Paleo and Dairy: What's your take?
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RatherBeInTheShire
Posts: 561 Member
I'm on day 5 of Paleo and loving it. I have not being eating any dairy of any kind. I've been reading a lot of articles today that pretty much puts dairy in the grey area. How many of you have been eating dairy?
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Hi-
I'm on my 3rd week. I try to avoid it but don't stress about it. Like if we're out to eat & there is some cheese on my salad...so be it. I count it in my cals & move on. But I switched to almond milk in my coffee & don't use cheese, milk, or yogurt in any of my Paleo cooking.
I think its just what you prefer0 -
I eat dairy and consider myself "Primal".
I know I have moderate lactose intolerance, and I know exactly how much and what type of things I can digest and what I can't. So I don't feel like I need to eliminate it. I enjoy cheese too much, and I like the healthy fat it provides.
I get the whole "most animals don't drink milk past infancy" argument, and I get the idea that most native cultures don't drink milk past infancy, and I get the whole idea that there are hormones in dairy that are related to species-specific growth.
I just have decided that I still want my cheese, yogurt, and occasional ice cream treat. I've eliminated so many other things, and this is the one thing I have decided for now that I want to retain in my diet.0 -
I was Primal for a very long time. I struggled with Whole30 twice because of my dairy consumption. However, I'm now on my 3rd Whole30 journey and am doing just fine without dairy. I do miss the occasional cheese and/or yogurt but there are other things I'm more interested in. I've found that without dairy, my allergies are null and void. While eating dairy, I found myself to be wheezing and phlegmy while working out but not anymore. After my Whole30 is over, I'm not sure if I'll be reincorporating dairy on a daily basis into my diet. I don't think I have any dairy intolerance whatsoever either. I can handle milk, cheese, half & half, etc just fine.
For those starting out, I'd suggest adding dairy, if well tolerated, because getting to your daily macros for fats are easier.0 -
Thanks! I was just curious how others felt. I have celiac and therefore seem to have issues with dairy so I cut it out because it makes me feel better. I don't think the argument of whether or not it's actually PALEO will ever have an answer. To each thier own!0
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I go through periods where I cut it out (cause my skin looks better) and those where I keep it in (because cheese is awesome). I don't really drink milk anyway, except in lattes, and I think in moderation, unless you actually have issues with it, it's probably fine.0
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I also consider myself primal (with bouts of paleo), and do eat dairy in moderation. I think it does fit with the whole conception of primal and paleo - eating what humans were eating when we evolved, and therefore what our bodies are best suited to process. Plus, greek yogurt is a good way to get the fermented foods that Mark Sisson recommends. But dairy wasn't a staple of our diet then, and it shouldn't be now, it's supplemental.0
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I am primal too, but the only dairy products I eat are butter and Greek yogurt.. Cantarella's post below sums up how I feel perfectly. :-)0
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I go through periods where I cut it out (cause my skin looks better) and those where I keep it in (because cheese is awesome). I don't really drink milk anyway, except in lattes, and I think in moderation, unless you actually have issues with it, it's probably fine.
I'm trying my best to cut it out now to see if my face clears up...I've been reading that it can cause acne...I'm 28 and have been breaking out like a teenager going through puberty! Not cool!0 -
I consider myself primal and eat greek yogurt and some cheese. I'm 57 and had acne until I gave up grains and sugar, now my face is clear. I have a variety of allergies (under control now) and my inflammation is reduced so for now I'm keeping the yogurt and cheese. If I plateau on my weight loss I will try giving up dairy for a while to see if that helps but I so love my berries and yogurt and that would be hard to give up.0
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I love dairy, thus I couldn't possibly give it up. Guess that makes me more Primal than Paleo.
Thing is with dairy is to just not overdo it. You don't really need to have it with every meal, or even every day. Like dessert. I don't believe in that "everything in moderation" crap, because most of the typical "everything" is junk, but a bit of a fairly healthy indulgence such as yoghurt, dark chocolate or a strong cheese is perfectly fine (and maybe even good for you) in small doses. Granted, you can live without these things, but if you can tolerate and you enjoy it AND you can control yourself around it, then why not?0 -
I'm more primal. Need my bulletproof coffee in the morning.0
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I'm more primal. Need my bulletproof coffee in the morning.
Nothing particularly un-paleo about bp coffee...(assuming you're making it with gf butter and MCT oil).0 -
Dairy has been shockingly easy for me to give up. But I dont feel 100% agaist it as I do with say wheat. If I want a bite of cheese or want to eat something I didnt make that I know was made with dairy then Im ok with that but Id say Im dairy free about 90% of the time.
I miss my greek yogurt and what not but everything I ate before that was dairy was snacks between meals and with eating paleo I have no desire to eat between meals.0 -
I cut back on dairy A LOT this year. After reading It Starts With Food, I'd really like to cut back on dairy even more. However, it is much harder for me to give up. Wheat/gluten that was easy because I feel so sick after eating it. Other grains were easy because I don't enjoy them all that much. Dairy is harder. I'll probably keep it in the diet in small quantities. Right now I eat 3 - 5 dairy servings/week and I'm pretty OK w/ that.
Eventually I'll do a Whole 30 and be interested to see how it feels to do a full 30 days without dairy.0 -
How is bulletproof primal and not paleo? Is it the butter? Won't give it up. I don't have it every day, but I do enjoy it a few days a week.0
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Grassfed butter is still considered paleo, so that's why bulletproof coffee is paleo.
I LOVE dairy, so I eat primally. That being said, I don't gorge on dairy - I use heavy whipping cream in my coffee or over berries as a dessert, and I put cheese on my eggs and sometimes my veggies, and then I use butter. But I'm not eating tons of dairy, and I'm not drinking milk. Keeping dairy in my diet makes this so very easy for me to do. As long as I continue having no problems losing weight, I'll keep my beloved dairy. :-)0 -
Thanks so much for everyones replies!! Since cutting it out was pretty easy for me, I've decided to just keep it out for now!0
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I stayed away from it even before I went Paleo. I might give a good quality grass-fed butter a try for cooking, but that is about it.0
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I consider myself Primal as I do have dairy in small amounts.
I was never a big milk drinker but ate yogurt and cheese and had creamer in my coffee so when I did a 30 day strict Paleo I was already eating clean - but giving up the dairy was hard for me - especially in my morning coffee (used coconut milk from a can during that time).
After doing the 30 day strict I decided life was to short to completely cut out dairy so it is back in my diet in moderation...I do have a cup of coffee with creamer every day, I have greek yogurt 1-2 x's per week, cheese I may have a few times a month depending on what we are having and if cheese might enhance...(like for example I made turkey chili last week and a little shredded cheese on top made me happy)..things like ice cream maybe once a month (usually a soft serve ice cream cone...sometimes you just need a little yum)0 -
Grassfed butter is still considered paleo, so that's why bulletproof coffee is paleo.
I LOVE dairy, so I eat primally. That being said, I don't gorge on dairy - I use heavy whipping cream in my coffee or over berries as a dessert, and I put cheese on my eggs and sometimes my veggies, and then I use butter. But I'm not eating tons of dairy, and I'm not drinking milk. Keeping dairy in my diet makes this so very easy for me to do. As long as I continue having no problems losing weight, I'll keep my beloved dairy. :-)
Actually grass fed butter is considered Primal, not Paleo, since it does contain milk solids. Ghee or clarified butter is considered Paleo since the milk solids have been removed. One can definitely still make BP coffee if following Paleo by using ghee. It's not a lot of difference in taste really. When my Whole30 is done, I'm really looking forward to using grass fed butter and not having to clarify my own any more, so long as I can still tolerate it.0
