# Safe Milk Substitute?



## LOOSEGOOSE (Jul 19, 2013)

Hi I am seeking a substitute for cow's milk to aid my IBS-D. Apparently coconut milk, soy milk, and almond milk are all potential troublemakers for my colon. I am wary of rice milk because of recent findings of arsenic in rice. What alternatives have people found? How about goat's milk?


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## windemere (Sep 25, 2011)

I like coconut milk myself. Its always done well for me.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Goat's milk has almost as much lactose as cow's milk. It is a little lower, but not a whole lot.

I thought most of the arsenic in rice is in the outer coating so the thing to be worried about is things like brown rice syrup that can concentrate it out of the hull.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/09/06/inorganic-arsenic-levels-rice/2771945/ shows the levels in rice milk are pretty low. It is a bit higher than what is allowed in water.

Where the rice is grown will matter. Rice from California where they didn't use lots of arsenic pesticides on the cotton and that isn't from countries with a lot of arsenic in the irrigation water would also make a difference.


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## LOOSEGOOSE (Jul 19, 2013)

Kathleen M. said:


> Goat's milk has almost as much lactose as cow's milk. It is a little lower, but not a whole lot.
> 
> I thought most of the arsenic in rice is in the outer coating so the thing to be worried about is things like brown rice syrup that can concentrate it out of the hull.
> 
> ...


Hi That is really interesting information about rice and arsenic. I have heard that white rice can spike up one's blood sugar levels. Do you know if that is true of rice milk?


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Depends on the variety of rice (some like Jasmine are very high some are quite a bit lower and more like other grains).

Rice milk is a lot higher in GI than soy, dairy, or almond milk. Coconut milk is medium.

But here is the problem.

If you want something that has a carbohydrate in it that is very digestible and none of it gets to the colon it will have a high glycemic index as it all gets into the blood quickly.

If you want a carbohydrate with a very low glycemic index then most of it is going into the colon and being fermented into gas.

Either the carbohydrate goes into the blood quickly, or it goes into the colon to be fermented. There isn't really a third option, unfortunately.

They only way to get a low glycemic load AND have no fermentable carbs in the colon is a very low carb diet which would probably not let you have any milk of any kind from any plant or animal.

Do you really need milk? Does lactaid milk work for you (where the lactose is predigested?)


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## LOOSEGOOSE (Jul 19, 2013)

Hi Kathleen M,

Thanks for a great reply. I have not tried Lactaid. I was under the impression that IBS-D sufferers should simply avoid any dairy? Also would Lactaid have a high glycemic load?


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

IBS-D does not mean one has to be lactose intolerant. Some people with IBS-D may have more issues with high fat dairy items because they have issues with high fat anything.

Not all dairy is high in lactose. Aged cheeses and butter tend to be very low to no lactose. But they are high in fat.

Lactaid itself is an enzyme so cannot contribute to glycemic load. Dairy milk is pretty low to begin with so I can't imagine the enzyme changes it by much.

FWIW there are few hard fast absolute rules when it comes to IBS. Often what one person tolerates just fine, someone else cannot tolerate at all. Some people find the typically "safe" foods bother them and others find the "avoid" foods to be their go to safe foods.


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## LOOSEGOOSE (Jul 19, 2013)

Hi Kathleen

Thanks for a great reply. So it sounds like I could experiment with skim milk Lactaid. Is there anything else about milk besides the fat and the lactose that makes it unsafe for IBS-D sufferers?


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Not that I can think of.

Some individuals are allergic to cow milk proteins, but that usually is something you had from infancy (and likely know about and causes other things more than GI symptoms), and is relatively rare compared to the number of people with IBS. No reason to think it is more common in IBSers than in the general population.


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