Goal 7: Eliminate dairy

Why do this?

Dairy can cause many health issues beyond the common lactose intolerance. Until its eliminated a person may not know if its the culprit for their symptoms. Also, it is harder for our bodies to digest (hence the health issues) and can cause stress on our gut. When dairy is pasteurized (which most grocery store products are) the digestive enzymes inherent in it are killed off leaving it harder to digest, hence the rise in lactose intolerance. Raw dairy (like raw milk or raw cheese) still contain the digestive enzymes so its possible that a lactose intolerant person may be able to handle raw dairy just fine. However, there’s always a risk of getting other bacteria (the pasteurization process exists to kill the bacteria) so definitely do it at your own risk.

Past cultures often fermented raw dairy which helps with ease of digestion as well. That being said, raw, fermented, full fat dairy is probably best but it is hard to find and expensive.

Mark’s Daily Apple gives such a thorough and well thought out breakdown that I couldn’t hope to repeat it with plagiarizing. If you want more information check it out here.

Symptoms of a dairy allergy can include:

  • Indigestion

  • Hives

  • Wheezing

  • Vomiting

  • Loose Stools

  • Diarrhea

  • Abdominal Cramps

  • Coughing

  • Runny Nose

  • Watery Eyes

  • Itchy Skin Rash

  • Colic (in babies)

  • Insomnia