To Dairy or not to Dairy?
Dairy comes with a lot of confusion in the nutrition world! Eat it, don’t eat it, eat it sometimes, only eat butter…. How are you supposed to know! Let’s clarify a few things below.
Dairy includes anything that is made from an animal udder - most commonly from cows, sheep and goats. Depending on where the dairy product has come from and what type of dairy product it is can determine if it’s affecting your health or not. It is worth considering if it’s serving your health or not because if it’s not it can cause some unpleasant symptoms and ongoing inflammation which can affect energy levels, weight loss, sleep, gut function, hormone levels and more.
Firstly, let’s look at the different components of dairy: lactose, casein and dairy fat.
Lactose is the carbohydrate/sugar component of dairy. It is a disaccharide meaning it’s a sugar made from two other sugars - glucose and galactose. The source of dairy with the highest amount of lactose is milk. There are two main concerns with lactose you need to consider:
Because it is a sugar it contributes to raised blood sugar levels and therefore raised insulin levels which drive fat storage. This is only a concern if you are guzzling it by the glassful or are having large lattes that are really just a cup full of lactose/sugar. This doesn’t help if you’re on a weight loss or maintenance journey (cream is a great alternative in a coffee as it doesn’t spike your blood sugar levels due to the fat content).
Humans require a specific enzyme, lactase, to break down lactose. It is estimated that 60% of the general population cannot produce this enzyme, particularly those of African and Asian descent. These individuals are unable to digest lactose and therefore this sugar moves through their digestive system intact resulting in digestive symptoms such as bloating, diarrhea and pain. You’ll probably know if this is you! Or if you have these symptoms and haven’t tried removing lactose, give it a go!
Unfortunately, most of the milk consumed today is pasteurised and homogenised. These two processing techniques heat destroy many of the beneficial properties of milk including the natural enzymes, lactase, within milk and its probiotic component. Many people who can’t tolerate store bought milk are therefore able to tolerate unpasteurized milk as it still contains naturally occurring lactase. It is important to note however that when you’re buying unpasteurised milk you need to be wary of the risks associated with unpasteurized milk - higher risk of bacterial infection.
Casein is the protein component of dairy which is largely found in dairy products such as cheese and yoghurt. There are two genetic variants of this protein, A1 and A2. The A1 version drives an inflammatory response in susceptible individuals who genetically break down the A1 protein to form the inflammatory opiate beta-casomorphin-7 or BM7. Not everyone cleaves the A1 protein hence not everyone experiences the inflammatory response. The A2 form does not cause the same response and makes a great alternative for those who can’t tolerate A1 dairy products. You will probably have noticed an increase in A2 milks available at supermarkets - these are typically produced from Jersey cows.
If you are producing BM7 from casein you may experience some of the following symptoms due to its effect on the gut and rest of the body:
It raises inflammatory markers contributing to symptoms such as joint pain, headaches and period pain.
Is able to cross the blood-brain-barrier interrupting normal cognitive function
Contributes to typical GI symptoms such as bloating, pain and irregular bowel motions.
The third major component of dairy is the fat portion. Fortunately this is the least reactive constituent and is the reason why some people who are intolerant to lactose and casein can still enjoy butter, ghee and sometimes cream. There are many benefits to dairy fats including their ability to increase satiety, reduce the impact of carbohydrate consumption on blood sugar levels, contribute to ketone production and feed the intestinal cells.
So it’s important to consider whether dairy is affecting you or not? Consider some of the symptoms above and whether they are present in your life? If so, it’s worth doing an elimination of all dairy for a minimum of a month and then reintroducing the different components to be sure of its impact on your health.
If you are discover that you are intolerant to dairy here are the best alternatives:
Coconut milk
Coconut cream
Almond milk
Dark chocolate over 70% cacao
Coconut oil
Coconut yoghurt
Ghee (clarified butter) - if this is produced properly it will be pure dairy fat
Duck fat
Lard
Commonly asked questions:
Will I always need to avoid dairy if I’m intolerant now?
Not necessarily! For some people their intolerance is associated with a digestive tract that is not functioning properly - this could be due to other causes of inflammation, microbiome imbalances and general stress. In this case, remove dairy completely, sort out your GI function and then retest down the track.
How come I have never experienced a reaction to dairy before but all of a sudden I do now?
Your body can adapt to foods that are continuously coming into your system! Sometimes it takes a period of eliminating them to then see their true response when they are re-introduced. Additionally, the symptom for you may not be what you expect - a gradual increase in weight? Sleep disturbance? Poor energy levels?
Will I need to supplement with calcium if I go dairy free?
No! Although dairy is a good source of calcium (if you can digest it properly) there are many other foods that contain high levels of calcium too: sesame seeds, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, dark leafy greens, sardines and almonds. However, if you are postmenopausal you’ll need to be sure that you’re getting in enough calcium for your diet for osteoporosis prevention.
What if I only have a minor reaction?
In my books, any reaction is a sign of inflammation in your system and a contributor to disease. In saying this, the concept of ‘load’ is relevant. For many people they can handle a certain amount of dairy but over this threshold they will begin to react. If you’re not sure if you are having a reaction or not then test out that same form of dairy in different amounts to see if you have a ‘sweet spot’. If in doubt, leave it out!
Sources:
https://nutritionandmetabolism.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12986-015-0050-1
