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Wake up America, it’s time to talk about dairy on this episode of Digest This.
Hello and welcome to Digest This. I’m Dr. Liz Cruz, and I’ve got Tina Nunziato sitting right here by my side. Thank you so much for joining us. If you’re a regular listener, thank you. We love you, and we appreciate that you take the time to hang out with us every week. If you’re a new listener, welcome. We have hundreds of episodes in our podcast library, and we are also getting close to our 250th video on YouTube, which is very exciting.
Today we are talking about dairy.
We have a Wake Up America series where we take a topic and help people understand what they are putting into their body. When we looked back, the last time we talked about dairy on the podcast was in 2014. That was 12 years ago, and recently dairy has come up in a few consults, so it felt like the right time to talk about it again.
Dairy is something we counsel patients and clients on a lot, especially when they are dealing with digestive issues, allergies, mucus, inflammation, or symptoms they cannot quite figure out.
A lot of people wonder, “What is wrong with dairy?” That is exactly what our 20-year-old son would say. In fact, when he came home from college, he made it very clear that even though we have almond milk at home, he is back to drinking cow’s milk.
Ironically, he was actually the reason we first learned about dairy more than 18 years ago. From the time he was about two until he was around four, he had multiple bouts of strep throat. He was put on antibiotics over and over again, and eventually his doctor recommended removing his tonsils and adenoids. That surgery happened when he was four years old, but he still continued to get strep afterward.
At that time, we were already starting our own journey into health and nutrition, and we decided to take him off dairy to see if it would help. He had been drinking a lot of milk, and once we removed dairy, he got better. That was our first test case.
Since then, for the past 18 years, we have counseled many patients and clients, especially those struggling with digestive issues, to try eliminating dairy and see how they feel. People with allergies are also often encouraged to try coming off dairy. When we do food sensitivity testing, dairy comes back high for people nine times out of ten, which is very interesting.
Even if someone does not want to do a food sensitivity test or cannot afford one, we often recommend simply coming off dairy and seeing how they feel. A majority of people feel significantly better when they remove dairy from their diet. Sometimes when people push back on the idea, we explain that this recommendation comes from many years of experience watching people try it and improve.
It can be difficult because the dairy industry has long told us that we need dairy. Many of us grew up seeing posters in classrooms telling us to drink milk and eat dairy for strong bones. We drank a lot of milk growing up, and parents were often proud when their children drank plenty of it.
That message is still out there today. People are told to drink milk, eat cheese, and consume dairy to get calcium and support their bones. Dairy also tastes good, and there are plenty of fun dairy-based foods that people enjoy. But for many people, dairy can wreak havoc on the digestive system.
One of the most common issues people are familiar with is lactose intolerance.
Milk contains a sugar called lactose. That sugar has to be broken down by an enzyme called lactase. Over time, our enzyme production tends to decrease as we get older, and lactase is one of the enzymes that can decrease.
Because of that, someone may drink milk for years or even decades without any obvious problems and then suddenly begin experiencing symptoms later in life. Those symptoms can include abdominal pain, cramping, nausea, vomiting, bloating, diarrhea, and gas.
Some people develop lactose intolerance when they are younger. For example, someone who drank a lot of milk growing up may become lactose intolerant in early adulthood. It is almost as if the body runs out of enough of the enzyme needed to handle the amount of dairy being consumed.
Yogurt and aged cheeses may be easier for some people to tolerate because they generally contain less lactose after the fermentation or aging process. That is why some people who cannot tolerate milk may still be able to tolerate certain yogurts or aged cheeses.
However, if someone is dealing with bloating, gas, abdominal discomfort, or other digestive symptoms, and the appropriate medical workup has already ruled out more serious issues, going dairy-free is often a very helpful next step. You can do fancy testing, but ultimately one of the most important things is to eliminate the food you suspect may be triggering symptoms and see how the body responds.
Some people switch to Lactaid because they think that if it does not contain lactose, they are fine. But it is important to remember that Lactaid is still dairy. It may address the lactose issue, but it does not remove the dairy proteins or other ways dairy may affect the body.
The good news is that it is much easier to avoid dairy today than it used to be. There are so many alternatives now. You can find dairy-free versions of milk, cheese, butter, sour cream, and ice cream made from almond milk, coconut milk, cashew milk, rice milk, and other non-dairy bases.
People often struggle the most with giving up cheese, but there are dairy-free cheeses made from almond milk, cashew milk, rice milk, and other alternatives. There are also dairy-free butters, sour creams, and ice creams. You do not have to go without everything you enjoy. In many cases, it is simply about switching to a better alternative and reading labels more carefully.
Dairy can also affect the body in ways beyond lactose intolerance.
