Dairy Free for Digestive Health: Do You Need to Go Dairy Free?

Dairy Free for Digestive Health: Do You Need to Go Dairy Free?

by | Jun 3, 2019 | Diet, Digestion, Food Intolerance, Food Sensitivities, Functional Nutrition, Inflammation, Nutrition, Recipes

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At the beginning of my healing journey, instead of doing a basic elimination diet to go gluten and diary free, I chose to use the keto diet as my template. During my keto time, I relied heavily on dairy products to provide my needed fats. I didn’t know that this was going to be recipe for disaster…

Many of my hormonal and endometriosis symptoms flared over the first 9 months, and got drastically worse. And I didn’t notice right away that my fat digestion wasn’t up to snuff when it came to dairy (I wish I had already studied nutrition before I committed this act of unintentional self-harm!)

It’s easy to eat dairy many times a day. We might have milk or half-and-half in our coffee, milk in our cereal or pancakes for breakfast, cheese for a snack or with our lunch sandwich, and cheese as a topping on our dinner. Salads often are topped with cheese garnish or creamy dressings. And desserts and treats are another common source of dairy products.

Though dairy foods can be important and nutritious parts of a whole foods diet, the constant flow of dairy products can mask their true effects: many of us are sensitive to dairy and need to go dairy free.

In fact, dairy products are one of the top three food intolerances, and for this reason, I usually recommend that my clients do a trial period without dairy products when we begin working together. Once we complete this elimination, we can test the various forms of dairy to see which ones you react to.

It’s important to understand how and why dairy can be inflammatory, and to figure out if YOU are dairy-sensitive if you are working on improving your digestive or other health challenges. Many of you may need to go dairy free to get a handle on your health.

Let’s explore why you might try going dairy free.

 

What is Dairy and Dairy Free?

Dairy refers to products that come from or are made from animal milk. This includes:

  • Butter and ghee
  • Milk and milk powder
  • Cheese
  • Yogurt
  • Kefir
  • Cream and Half and Half
  • Ice Cream
  • Sour Cream

Dairy can also include ingredients that are sourced from milk, such as whey protein powder, casein, lactose, hydrolyzed casein, calcium caseinate, caseinate, iron caseinate, lactalbumin, lactoglobulin, lactulose, magnesium caseinate, potassium caseinate, rennet casein, sodium caseinate, whey protein hydrolysate, and zinc caseinate.

Dairy free refers to eating a diet without any dairy or dairy-derived products.

 

Why Go Dairy Free? Effects of Dairy on Your Body

 

There are several types of sensitivities to dairy. Your strategy for moving forward will depend on which type of intolerance you have.

 

Dairy Allergy

 

A dairy allergy would be characterized by a severe allergic reaction to dairy consumption, including swelling of the mouth, tongue, and throat, difficulty breathing, unconsciousness, and dilated pupils. This type of reaction, sometimes called anaphylaxis, is caused by a sudden and acute response of IgE antibodies and the release of histamine on a massive scale to an allergen.

If you are sensitive to dairy in this way, you likely already know it and avoid it. This is actually a pretty rare type of dairy reaction, though it does happen.

Lactose Intolerance

 

Lactose intolerance is a dairy sensitivity where the body does not have the enzyme lactase to adequately break down lactose, or milk sugar. Lactose intolerance can be quite uncomfortable, causing:

  • Intestinal cramping
  • Diarrhea, bloating
  • Gas and flatulence
  • Gurgling sounds in the belly
  • Vomiting

Most of you who suffer from lactose intolerance likely also know this about yourselves, as the symptoms are usually quite uncomfortable. It’s estimated that approximately 30-50 million Americans are lactose intolerant.

