# Gone off dairy with good results!



## Yarm (Sep 18, 2010)

Just wanted to share - my life got really busy the last two months so every morning instead of having my usual lactose free milk on oatmeal porridge I began eating a flaxseed bagel instead (I could take that in the car on my way to work more easily). I wasn't intending on going off milk but I noticed that my ibs symptoms improved. I asked my naturopath what he thought, he told me to try reintroducing the milk slowly to see what happens. I had milk one day and my stomach began growling and felt uneasy.I am now off milk. I was able to eat a delicious Christmas dinner (stuffing and gravy too!) for the first time in a long while!I am hoping that this will help me over the longer term... time will tell! Anyone have a simialr experience?


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## ziggy7 (Oct 24, 2009)

was this lactose free milk UHT? if you got the box check it's label for UHT. UHT stands for ultra high temperature pasteurization.http://www.westonaprice.org/modern-foods/603-ultra-pasteurized-milk.htmlUHT milk has it's proteins flaten and when your stomach absorbs it they do not work and create a auto immune responce causeing IBS and a damaged stomach.i agree i cannot eat any normal commercial dairy unless its the most hard types of cheese like feta or unsalted butter. and the reason for this is because its healthy and naturally very low in lactose.also know that even if you are super lactose intollerant you can still drink full fat raw milk from healthy grass fed cows. but that is very hard to find. raw milk still has the things in it which are needed to process lactose sugars but after pasteurization they are gone.


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## JohnHF (Jan 21, 2011)

I was buying lactose free milk for years until realized that I do much better without any milk.


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## Linda32 (Jan 29, 2007)

Hi,I'm new to this forum, but not new to IBS, unfortunatly.I followed a milk free diet a few years ago and it really did help. I never got on with any of the soya products but did quite like rice milk.I'm having quite bad flare ups at the moment and have decided to go milk free again.


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## peaches41 (Nov 26, 2008)

Yarm said:


> Just wanted to share - my life got really busy the last two months so every morning instead of having my usual lactose free milk on oatmeal porridge I began eating a flaxseed bagel instead (I could take that in the car on my way to work more easily). I wasn't intending on going off milk but I noticed that my ibs symptoms improved. I asked my naturopath what he thought, he told me to try reintroducing the milk slowly to see what happens. I had milk one day and my stomach began growling and felt uneasy.I am now off milk. I was able to eat a delicious Christmas dinner (stuffing and gravy too!) for the first time in a long while!I am hoping that this will help me over the longer term... time will tell! Anyone have a simialr experience?


Yes, I have. I have been feeling really ill this last week due to it being the anniversary of my husband's death - I usually feel bad in January. I had very loose stools, bloating and dreadful wind, in fact all the usual symptoms. I ran out of cereal a few days ago and had some toast and peanut butter instead. My symptoms have cleared up and today I had a totally normal bm. I was wondering if it had to do with either the cereal, which is Shredded Wheat mixed with Jordan's Crunchy Nut or not taking any milk. To be on the safe side I am still eating toast for breakfast. I just don't know what to think, I wonder if it's worth asking my gp for a test to see if I'm allergic to milk.


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## Yarm (Sep 18, 2010)

Reintroducing milk did not go well - ibs and acid reflux started up. It was lactose free so it must be the protein in milk that was bothering me.So much for that!


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## Becky0000 (Mar 28, 2010)

I've just given up dairy products. If this is what's causing my IBS then how long should I expect to wait before expecting my stomach to improve. It's been 24 hours and there's no improvement yet. Do I give it a few day or a week? Any suggestions? I'm finding this elimination thing difficult because everything seems to hurt right now.


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## ziggy7 (Oct 24, 2009)

Becky0000 said:


> I've just given up dairy products. If this is what's causing my IBS then how long should I expect to wait before expecting my stomach to improve. It's been 24 hours and there's no improvement yet. Do I give it a few day or a week? Any suggestions? I'm finding this elimination thing difficult because everything seems to hurt right now.


Unlike other foods that hurt my stomach immediately like sweet potatos. average store bought Dairy and even heavy cream after eating it my stomach is fine for about 3 days. But after that my stomach is damaged and sore for 1 month afterwards.It seems to take 3 days to absorb and then 1 month for my stomach to recover from dairy.However Butter and hard cheese causes no problems for me. I eat feta cheese and butter all the time.These results i found with my stomach in a healthy state. That has not suffered much from IBS for a very long time because i now know the things that cause my IBS and now always avoid thoughs things that caused my IBS.


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## Yarm (Sep 18, 2010)

If you suspect that dairy is bothersome, I say avoid it. It can take up to a month to see the difference, from what I've heard and experienced.


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## quarky (Jun 15, 2011)

Yes, I had this experience! Giving up dairy really helped me too. I had pain and D most days, but now it's only occasional. I use soy milk instead of milk and stopped having yoghurt etc. I didn't try lactose free milk but I've heard it can be a problem for a lot of people because it's possible to be intolerant to the casein in the milk as well as the lactose.


