Milk is bad?

[Harreh]

So there seems to be a fair bit of talk here where milk is an absolute no.
But I'm not convinced this is true for myself.

Do I need to stop drinking milk for a week or something to find out?

 

[CrohnsChicago]

I believe milk is an absolute NO for many folks here, not all. I think many have found themselves to be lactose intolerant in general since diagnosis.

I am one of those people who drank milk CONSTANTLY. If I had a craving, I could honestly drink a half a gallon in a day. I never thought that it could contribute to some of my discomforts related to crohn's and would still drink it until about a few months ago.

Out of curiosity, I swapped my skim milk for almond milk and soy milk...within 3 days I noticed my bloating and gassiness had decreased dramatically. So now I only drink skim milk for my occasional hot chocolate cravings for the cold weather (i love hot chocolate and only drink it with milk) I still eat eggs, greek yogurt and hard cheeses like cheddar (the more aged the cheese, the less lactose it retains) with no problems though. Cream based foods like soups are a big no-no these days. However if milk is used to bake there is no problem there. Thank goodness I can still eat cheesecake! See how much it varies! lol.

I don't think there's anything wrong with taking a few days off of milk to see if it makes any difference for you if you choose to do so....good luck!

 

[EthanPSU]

I would say no. I love milk, I drink 1% or 2% atleast 3 times a day and it never affects me. It is def something that is different from person to person.

 

[Susan2]

It seems that there are only a few of us, but I am one of the Crohnies for whom milk and milk products are definitely one of our good foods. My GI, in fact, says that milk products probably saved my life when I was in the worst throes of Crohn's. I was losing weight hand-over-fist and couldn't tolerate almost anything else. (As an aside, this is what led me to believe that there is some factual basis for the Blood Type Diet - I am a B+ secretor.)

 

[Harreh]

I believe milk is an absolute NO for many folks here, not all. I think many have found themselves to be lactose intolerant in general since diagnosis.

I am one of those people who drank milk CONSTANTLY. If I had a craving, I could honestly drink a half a gallon in a day.

I don't think there's anything wrong with taking a few days off of milk to see if it makes any difference for you if you choose to do so....good luck!

Yep, I love the stuff. Soo delicious.
Have it with cereal in morning every day and a glass or two during the day/evening.

But now I must do what I can to diminish these symptoms so I'll give it a shot for a week. Tried it for a day a while ago but didn't notice much. Probably wasn't enough time.

 

[EthanPSU]

Yep, I love the stuff. Soo delicious.
Have it with cereal in morning every day and a glass or two during the day/evening.

But now I must do what I can to diminish these symptoms so I'll give it a shot for a week. Tried it for a day a while ago but didn't notice much. Probably wasn't enough time.

I was going to recommend that. Cut it out of your diet for like a week or so and if nothing changes maybe your one of the few where milk is ok.

 

[kiny]

Milk is bad, I posted no less than 3 articles about how milk fat creates inflammation, and tens of articles about MAP. I even talked to the authors, milk is bad for you if you have crohn. Let alone the tens of articles that showed a western diet promotes intestinal inflammation.

There will always be people who say milk is fine, there used to be people who said smoking was fine. I do not think we are sensitive enough to these issues to know for ourselves which foods might be causing issues, anecdotal evidence is useless when it comes to food imo. Studies show milk is bad for you, very bad.

 

[SevenOaks]

I think no. Besides, cows milk isn't good for you anyway. Humans are the ONLY mammals that continue to drink milk into adulthood. I believe goats milk is a healthier and safer alternative.

 

[Trish22]

I cannot tolerate cows milk of any description and I have crohns,I have used Alpro soya for years and found that is so much better.Also have Goats milk on my cereals and found I can digest that quite well with no problems.

 

[CrohnsChicago]

How does goat's milk taste?...I love goat cheese, but am nervous to try the milk for fear I won't like it...is it significantly different in taste and texture from regular milk? (honestly, i normall drank skim 0% milk)

 

[Gianni]

Milk is bad, I posted no less than 3 articles about how milk fat creates inflammation, and tens of articles about MAP. I even talked to the authors, milk is bad for you if you have crohn. Let alone the tens of articles that showed a western diet promotes intestinal inflammation.

There will always be people who say milk is fine, there used to be people who said smoking was fine. I do not think we are sensitive enough to these issues to know for ourselves which foods might be causing issues, anecdotal evidence is useless when it comes to food imo. Studies show milk is bad for you, very bad.

Couldn't have put it better myself.

There is value in personal experience here but I think we might just not in tune enough with our bodies to recognize the harm milk has on our bodies.

I never had a problem with milk, not even after my diagnosis but after doing research on the way milk is processed and the way our body digests milk, I knew I had to get myself off of it.

Dairy was the absolute first thing to go in my diet.

Milk, soy, and wheat are three of the most common allergies and you can almost bet you are allergic to at least one if not all. I believe just about everyone has a borderline allergy to all of these.