 

Casein Sensitivity

 

Casein is the protein in milk. Some people are sensitive to this protein, either because their leaky gut has allowed casein to be tagged by the immune system for destruction, or because of an innate sensitivity. Possible symptoms are:

  • Bloating and gas
  • Swelling and pain in joints or muscles
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • Constipation
  • Skin itching or inflammation, such as eczema
  • Fatigue
  • Sinus and breathing issues, such as asthma, wheezing, coughing
  • Headaches

These latter two sensitivities can cause inflammation in the digestive tract, which can contribute to wide-ranging symptoms throughout the body. Inflammation from dairy in the large intestine can impede the absorption of minerals.

Many people who are gluten sensitive, especially those who have celiac disease, are “cross-reactive” to casein, the milk protein, because the casein protein is chemically similar to gluten.

 

A1 vs A2 Casein Sensitivity

 

Milk protein from northern European cow breeds, including Holstein, Friesian, Ayrshire, and British Shorthorn cows, contains mostly A1 casein, while milk proteins from the southern European breeds including the Guernsey, Jersey, Charolais, and Limousin cows mostly contains the A2-type.

Because milk is blended from many dairies and breeds, most regular milk contains both types of casein, but A2 milk, available in some stores, only contains the A2 casein (milk protein.) Some people are sensitive to one but not the other, and find they can tolerate the A2 milk just fine. This is also the reason why some people tolerate goat milk but not cow milk. Goat milk never has A1 casein.

So if you find that you react to milk but not other dairy products, it might be worth a trying an A2-type milk to see if you fare any better.

 

Other Sensitivity Issues with Dairy

 

Besides these sensitivities, dairy can also impact your hormones. This is because milk, no matter the quality or source, comes from either lactating and/or pregnant animals, and therefore contains estrogens and other hormones. These hormones can disrupt the balance of hormones in our own bodies, and contribute to menstrual changes, acne, PMS, infertility, mood swings, pain, inflammation, and more.

Non-organic milk may also contain additional growth hormones, or lactation-stimulating hormones, as well as antibiotics, and residues of glyphosate and other chemicals in the feed the cows ate. Because toxins bio-accumulate in fat, milk is a reservoir for such chemicals. This chemical intake can damage our sensitive digestive tracts, just like glyphosate and gluten.

Dairy can also in some people be responsible for creating mucous in the digestive tract, if it’s not digested well, which can negatively affect your digestion and create irritation in the wall of your gut.

 

Should I Go Dairy Free?

 

The best way to evaluate whether or not dairy is contributing to your symptoms is to try eliminating it for several weeks, and then to carefully reintroduce it to see if you notice any symptoms.

I generally recommend eliminating gluten, dairy, and sugar (including alcohol) for 30 days as a basic elimination diet, as these are the top three inflammatory foods that may be contributing to your symptoms.

After you’ve eliminated these foods for 30 days, you can begin testing each one in turn, and using a Food-Symptom Diary (you can grab mine here) to track your body’s response. The key thing here is to only test ONE food at a time, and to wait 4 days until trying something new.

When reintroducing dairy products, it’s helpful to test each one that you regularly eat one at a time. So in other words, you might test butter first, but then wait four days, then test yogurt, and wait a few more days, and then test cheese. Each dairy product is unique, and you may find that you tolerate some better than others.

If your body shows symptoms within 3-4 days of eating the item, it’s probably best to continue to leave it out while you work on understanding what else is happening to create that sensitivity.

(If you need help learning about how to do an elimination diet, check out my video How to Do an Elimination Diet for IBS).

 

Dairy Free Substitutes

 

OK, so you can’t have dairy, and you’re panicking a little about what you’ll do without cheese? Let’s talk about some ways to crowd out dairy products, so you don’t feel deprived.

