Who's given up dairy? page 7

[AMonkey]

Well I can't drink milk. For years I had constantly blocked sinuses and a leaky nose. No idea what it was. Got so bad that when I would fly in planes, I would get stabbing 'headaches' which would reduce me to tears. Well turns out the milk was the culprit, seems I was lactose intolerant and nobody thought it might be a possibility even though I'm half Asian.

I eat plain yoghurt and cream on occasion and that seems fine. Yoghurt is a pretty good food, probiotics and all that. I just dried drinking milk just now, and within 5 minutes had a quesy stomach and bad gas later.

[CradlingaLion]

I just bragged earlier on this thread about having NO problems with any dairy and how I would never ever cut back on it.

Whelp, I discovered this week that I cannot eat PEAS. Ate half a can of sweet peas slathered in butter and seasoned salt, and I got very sick with indigestion and gas.

Never again.

It wasn't so bad that I will cut out peanuts, green beans, or kidney beans, of course unless it happens the same way next time I eat those.

[Forgotmylastusername]

I'm going to give it up for a month and I'm wondering - if you gave up dairy:

- What was the reason?
- What were the benefits (if any)?
- Did you go through any withdrawal / detox symptoms?
.

I gave it up about 2 months ago. A few reasons are a few minor skin conditions and a kind of mucus I get around my eyes when I wake up. I'm also trying to keep my protein lower. Dairy in particular tends to elevate igf1. A few sinus issues have cleared up and I no longer get reddish eyes that make me look like I haven't had much sleep. I had the same experiences as you, I slowly increased my yogurt consumption and was eating it everyday. There was once where I had a whole tub and I woke up so blocked up the next day I finally decided to quit it. I've tried introducing all sorts of yogurt, raw, grassfed, goats, sheeps, etc but it all has the same effect. There was no detox or withdrawals I just kind of missed yogurt. I never cared much for cheese or milk. Although it's been a few months and I don't find myself wanting it at all at this stage, I would be nice but I can take it or leave it and it doesn't bother me. I'm not really sure whether it was the fat, protein or lactose that is the problem. I don't think any of it is particularly healthy though.

[Knifegill]

Had some yogurt and cheese, more than usual lately - and some fancy vat pasteurized chocolate milk with cream on top. Got some zits! Grrrr. I hope this GAPS crap fixes my gut. Dialing back on the dairy and going back to coconut milk for now as a primary fat source.

[Cryptocode]

My first month of primal included all dairy, and things went very well. My second and third month I gave up all dairy except butter, just to be more primal. Now, my fourth month I've trying to add dairy back in and my body says NO.

My body has been continually chainging since I've been primal and I imagine it will contine for a few years. Maybe some day dairy will again be OK for me, maybe not.

[Zeera]

I love milk, yogurt, cheese, sour cream etc. but I avoid it a vast majority of the time. I could eat or drink it all day every day and never get sick of it, but it definitely makes me bloated and makes my face break out if i eat it too often. So, as much as I love it, I make it a rare treat.

[Mireia]

I gave up dairy aside from butter because I don't think humans should be drinking another animals mothers milk regulary. Just seems odd to me. Then there are also many sources that say no dairy is healthier. I seem to get increased blemishes from dairy, but other than that don't notice any problems.
I am still reading a lot about dairy to be sure I want to be dairy free, or eat a very small amount of raw cheese...but atm I am sticking to no dairy.

[YogaBare]

I've been dairy free for two weeks now. I'm very sad to say, I think I may be intolerant to it As soon as I stopped eating it my perpetually bloated stomach began to deflate. I've also lost nearly an inch around my hips - partially from the bloat, and partially because when the full fat milk and greek yogurt is cut, my fat (and calorie) intake is lower. Well okay, maybe this isn't a cause for sadness

Black coffee is miserable though. I actually threw in the towel and started drinking green tea.

[Allenete]

I haven't given it up and don't plan to. I eat yoghurt daily and it actually keeps me bloat free... I tend to get a bit of bloat when I don't eat it for even a day, and when I used to eat grains I had constant bloat.

Raw cheese and milk keep me satiated through the day like nothing else does, so I've maintained my weight more successfully than ever. Back when I was trying to lose a bit of weight and eating "diet" dairy or no dairy, my cravings for snacks were crazy.

Honestly, I don't think consuming another animal's milk is any more odd than eating another animals organs/meat/dressing in their skin. So what? If it doesn't agree with you, no reason why you should eat it... but also vice versa.

[sophie]

I think it's a YMMV thing. my experience:

-I've always had lactose intolerance so I was doing cheese, butter and yogurt only (I thought I couldn't decently give up dairy, you know CW stuff)
-I went completely dairy-free a few years ago, after going gluten-free (was opening my mind to new ideas and discovered dairy could be a problem...)
-it made a difference: improvement in digestion/bloating and skin issues.

-now last year I tried to re-introduce: thought after 2+ years being GF, my gut might have "healed" enough to tolerate it better. I only did butter and cheese (very little lactose)
-I had no immediate/brutal symptoms, BUT over the course of 3 months I had gained 4 kilos and saw some regression in digestion, skin and tiredness. plus I noticed I was craving cheese, kind of like the sugar cravings/tendency to overeat I had with sugar & grains before going primal.

-so here I went again, totally dairy-free since december and feeling way better. skin & digestion are back to normal, overall energy too. the good side of this is I felt a little deprived just before re-introducing dairy (mainly I missed cheese), but now after this experiment I don't miss it anymore. no regrets, it is clear what the benefits are and no cheese is worth the pain it causes me...