Considering removing dairy from my diet... thoughts?

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healthynotthin
healthynotthin Posts: 223 Member
in Food and Nutrition
As an infant I couldn't drink milk from a bottle and the doctors told my mum to feed me soy milk. As a child wherever my creamsickle dripped onto my skin it left a red rash. And now, in my second year of college, I'm addicted to milk products but always pay in stomach pain and skin issues. I take 60% of my calcium in supplements so I know I wouldn't have trouble getting calcium, but the cost of things I would have to give up scares me. What would you suggest? I know I can do soy lattes, frozen yogurt, etc... but the things I would give up scares me. Which may be why I down ice cream or drink milk whenever possible - "Last Supper" mentality, much? I wanted to throw this out there to get constructive criticism or suggestions. My diary is open - I'm recovering from an ED so no harsh words about the quantity, please and thank you? <3

Replies

  • deb3129
    deb3129 Posts: 1,294 Member
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    I absolutely think you should try it. There is no harm in giving it a shot, and it sounds like it could do you a lot of good. It sounds like you probably have lactose intolerance, or maybe even an allergy to milk. I don't drink any dairy at all, or eat cheese, and feel great. I would at least try it for some period of time and see if it does not make a positive difference in the way that you feel. If it doesn't and you can't stand to be without it, you can always go back .But I suspect that you may get great results.
  • MSeel1984
    MSeel1984 Posts: 2,297 Member
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    If you think you're having an intolerance I'd say go for it. I'm one of the two girls (out of five) in my family who can still handle dairy...I count myself lucky as I ADORE milk and cheese...

    My sisters love rice and almond milk...they taste great and are still high in calcium.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    If it's making you sick, stop!

    I can't have milk unless it's cooked or cow's milk yogurt. And some frozen yogurt bothers me now. It seems that it gets worse over time.

    Soy milk (or almond or whatever) is not bad at all, and I actually prefer it. I can still eat cheese with no problem and goat milk yogurt is very good.
  • healthynotthin
    healthynotthin Posts: 223 Member
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    I absolutely think you should try it. There is no harm in giving it a shot, and it sounds like it could do you a lot of good. It sounds like you probably have lactose intolerance, or maybe even an allergy to milk. I don't drink any dairy at all, or eat cheese, and feel great. I would at least try it for some period of time and see if it does not make a positive difference in the way that you feel. If it doesn't and you can't stand to be without it, you can always go back .But I suspect that you may get great results.

    Thanks! I'm seriously considering it. Do you have any suggestions for when that craving comes on for some milk-ish product and I can't seem to hold back? Milkshakes, ice cream, cheese... it all makes me hurt. So I'm thinking at least a mild case of lactose intolerance. Thank you for the feedback! :)

    ...now to find non-dairy foods on my college campus...
  • fraser112
    fraser112 Posts: 405
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    Give goats milk a go

    If that proves ok you can still have /milk/ cheese and so on.

    apparently goats milk is less irritable.
  • k8lyn_235
    k8lyn_235 Posts: 507 Member
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    i'm lactose intolerant, so i don't eat much dairy in general. i'll have an ice cream here and there, maybe a grilled cheese, but other than that i don't eat any dairy (when i do eat it, i take lactaid which helps with the digestion.. have you tried that?).

    so, i would definitely recommend it if it will keep you from getting so sick! no reason to put yourself through that when you don't need to. what are you scared of? you will get used to it, i'm sure!
  • deb3129
    deb3129 Posts: 1,294 Member
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    There are a lot of milk alternatives out there..almond milk, soy milk, coconut milk . I think that the trick is just finding the one that you enjoy. I used to drink soy, but then tried almond milk at someone elses house, and was HOOKED. There is also soy ice cream, that I swear tastes just like the real thing! There are cheese alternatives as well, but so far I have not found any 'fake' cheese that I liked.
  • NorCalRey
    NorCalRey Posts: 9 Member
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    First of all, I don't see that much diary in your diet other than an occaisional yogurt, so what's the big deal. If it makes you feel better eliminate diary.

    However, I'm not clear if you have a milk allergy or are lactose intolerant. The milk on the skin causing a red mark would point to a milk allergy but if you have been consuming a moderate amount of milk products with only slight stomach discomfort then I think that an allergy is doubtful. Go get tested or stop consuming diary for awhile and then reintroduce it to see what happens.