  • Milks There are many milk substitutes out there on the market. Try almond, hemp, rice, macadamia, or cashew. I don’t recommend soymilk, because most soy is GMO and likely contaminated with glyphosate, and is often also a reactive food for many people. It can also have some undesirable effects on hormones. Homemade is better than store bought, if you can find the time to make it.
  • Healthy Fats Try coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, and avocado oil instead of butter. Coconut oil with a little salt is delicious on toast. If you choose a non-dairy butter substitute, make sure it is free of hydrogenated oils.
  • Creamy foods Satisfy your craving for creamy foods with spreads such as guacamole, tahini sauce, nut butters (almond, peanut, sunflower, cashew), coconut cream, coconut milk, coconut or cashew yogurt. And don’t forget about mayonnaise/veganaise, or hummus.
  • High Calcium Foods  Many people are concerned about the lack of calcium when giving up dairy. There are many foods that can provide adequate calcium such as sardines with bones, sunflower and sesame seeds, almonds, broccoli, collard greens, bok choi, oranges, white beans, black-eyed peas, and kelp.

What to Expect When You Go Dairy Free

 

As with any elimination diet, expect some cleansing reactions, and possibly uncomfortable symptoms while your body clears a backlog of inflammation and your gut flora readjusts to life without dairy.

  • Fatigue
  • Bowel Changes Many of the symptoms of dairy sensitivity are related to the digestive system. You may become less constipated, or your bowels may clean out as they are able to deal with the backlog of inflammation. Stay well-hydrated and trust the process. This should clear within a few days.
  • Cravings As with gluten, dairy contains caso-morphins, morphine-like compounds that mimic the effect of morphine in the brain. You can be quite addicted to our dairy products, and can experience a withdrawal when you stop eating them. Observe what this tells you about your relationship with dairy, and consider how you would like it to change. Be ready to crowd out your craving with healthy substitutes. You can also try using the amino acids L-glutamine or DPA (d-phenylalanine) with a glass of water on the tongue when the cravings are active. (For more on this subject, check out Trudy Scott’s blog about how to use individual amino acids for craving relief.)
  • Mood swings Related to the cravings and withdrawal symptoms, you may find you feel a little emotionally tender. Remember to warn your loved ones and coworkers that you may be a little off during the first week you go dairy free. Know that the mood effects will pass, and you will likely feel more balanced and in control than you have in a long time.
  • Flu-like Symptoms, like aches, chills, sweats, and nausea.
  • Weight Loss Often, dairy sensitivities can lead to bloating and water retention. When the dairy disappears, the body can release that water, and begin to heal the intestines. Weight loss can be a side effect. Make sure to weigh yourself at the beginning of your elimination diet so you can celebrate your wins at the end.
  • Improved Skin As with weight, skin issues are common symptoms with dairy sensitivities. Observe your skin during the month as your body adapts to life without dairy.
  • Improved Digestion Many of the common symptoms related to dairy sensitivity are digestive. Keep a close eye on your digestion, and note any positive changes, such as less bloating, less constipation or diarrhea, and less gas

 

Caveats with Going Dairy Free

 

  • Pre-Made Nutmilks: Many pre-made nutmilks in the store have added sugars, and other ingredients that don’t have a place in a whole foods diet. Read your labels carefully. If you can’t find one with the right ingredients, buy a nutmilk bag (this one is 100% organic cotton) and try the Nut Milk Recipe (at the end of this article).
  • Avoid Soy-Based and Processed Dairy Substitutes: There are many dairy-free mock cheeses and other dairy products out there, but many of them are full of processed ingredients. Many are based on soy. As I mentioned earlier, it’s best to avoid soy-based products, due to the likely GMO content, as well as non-real-food ingredients. Stick to healthy, real-food substitutes instead.
  • If you find that you don’t react negatively to dairy, there’s nothing wrong with including dairy products in your diet. The main thing to focus on is to buy grass-fed, organic dairy products to minimize your exposure to the toxic chemicals and hormones present in conventional milk and milk products.

 

Dairy Free Wrap Up

 

It’s really quite common for dairy products to cause or contribute to inflammation and symptoms, and for this reason I recommend to all of my clients to at least go dairy free for a short while to see if it is causing problems.

Of course, going dairy free is one small piece of a larger puzzle of discovering your unique food-symptom triggers, and investigating any other underlying causes of your symptoms.