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## ziggy7 (Oct 24, 2009)

quarky said:


> Yes, I had this experience! Giving up dairy really helped me too. I had pain and D most days, but now it's only occasional. I use soy milk instead of milk and stopped having yoghurt etc. I didn't try lactose free milk but I've heard it can be a problem for a lot of people because it's possible to be intolerant to the casein in the milk as well as the lactose.


Be careful of soy. It will damage your stomach in the long run.http://www.westonaprice.org/soy-alertI heard the only supposedly safe soys to eat are miso, tempeh and natto.


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## quarky (Jun 15, 2011)

ziggy7 said:


> Be careful of soy. It will damage your stomach in the long run.http://www.westonaprice.org/soy-alertI heard the only supposedly safe soys to eat are miso, tempeh and natto.


Why? I can't see anything on that page about stomach damage. I already know that too many phytoestrogens can mess up your fertility, but view that as a bonus rather than a danger. Why are miso, tempeh and natto any different?I doubt that having a cup or two of soymilk a day is going to harm anyone because it's actually a very low soy consumption. I've made my own soymilk so I've seen how little of the bean actually ends up in the milk (compared to how much is left behind as okara).


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## ziggy7 (Oct 24, 2009)

quarky said:


> Why? I can't see anything on that page about stomach damage. I already know that too many phytoestrogens can mess up your fertility, but view that as a bonus rather than a danger. Why are miso, tempeh and natto any different?I doubt that having a cup or two of soymilk a day is going to harm anyone because it's actually a very low soy consumption. I've made my own soymilk so I've seen how little of the bean actually ends up in the milk (compared to how much is left behind as okara).


Early in 2007, the Weston A. Price Foundation began hearing from inmates who were suffering from myriad serious health problems due to the large amounts of soy in the diet. These prisoners had found us through the Soy Alert! section of our website. Complaints include chronic and painful constipation alternating with debilitating diarrhea, vomiting after eating, sharp pains in the digestive tract, especially after consuming soy, passing out, heart palpitations, rashes, acne, insomnia, panic attacks, depression and symptoms of hypothyroidism, such as low body temperature (feeling cold all the time), brain fog, fatigue, weight gain, frequent infections and enlarged thyroid gland. Since soy contains anti-fertility compounds, many young prisoners may be unable to father children after their release.A womens menstrual cycle can be messed up by just one glass of soy milk per day.The soybean in nature is naturally a toxic plant. Raw soybeans, including the immature green form, are toxic to humans, swine, chickens, in fact, all monogastric animals.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SoybeanBut miso, tempeh and natto soys supposedly have got the toxins out and are supposedly safe to eat.http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/09/18/soy-can-damage-your-health.aspx


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## quarky (Jun 15, 2011)

ziggy7 said:


> Early in 2007, the Weston A. Price Foundation began hearing from inmates who were suffering from myriad serious health problems due to the large amounts of soy in the diet. These prisoners had found us through the Soy Alert! section of our website. Complaints include chronic and painful constipation alternating with debilitating diarrhea, vomiting after eating, sharp pains in the digestive tract, especially after consuming soy, passing out, heart palpitations, rashes, acne, insomnia, panic attacks, depression and symptoms of hypothyroidism, such as low body temperature (feeling cold all the time), brain fog, fatigue, weight gain, frequent infections and enlarged thyroid gland. Since soy contains anti-fertility compounds, many young prisoners may be unable to father children after their release.A womens menstrual cycle can be messed up by just one glass of soy milk per day.The soybean in nature is naturally a toxic plant. Raw soybeans, including the immature green form, are toxic to humans, swine, chickens, in fact, all monogastric animals.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SoybeanBut miso, tempeh and natto soys supposedly have got the toxins out and are supposedly safe to eat.http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/09/18/soy-can-damage-your-health.aspx


Interesting. I have noticed that my menstrual cycle lengthens when consuming high volumes of soy, but that is more than welcome!


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## Champsleeve (Dec 10, 2008)

I thought I was lactose intolerant for a long time before finding out it was more than the lactose that was causing my problems. I was still having bad flares for about 3 months after giving up dairy completely. But then it got much better. I would never consider going back to dairy at this point. My family doesn't have dairy issues but they have felt better since we've reduced our intake. (They still get some but not much since I don't cook with it at home.)I've researched the whole soy thing extensively and have decided that soy is a healthy food and that most "studies" that have found issues are not very objective. Personally, I've been vegetarian for 21 years, vegan the last 5. I eat soy regularly along with my daughter and husband and none of us have had any issues. I suggest everyone do their own research and do what you think is best.


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## Loves Apples (Jul 30, 2011)

Yes, going completely off dairy has helped me significantly. I don't have ANY dairy at all, no milk, ice cream, cheese, sour cream, mayo, etc. I find that being sick all the time just isn't worth risking eating dairy. Most all of the dairy foods have soy/rice/veggie substitutes. I drink rice milk, soy yogurt, tofu ice cream (delicious), etc. I rarely have D anymore, esp since I cut out alcohol and caffeine. Its hard, but its worth it!!!!


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