Milk creates an acidic environment through the process of metabolic acidosis. Metabolic acidosis is basically the digestion of animal proteins. As the body digests these proteins it creates an acidic environment and causes your body to draw out calcium from your bones because calcium is an alkaline base. (this is the link to such high levels of Osteoporosis in the United states: The highest consuming nation of dairy products). This process can be completely normal if it is accompanied by a healthy diet of green vegetables that include magnesium, calcium, Vitamin K, Vitamin D, and Vitamin A. Unfortunately many Crohnies avoid, limit, or cut out vegetables in their raw state and aren't getting these nutrients so the body is especially susceptible to an acidic environment which harbors bad bacteria and promotes inflammation.

That process along with the use of antibiotics in the milk, use of the e coli virus being injected into the cows to speed up metabolism, the study kiny linked above, and the fact that many cows have Johne's disease the basic equivalent of Crohn's Disease in cows amongst other things should really turn us Crohnies off of milk entirely.


I understand that people feel like each diet effects each person differently when it comes to disease and symptom progression but as far as milk goes, I think it should be universal: Avoid dairy at all costs!

Gianni

 

[Harreh]

Been having my cereal with that alpro lactose free stuff for the past 2 days. Really starting to think milk is bad.

Is it just milk that we need to avoid then? I mean, there's loads of other diary stuff, like bread made with butter, things like that. Is it worth avoiding it all?

Will have to experiment with this somewhat.

 

[CrohnsChicago]

Been having my cereal with that alpro lactose free stuff for the past 2 days. Really starting to think milk is bad.

Is it just milk that we need to avoid then? I mean, there's loads of other diary stuff, like bread made with butter, things like that. Is it worth avoiding it all?

Will have to experiment with this somewhat.

I still eat eggs, greek yogurt and cheese as well as use milk to cook/bake with on occasion, but I think because I normally cook these items, the amount of lactose decreases. Harder cheeses are naturally lower in lactose because of the aging process. It all boils down to how the milk is prepared/used. I just don't drink milk by itself anymore and it has made a world of a difference for me personally.

I believe the lactose is what bothers most people and there is research out there that support this.

If you keep experimenting, you will find what works for you and what doesn't. Again everyone is different so just keep in mind that while someone may tolerate something, you may not and vice versa.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/crohn...ds-to-avoid-with-crohns-disease.aspx#/slide-2

If you have Crohn’s disease, it’s not uncommon to also be lactose intolerant. That means you don’t adequately digest lactose, the sugar found in milk, and as a result you may experience cramping, bloating, diarrhea, and gas, says Gina Jarman Hill, PhD, RD, an associate professor of nutrition at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. “Dairy products are a good source of calcium, vitamin D, and protein, so if you completely avoid these foods, you must obtain these nutrients elsewhere," she says. To minimize Crohn’s symptoms while staying healthy, try getting these nutrients from green leafy vegetables, fortified juices and cereals, or supplements.

 

[Harreh]

Well I have to say, the past 2 days have been much more relaxed.
Could be coincidence so continue on with the experiment!

I'd gladly give up lactose if this is how my body responds without it. I mean, a day is actually looking on the somewhat tolerable level, perhaps even just about tolerable. This would be remarkable progress.

On the subject on bad foods, if I eat something and it causes me to almost immediately feel nauseous followed by a BM... is that food a no then? Sometimes I find it hard to tell if it's the food or just the fact I ate something.

 

[Trish22]

How does goat's milk taste?...I love goat cheese, but am nervous to try the milk for fear I won't like it...is it significantly different in taste and texture from regular milk? (honestly, i normall drank skim 0% milk)

No not at all,infact it is almost like full fat cows milk,I have the semi skim,tastes good in tea and coffee,quite creamy.it is more digestible than cows milk as well

 

[Charleigh]

I think milk is evil, especially for IBD prone people. It increases inflammation and can be a fuel for autoimmune issues. I would definitely cut all dairy (that includes ice cream, cheese, sour cream, etc) for a few weeks and see how you feel.

We use almond milk here and love it.

 

[wild_one353]

i would say switch to cheese and yogurt.

it may be that the lactose feed bad bacteria, it seems to be true, reducing lactose reduces severity of diarrhea. These are the claims in the book breaking the vicious cycle the specific carbohydrate diet by Elaine Gottschall.

i have gone a little further and take 600mg calcium/phosphate supp, and get 400mg from cheese.

 

[SarahChoueiry]

I think it is always helpful, if you are flaring, to keep a food journal and eliminate an item at a time and document how you are, see how it goes. Or you can eliminate all the possible "bad" foods and enter one at a time back into your diet bc milk can be bad for some but other can tolerate it. I, for one, can not but sometimes, when my stomach is strong i can tolerate some cheeses

 

[izzi'smom]

We tried cutting out dairy for a month, which didn't help. I learned, though, that the enzymes that break down lactose are in the inner lining of your intestines, and when you have active inflammation, you may have trouble digesting it.

 

[Harreh]

Almond milk tastes really strange. I don't why... I mean it's just creamy milky almonds but... wtfff...

Yes ive been thinking about a journal. Would have been handy when I though I forgot to take my meds since I could look in the journal and find out if I did.
Plus my collection of foods that I don't like is growing.

 

[SarahChoueiry]

It is all about what works for you. I know a lot of people with Crohns that drink milk and it does not affect them. But if you are questioning it, eliminating it for a couple weeks and then slowly reintroducing it and document the difference will give you the answer for sure