If you’ve been struggling with how to make sense of all the special diets and recommended supplements you’ve read about, I’m here to help. As an expert in helping people understand their unique food triggers, I invite you to download your free copy of Roadmap to Gut Recovery, which will help you see your big picture road to feeling better.

When you’re ready for some one-on-one help, schedule a free 30-minute assessment session with me. I’ll help you start walking that road to gut recovery. Together, we can get you feeling well again.

Here’s that Homemade Nutmilk Recipe I promised:

HOMEMADE NUT MILK    Makes approximately 4 cups

2 cups raw almonds, cashews, macadamia nuts, or similar
½ cup dates
½ tsp. sea salt
4 cups water

Place nuts in a bowl and soak overnight. Pour nuts into a colander and rinse. Place the soaked nuts into your blender or food processor. Add the remaining ingredients and blend well. Be careful not to over blend. You don’t want to completely pulverize the nuts.

Pour this blended mixture into a nut milk bag (here’s the one I use), or sieve, set over a bowl. Squeeze the liquid through the nut milk bag, or press with hands or a tool in the sieve. Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator. Nut milk will keep for a few days.

Nourish yourself with Soup

Nourish yourself with Soup

by | Jan 23, 2018 | Digestion, Inflammation, Recipes, Uncategorized

A winter cold swept through my family over the weekend.  The old me would have pushed through it, ignoring my body’s call for rest and restoration… and the old me would have ended up much sicker for much longer.  It pains me to cancel things that are important like social events, client sessions, and meetings.  But I have learned to do it.  Some things can’t be cancelled …like parenting or caregiving for elders.  Allowing myself to pull back from as much as possible when my body is working through an illness has been life changing.  The result is that I get sick less often and I get well faster.

Soup is another go-to when someone in my family is sick.  During these cold winter months, a hearty homemade soup is a great way to nourish, warm, and feed your body.  By starting with whole foods like organic veggies and clean protein, adding in some healing herbs, and healthy fats you are flooding your system with nutrient rich goodness that is easy to digest and soothing to sore throats.

Soup certainly doesn’t sound like any special life changing superfood. Yet soup has massive potential that often gets hidden behind the preservatives and artificial flavoring agents that are added to many store-bought varieties.

Making weekly (or even daily) soup with local, seasonal ingredients and high-quality broth is as potent as any superfood or supplement out there. It’s a wholesome way to nourish your skin, immune system, joints, digestion, mental health, and gut.

Starting with a base of chopped onion and garlic sautéed in coconut oil is a healthy foundation.  Onions have antimicrobial properties and are a great support for a burdened immune system.  In the Fall and Winter, soups made with root vegetables and hearty, healing herbs like sage, oregano, and rosemary are ideal.

Bone broth is another key ingredient in any soup.  Homemade bone broth is rich in natural gelatin which is anti-aging and great for rebuilding  damaged intestinal lining.  Making a weekly bone broth at home to have on hand for soup bases, sauces, and cooking liquid (use with water to cook whole grains or add to your crock pot when cooking a batch of beans).  Bone broth from scratch is as easy as throwing your leftover chicken carcass in a large pot of water and letting it simmer for 24 hours.

If you’re interested in getting healthy, restoring your digestion and boosting your energy,  check out my comprehensive program, Gut Restore.  The program is full of tips, strategies, tools, and recipes to help rebuild your digestive health and intestinal flora.

Enjoy this soup recipe in good health!

Curried Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

This is one of my favorite soups. I could eat it every day, it’s so tasty and nutritious. A good soup does wonders for the body and soul. Soups offer a certain comfort that other foods lack. They’re also a vehicle for nutrient dense ingredients.

Butternut squash is an excellent source of vitamin A and one of the healthiest starches you can get. It’s got a gentle sweetness to it which pairs well with a bold curry flavors and embraces the sweetness of apple. Apple and butternut squash naturally compliment each other. They’re harvested at the same time of year, they’re both high in fiber. When Fall comes around this is one of the first soups I whip up. It’s become a staple in my house and I hope you’ll enjoy it just as much.

