I'll start by saying I have major issues with dairy. Cheese, milk, cream, etc. are definitely out for me.
But what about yogurt?
I had been avoiding it over the last year because I assumed I would have issues similar to those I get when I eat dairy. A coworker has IBS, can't eat cheese, but she can eat yogurt. If anything, she says yogurt makes her more normal when she is in a flare. She encouraged me to try some and see what happens.
I wouldn't say it helps, but it doesn't seem to hurt either. I really thought it was all in her head. That the talk about yogurt and probiotics etc. was creating a placebo affect for her. I realize there are bacterial cultures in yogurt, but surely not enough to counteract inflammation from a sensitivity?
Now I'm eating organic Icelandic style Skyr every morning and even making Skyr ice cream (it is that thick and amazing). I'm thinking of using the unflavored version to make cream sauces.
So why is this ok? I have had cheese recently and it's definitely a no go for me. What makes yogurt different and have any of you had a similar experience?
Yogurt?
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Hi,
Maybe you are just lactose intolerant, and not sensitive to casein. Soft cheeses contain a lot of lactose. Aged cheeses contain very little lactose, so someone who is lactose intolerant should be able to eat aged cheeses without any noticeable problems, but soft cheeses will cause symptoms. However, aged cheeses (and yogurt) are loaded with casein, so anyone who is sensitive to casein produces antibodies if they eat any type of cheese or yogurt.
I'm like you — I doubt that any beneficial effects of the bacterial cultures would be able to completely overcome the negative effects of a casein sensitivity.
Another consideration is the fact that some of us can tolerate casein without having any digestive system problems, but we still produce antibodies to casein, and those antibodies cause other problems. For example, I am one of those individuals, and I can eat all the ice cream, cheese, milk, etc., that I want, without any adverse digestive system symptoms. However, if I eat any dairy products I produce antibodies and my osteoarthritis becomes active, and it causes damage to my joints. The progress of the osteoarthritis is slow, and it takes a long time for the damage to become obvious, but in the long run, it is quite serious. So I totally avoid all dairy products for that reason.
Tex
Maybe you are just lactose intolerant, and not sensitive to casein. Soft cheeses contain a lot of lactose. Aged cheeses contain very little lactose, so someone who is lactose intolerant should be able to eat aged cheeses without any noticeable problems, but soft cheeses will cause symptoms. However, aged cheeses (and yogurt) are loaded with casein, so anyone who is sensitive to casein produces antibodies if they eat any type of cheese or yogurt.
I'm like you — I doubt that any beneficial effects of the bacterial cultures would be able to completely overcome the negative effects of a casein sensitivity.
Another consideration is the fact that some of us can tolerate casein without having any digestive system problems, but we still produce antibodies to casein, and those antibodies cause other problems. For example, I am one of those individuals, and I can eat all the ice cream, cheese, milk, etc., that I want, without any adverse digestive system symptoms. However, if I eat any dairy products I produce antibodies and my osteoarthritis becomes active, and it causes damage to my joints. The progress of the osteoarthritis is slow, and it takes a long time for the damage to become obvious, but in the long run, it is quite serious. So I totally avoid all dairy products for that reason.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.