    I personally would elminate all other possibilities before chossing eliminating dairy but I consume a lot more milk, chesse and ice cream than you.

    Good luck.
  • healthynotthin
    healthynotthin Posts: 223 Member
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    First of all, I don't see that much diary in your diet other than an occaisional yogurt, so what's the big deal. If it makes you feel better eliminate diary.

    However, I'm not clear if you have a milk allergy or are lactose intolerant. The milk on the skin causing a red mark would point to a milk allergy but if you have been consuming a moderate amount of milk products with only slight stomach discomfort then I think that an allergy is doubtful. Go get tested or stop consuming diary for awhile and then reintroduce it to see what happens.

    I personally would elminate all other possibilities before chossing eliminating dairy but I consume a lot more milk, chesse and ice cream than you.

    Good luck.

    Thank you. :) I mean hidden dairy as well, i.e. the cream cheese in frosting, milk in lattes or coffee (which I have at least one of daily, often two), the starbucks ice cream I need to tell my roommate to stop buying for me, etc... and I always feel awful after I eat it. Huh. I want to find out now.
  • Polly758
    Polly758 Posts: 623 Member
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    There are lots of non-dairy ice creams I've seen around. The coconut ones are nice.

    Milkshakes might be a little tough to find. However, I make myself protein shakes with soy milk and ice, and it goes down just like a milkshake. it's the consistancy that will make it or break it.

    Cheese, on the other hand, will depend on whether you've got a lactose intolerance (that's the sugar that occers naturally in milk) or have a milk allergy (which is a reaction to the actual milk protein).

    http://cheese.about.com/od/cheesebasics/f/lactose_free.htm

    I'd say the cheapest route would be to cut out all dairy, just for a month, and then try a little goat's milk cheese. If it goes through no problem, then great! if not, you may have a milk allergy.

    Doing experiments on yourself is fun!
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
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    I have a lactose intolerance (race-based, apparently) and have avoided milk most of my adult life once I worked out what was going on "downstairs". Luckily, I can have ice cream, yoghurt and cheese no problems. Now, I understand there's a theory that if you eat more of the stuff you can endure (for me, yoghurt) then you can work up to full-on milk. So for you, if you can't stomach(!) cheese or ice cream, try a smaller quantity than normal such that you don't experience any problems and slowly increase it until you work out how much you can get away with per day. Assuming you are interested in alternatives to quitting. I have yet to try a glass of milk - have been taking one yoghurt a day for the last 3 months, though.
  • joywo
    joywo Posts: 39 Member
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    Watch out for too much soy, it can cause problems in women. Almond milk is amazing.

    You have to weigh the pros and cons of giving up something you love so much. You may be loving it more because you are thinking of giving it up. But, focus on what you will gain. For me, bloating, gas, weight retention or gain. There are alternatives out there that will give you your "dairy" fix.

    Good luck!
  • v70t5m
    v70t5m Posts: 186 Member
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    I gave up dairy due to skin issues, and have never looked back. I didn't crave any after a couple of days ... which lends credence to the addictive properties of cheese!

    There are some edible cheese replacements these days, I like Daiya best.

    Almond, Soy, Oat, Rice, Cashew, Coconut etc. milks are easy to find and make (if you so desire). They are great replacements in everything from baked goods to coffee to cereals. If you have a sweet tooth, vegan dessert cookbooks might be a good investment, I would recommend Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's "The Joy of Vegan Baking." Even non-vegans give a thumbs up to just about every recipe I have tried.

    As for ice cream, Turtle Mountain is the company that produces the "soy delicious" brand, as well as a scrumptious coconut based line. They are expensive but, for family get togethers and rare treats, they cannot be beat for sheer taste!
  • Jester522
    Jester522 Posts: 392
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    I cut processed foods from my diet completely - breads, dairy, butter, etc. Keep it rudimentary and simple. There's plenty of other ways to get calcium in i.e.: almonds, spinach, kelp, sesame, broccoli, kale and oranges! The lactose dissacharides can cause skin to look a little flabby when consumed in frequent amounts and some people are intolerant. Be aware there's other fat soluble vitamins you need to account for that you'll be missing (A,D,E and K) but can be obtained through other meat sources outside of dairy.

    Soy is evil. It's not just women, joywo - men too and more so. Just had a long discussion on my page about this.

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