Giving up dairy????

Riche120

I could really use some ideas please. I am a vegetarian, but I do eat eggs and dairy. I saw a new doctor and the visit went pretty well. All of the numbers were fine, my weight is down and my doctor thinks eating low carb is fine - hurray!

Here’s the problem though, I have a lot of inflammation (achey, sore, swollen joints, etc. and nothing to indicate why, although I was diagnosed with fibro years ago.) My doctor would like me to try giving up dairy for a while to see if it might be a contributing factor, saying that she’s seen quite a few people with a dairy sensitivity who didn’t realize it do much better when they quit eating it. I’m willing to give it a try, but what on earth am I going to eat? Cheese has always been my “go to” I love cheese, so without it I’m kind of stumped. Eggs, vegetables and nuts are getting old really fast! Any suggestions would be really appreciated (well, anything except coconut - ick). ~ thanks!

canadjineh

Autoimmune protocol diet might be the way to go to find out which things are bothering you. I also have FM (and Celiac disease). You have likely already eliminated grains and their derivatives from your diet if you are low carbing. That would be first to look at since Gluten intolerance and FM are often linked. https://researchgate.net/profile/Rossella_Talotta/publication/273783874_Algo-dysfunctional_syndromes_A_critical_digest_of_the_recent_literature/links/5810be3c08aee15d4914f66f.pdf

Like CFS, gluten intolerance (even
without any laboratory or histological
evidence of coeliac disease) seems to
be related to FM insofar as symptoms
may improve in patients on a glutenfree
diet (50). Gluten intolerance may
be a feature linking irritable bowel
disease, FM and CFS, and there are
many data supporting the efficacy of a
gluten-free diet in improving the scores
of scales such as the Fibromyalgia Impact
Questionnaire (FIQ), the Health
Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) and
the SF-36, and tender point (TP) counts
(51). However, Tovoli et al. showed
that prevalence of coeliac disease is the
same in patients with FM compared that
expected in general population (around
1%) (52).
Muscle anomalies such as increased
interstitial lactate or glutamate concentrations
assessed using microdialylitic
techniques also seem to correlate with
chronic widespread pain (53, 54) as it
is known that lactate and glutamate can
stimulate nociceptors.

I can still eat some dairy comfortably (yogourt and cheeses) but only if I am seriously GF in my eating.

Riche120

@canadjineh Thanks, I'm pretty much gluten free already and you're right, it does help with the fibro.

ladipoet

If it's cheese (the flavor and/or texture) you're craving, suggest you give nutritional yeast a try. Not the same thing, but does a good job (depending on the recipe) of approximately either cheese taste or texture. YMMV.

ladipoet

Found this via Google search:

https://www.elephantasticvegan.com/nooch-cheese/

Suggest you replace the 1/3 Cup all-purpose flour with perhaps a 50/50 combination of Wheat Protein Isolate 5000 and Pea Protein powder.

canadjineh

@ladipoet did you mean Whey protein (not wheat)?

canadjineh

Can you use tofu and some of the 'mock meats'? The total carb count would likely be a bit higher each day though.

trish55011

I hope this isn't a dumb question, but do you drink beverages sweetened with aspartame? diet sodas, diet water's, flavored teas and coffee's? If so, the inflammation could be coming from that. I too was suffering from excessive water retention, inflammation, and aching joints. It was so bad the dr. wanted to put me on a water pill. I have had to cut out ALL diet drinks, even the occasional one at a cook-out or pot-luck. 8 oz of diet mt. dew makes me feel like I have the flu. Also for me gluten was a contributing factor, but lchf has taken care of that issue Hope this helps. Blessings.

tcunbeliever

I find that velveeta doesn't have the same impact on me as 'real' cheese does - so that might be a good sub.

Also, tofu or tofu products (hot dogs, etc) are a good source of veg protein and variety

It might be nightshades rather than dairy, so if removing dairy for a month doesn't help, that might be the next one you want to try.

Shron123

I know nothing about vegetarian eating or fibro. However before LCHF I did have severe achy joints and tissue especially on on my upper arms and chest. I have found a great improvement across the board with this WOE. Just curious how long you have been on LCHF. It is a diet known to decrease inflammation. Perhaps you just need more time.??

Xerogs

You might look at the ingredient list before purchasing but Miyokos vegan cheese is some of the best around. I really like cheese and some of the vegetarian/vegan variants are not that good but Miyokos is probably some of the best I've tried. It's pricey but well worth it.

I take Turmeric/Curcumin with Bioperine for inflammation reduction. There are veg brands out there that seem to work well. I would check with your doctor to see if this is something that might work for you. Even before my LCHF journey I started taking a low dose daily and it help alleviate my joint issues, LCHF has just added to that.

anglyn1

I have the same reaction as @trish55011 to most artificial sweeteners. I am ok with stevia and erythritol!

Riche120

So many great suggestions! Thank you!

@ladipoet I’ve never tried the protein powder’s so I will give that a try along with the nutritional yeast.

@trish55011 I don’t use any artificial sweeteners, I haven’t found one that I like yet. My only sweet beverage is wine and I’ll be really sad if that turns out to be my problem. I’m going to share your insight with a friend who has a lot of pain issues and lives off of diet soda.

@tcunbeliever. Nightshades didn’t even cross my mind, and now that I think about it, I probably do eat a lot of them. If its not a dairy issue that will be the next thing I try.

@SharonAnderegg I’ve been vegetarian for over 10 years, and achey for quite a few but its getting worse. I’ve been eating low carb for over a year now. Your right that this WOE has helped with some things, especially weight and energy, just not the soreness, although who knows if not for low carb I could be a lot worse off by now.

@xerogs1 I’ve been reading about Turmeric and it sounds promising, I’ll take your advice and give it a try. I’ll look for the Miyokos on my next visit to the store.

I hadn’t even thought about the “fake” meats and cheeses. When I first gave up meat, they were disgusting, but there are a lot of different varieties out there now so it sounds like a good time to re-visit the idea.

ladipoet

canadjineh wrote: »

@ladipoet did you mean Whey protein (not wheat)?

No, I meant "Wheat Protein Isolate 5000 (WPI 5000)" available at www.netrition.com. Technically, it is a "Frankenfood." Most of the carbs and starch are stripped out of the wheat leaving mostly protein behind.

Xerogs

Riche120 wrote: »

I hadn’t even thought about the “fake” meats and cheeses. When I first gave up meat, they were disgusting, but there are a lot of different varieties out there now so it sounds like a good time to re-visit the idea.

The fake meats out there are really different from brand to brand plus some have better ingredients than others and some taste better. You just have to try them and find ones that suit your taste. I like Tofurky Deli "Roasted Turkey" deli slices but can't stomach their other flavors. I also don't mind Boca burgers since I can get them at Red Robin wedgie style (lettuce instead of bun) with unlimited steamed broccoli. Gardein items taste good but they are more heavily processed while Beyond Meat is "iffy" on the taste but tend to be lower net carbs. Field Roast has some good items as well but you need to watch the carb counts on some of those items. Gardein, Boca, Morninstar, and sometimes Beyond Meat can be found at most grocery stores, some of the others including Miyokos cheese might only be available at specialty stores like Whole Paycheck (Foods) and online. At least the ones I buy all tend to have some carbs and fiber but I haven't seen anything with a 0 carb count.

carlsoda

I don't eat dairy and gluten, luckily I have never been overly fond of cheese but giving up the HWC was the hardest. Unfortunately I think you just need to do the experiment and see if it works, I am to I scared to try the fake cheese. Good luck!