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon coconut oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 Tablespoon curry powder

1 lb butternut squash, cut into cubes

3 granny smith apples, cut into cubes

4 cups homemade chicken stock or bone broth

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp thyme

Directions

Heat oil in a large pot, add onions and garlic and simmer until golden. Add curry powder, salt,  butternut squash and apple chunks and cover with chicken stock. Allow to simmer for about 30 minutes until butternut squash is soft. Use an immersion blender or add to your blender in batches to create a smooth creamy consistency, enjoy!

  • Another alternative to cutting the squash is to split it in half, remove the seeds and roast in the oven with skin on oiled baking sheet at 400 degrees for one hour (or until fork can easily pass thru). You can then cool it a bit and scoop the flesh directly into the blender with the broth and other ingredients.
Easy Kale Salad for healthy “stress eating”

Easy Kale Salad for healthy “stress eating”

by | Jan 17, 2018 | Digestion, Inflammation, Recipes, Stress

When you are under stress, healthy eating becomes more important than ever.  Eating well when times are tough can help boost your mood, decrease anxiety, improve sleep, promote digestion, and minimize the damage stress does to your gut (and your brain, hormones, immune system).

Whole foods, especially dark leafy greens are superheroes when it comes to mood and digestion.

Give this easy massaged kale and apple dish a try.

MASSAGED KALE WITH APPLE

  • 4 cups kale, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup parsley, chopped
  • 1 large lemon, juiced
  • 1 avocado, chopped
  • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 large apple, chopped
  • 1/4 cup carrots, shredded

Suggested toppings: pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries

Add kale, lemon juice, and sea salt to a bowl and massage well with clean hands.  The kale should turn bright green and become softer (1-2 minutes).  Add all other ingredients and toss.

Top with pumpkin seeds for that extra protein and tryptophan (for blood sugar stability and serotonin production) and dried cranberries if desired.

What healthy foods do you eat when you’re stressed?

The Superhero of Condiments

The Superhero of Condiments

by | Jan 16, 2018 | Brain Health, Digestion, Inflammation, Recipes

Guacamole gets my vote as a superhero among condiments. It’s easy to make, so yummy and filled with healthy fats, vitamins, enzymes and fiber. At the store you can find so many pre-made versions of guacamole that are loaded with artificial preservatives and MSG. Or, even worse, those flavor packets with bad iodized salt, MSG and dehydrated vegetables that you’re supposed to mix in with wholesome precious avocados.

Fresh, homemade guacamole from scratch takes less than 10 minutes and is infinitely better than anything you can get from the store.

You can do the basic recipe or get creative with flavorful variations. I love adding a fresh chopped tomato or red onion or even cinnamon to my guacamole for an extra burst of flavor and color. If you like it spicy you can experiment with adding any of the rainbow of hot pepper varieties. The options are deliciously endless. But for now, here is the basic version..

The Basics of a Beautiful Guacamole

The most basic version of guacamole that you can mash together in under 5 minutes.

2 ripe avocados
1 clove fresh minced garlic
1 tablespoon lime juice
Handful chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon sea salt
Drizzle of olive oil

Mash the avocado and mix in the rest of the ingredients.

 Some days there is nothing better than sticking to the basic and keeping it simple. On on other days you might want to jazz it up…

Guacamole Supreme

2 ripe avocados
1 clove fresh garlic, minced
1 tablespoon lime juice
¼ cup red onion, very finely chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed, very finely chopped
1 ripe roma tomatoes, finely chopped
1  tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
Handful of both cilantro and parsley, finely chopped

Mash the avocado and mix all ingredients together.

If you like it ultra smooth and fluffy, add all ingredients to your blender and process until velvety.

How do you guac? Comment below!

Nourish Yourself with this Easy Recipe

Nourish Yourself with this Easy Recipe

by | Jan 12, 2018 | Brain Health, Digestion, Recipes

I hope 2018 is off to a healthy start for you.

Did you know cultured foods are all the rage?  And rightly so.