Milk can be irritating to the lining of the gastrointestinal tract. When someone drinks a glass of milk, the body may respond by producing extra mucus. The intestine normally makes mucus as part of how it protects its lining, but when we consume something irritating, the body may produce more mucus or phlegm as a protective response.
This is why singers or people who are about to perform are often told not to drink milk or have dairy right before going on stage. Dairy can contribute to mucus or phlegm in the back of the throat, which can interfere with the voice.
Regular milk also contains fat. When that fat enters the stomach, it can slow down stomach movement. Some people say that when they have heartburn, drinking milk soothes it. It may temporarily coat and soothe the stomach, but because of the fat content, it can slow digestion, cause more acid production, and ultimately create more issues.
Milk also contains proteins, including whey and casein. These proteins can cause problems for people who have allergies or sensitivities. In food sensitivity testing, it is common to see dairy come back high, and when milk is high, whey and casein are often high as well.
This is also important when it comes to protein powders. Many protein powders are made with whey, so people who are sensitive to dairy may not realize that their protein powder is contributing to their symptoms. For that reason, plant-based protein powders, such as pea protein, may be a better option for some people.
Even if someone can break down lactose, dairy may still cause issues as it moves through the small intestine. The way bacteria interact with milk in the gut can also create symptoms like abdominal pain, gas, bloating, and general discomfort.
That is why, even after a normal GI workup, dairy can still be a problem. A gastroenterologist may rule out serious conditions and confirm that everything looks good structurally, but a person can still feel unwell because of how their body reacts to certain foods. Dairy is one of the most common foods worth eliminating as a trial.
Sometimes the easiest way to know is to try it. Eliminate dairy for 30 days and see how you feel. Many people are amazed by the difference.
We have had many clients and patients come back after eliminating dairy for one or two months and say they feel so much better. They may miss their dairy, but they feel better. Most people find alternatives and make swaps. They may choose almond milk or coconut milk ice cream, olive oil-based butter, cashew-based sour cream, or non-dairy cheese.
Some of these alternative cheeses are actually very good. You can make grilled cheese with dairy-free cheese, use shredded rice milk cheese on tacos, or even make lasagna with an alternative mozzarella. It may melt differently than regular cheese, but it can still taste good and allow you to enjoy familiar meals without the same dairy load.
If you are struggling with digestive symptoms, have had a workup, and everything came back normal, but you are a big dairy eater, consider minimizing dairy or cutting it out completely and seeing how you feel.
Another helpful tool for some people is digestive enzymes.
If you are lactose intolerant, that is a clear sign that you are having an enzyme issue. Digestive enzymes can be very helpful for people who struggle to digest certain foods, including dairy. There are people who take digestive enzymes so they can continue to eat some dairy with fewer symptoms.
If you absolutely refuse to give up dairy, at least consider taking digestive enzymes with your meals. They may help you digest food more effectively, benefit more from what you are eating, and reduce some of the symptoms you are experiencing.
There has also been discussion in both conventional and alternative medicine circles about whether dairy can negatively affect the liver or lymphatic system. This topic can be controversial. However, if a person has a sensitivity or allergy to dairy, it can cause inflammation in the body.
When inflammation is present, the lymphatic system can become more active because one of its jobs is to help clean up toxins and support the immune response. This is similar to what happens when you have a cold or sore throat and your lymph nodes become enlarged because they are working to fight something.
Inflammation related to food sensitivity may potentially affect different areas of the body, including the liver. Again, there is some controversy around this, but the bottom line is that dairy is not a completely benign food or beverage for everyone.
If you drink several glasses of milk a day and constantly have phlegm or mucus in your throat, or you are always clearing your throat, consider that dairy could be playing a role. That does not mean dairy is the cause for everyone, but it is worth considering.
There are many other ways to get protein and calcium. You do not need dairy for calcium or bone health. Eating more greens can help provide calcium, and reducing a very meat-heavy diet may also support bone health because a heavily meat-based diet can be more acidic in the body.
If you are concerned about your bones, focus on eating more greens, eating less meat, and building a balanced diet that supports your overall health.
The biggest takeaway is simple: if you are struggling with symptoms and you consume a lot of dairy, try eliminating it for 30 days. Pay attention to how you feel. Notice your digestion, mucus, allergies, throat clearing, bloating, gas, and energy.
It is a simple change, but for many people, it can make a huge difference.
Thank you so much for joining us. If you want to connect with us, you can find us on our website at drlizcruz.com. There is a magenta button on the homepage where you can schedule a free 30-minute wellness consult. It is done over the phone, so you can do it from anywhere.
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Thank you so much for joining us. We will catch you on the next podcast.
