, I can vouch for the So Delicious Cashew Milk ice creams, at least (especially the Snickerdoodle!) ...those are incredibly delicious, so if you absolutely have to give up dairy, there's hope!

    There are lactose free ice creams that are great
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    edited September 2016
    cass0314 wrote: »
    ronjsteele1 wrote: »
    I would encourage you to do your research before subbing anything soy for your dairy. There are much better alternatives out there. Hemp, Coconut, etc.

    Yeah, I've done a fair bit of reading on soy dairy substitutes and don't really care to go that route. I buy almond milk and almond milk coffee creamer, so I haven't had any actual milk in a while.

    I'm heeding your advice on distinguishing between a dairy allergy and a lactose intolerance- I will try a few things and see how my body reacts! I know I ate some Arctic Zero ice cream over the weekend and it was not a good situation.. that ice cream is made with whey protein so it may very well be a dairy allergy. I'll figure that piece out for sure before making long-term changes. Thank you!
    nm
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    Oh hard cheeses have very little lactose so should be fine if you are lactose intolerant
  • WrenTheCoffeeAddict
    WrenTheCoffeeAddict Posts: 148 Member
    I consume a very small quantity of dairy these days. I'm 'mildly' lactose intolerant. In that I can consume cheese, but full fat milk gives me crazy stomach pains.
    Back when I did consume more dairy (and just put up with the pain) I also had crazy 'bacne' (back acne). I've noticed, since cutting out milk, that it completely cleared up.
    I occasionally have a coffee, and I'll have milk in that, and I have protein cheese, but apart from that, I have coconut milk and almond milk.
  • Jeyradan
    Jeyradan Posts: 164 Member
    I discovered not too long ago that I'm dairy-intolerant, although I don't know for sure what aspect of dairy is the culprit. I didn't know what kept making me ill - so much so that sometimes I couldn't walk after eating something containing milk!

    I find that things like milk and cream are the worst for me, whereas Greek yoghurt and hard cheese have a lesser effect (although it's still noticeable if I have any, I can pay the piper for a small amount, whereas with milk or cream it's a no-go).

    For what it's worth, after removing almost all dairy products from my diet, I haven't noticed any changes in my energy levels or my skin (in fact, that's possibly even worse, though I don't think the two are related). Pretty much the key benefit for me is that I no longer get mysteriously ill after eating...
  • duddysdad
    duddysdad Posts: 403 Member
    My wife has bad reactions to things like milk and ice cream, but not cheese. She does not consume dairy, other than cheese, but I haven't noticed anything different about her when she stopped. Other than her stomach doesn't hurt and she doesn't get diarrhea.
  • yesimpson
    yesimpson Posts: 1,372 Member
    I noticed that I was getting a lot of bloating and gastric discomfort on days when I consumed more dairy products. I now eat more lactose-free or soy products and am much more comfortable. I can tolerate a very small amount of dairy per day, and sometimes will just accept a bit of discomfort and gas in exchange for Ben & Jerry's!

    It has made no difference to my weight, skin, energy levels etc. I love full fat dairy and miss it sometimes.

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