They whip your digestive system into shape by packing it full of the good bacteria your gut is probably starving for.

That’s why I had to share this phenomenal cultured recipe from my upcoming 8-week Gut Restore program.  Give it a try and see what you think.  Your gut, and the rest of your body, will thank you.

This recipe is one of over 59 recipes in my Gut Restore program that could be a game changer for your health.  It starts February 1st with early bird discounted pricing through January 22nd. Join us and make 2018 your year to thrive.

 

 

Coconut Yogurt

(ADAPTED FROM NOMNOMPALEO.COM)
Serves 2
1 15-ounce can full-fat coconut milk (BPA-free can)
1 probiotic capsule (at least 50 billion)

Refrigerate the coconut milk for about an hour while it is still in the can to create a thicker yogurt.

Next, remove the coconut milk from the can, and place it in a sterilized jar. Add the contents of the probiotic capsule. Mix the contents well, and tightly close the jar.

To incubate the yogurt, place your jar of coconut milk in the oven with the light on and tightly close the door. Do not turn the oven on. A closed oven with the light on generates heat of about 105 to 110° Fahrenheit. Incubate your yogurt for up to 24 hours.

In Health,

Jen Briar-Bonpane, LCSW, CIHNC

Learn more about our upcoming Gut Restore program
Sprouts for Spring Health

Sprouts for Spring Health

by | Apr 25, 2017 | Cleansing, Functional Nutrition, Nutrition, Recipes

Just the other day, my five-year-old found the dried beans in jars in the pantry, and begged me to make sprouts. What’s a mom to do?!

We started mung bean, adzuki bean, and clover sprouts, and I realized that there is no better time to make sprouts than the spring season, as our metabolism is emerging from its winter dormancy. Spring is an ideal time to clean out the cobwebs in our body by cleaning up our diet, and adding lots of fresh foods like sprouts to our diets.

Shown are my mung bean sprouts, and they contain bioavailable vitamins A, C, and E which are important antioxidants to help keep our cells healthy, along with iron and potassium, and 20% protein. The adzuki beans also have niacin (B3) and calcium, along with all the essential amino acids and 25% protein! Clover sprouts also have vitamins A, Bs, C, and E and 30% protein, along with the minerals calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, and zinc. Each of these minerals is important for maintaining the adequate function of our cellular enzymes that keep our DNA healthy and help support our energy and moods.

With all these benefits, I want to make sure you know how to make sprouts! It’s really very easy, and they are a tasty addition to salads, sandwiches, and stir-frys.

I make my sprouts in a pint sized Mason jar, and I replace the cap portion of the lid assembly with a piece of stainless steel window screen cut into the right size. You can also use these pre-made stainless-steel screen lids, available here, or these plastic lids.

How to Make Sprouts

  1. Pour a few tablespoons of your favorite food to sprout: try mung beans, adzuki beans, lentils, or peas; grain; clover or alfalfa; sunflower seeds; broccoli seeds and radish seeds, etc. Radish and broccoli sprouts are especially rich in sulfurophanes, which are potent cancer-fighting nutrients.
  2. Fill the jar with water, and soak seeds until they swell and begin to crack their shells. The time varies with the size of the seeds, usually 12-24 hours.
  3. Once they crack, pour out the water, and rinse the seeds well and drain.
  4. Lay the jar sideways on a windowsill or kitchen counter where it will get at least a little indirect sunlight.
  5. Rinse 2 times per day, and replace jar sideways.
  6. Continue with this step until the sprouts are the length you like. For mung beans, 2-3 days is sufficient.
  7. Rinse thoroughly, and drain well. Then, replace the screen insert or plastic lid with a normal Mason jar cap and store in the refrigerator.

For a very thorough discussion and specific instructions on how to make all the different kinds of sprouts, check out Sprout People. You can usually find many seeds to sprout in the bulk section of your local health food store (make sure to buy organic), or you could click here to order a sampler pack of organic sprouting seeds.