Milk reaction

[Mike52]

Follow a talk with my doctor I went dairy free a few months ago (I do not use any gluten in my diet) I switched to almond milk for use on gf cornflakes etc however I seem to be getting a reaction to it. Bloating craps etc, has anyone else had problems when using non dairy milk or is one type better than another? thanks for any feed back

[freelancer]

I think there can sometimes be problems with non-dairy milks using barley malt syrup as a sweetener, which can be so refined that they don't have to declare it.

I had a period where I had inexplicable nausea every day and finally linked it to the Rice Dream milk I was using daily. Also last summer I had soya milk in coffee twice in the same day at different coffee chains - one was fine, the other wasn't.

I couldn't say this is definitely what's going on, but it might be worth looking into. I don't know which brands are OK, but generally you're likely to be able to avoid it if you stick to the non-sweetened brands.

[Sturgcl1 in reply to freelancer]

My hubby & son drink the lactofree milk range. It is either fresh or uht & has a cow on the front. It's not got gluten in it & it actually tastes exactly like milk, which is always nice! It's no good if your allergic to milk, it's still milk, but it has the lactose removed so is fine for a lacto free diet.

[Penel]

You may be reacting to the additives in the almond milk (or other 'milks'): stabilisers or emulsifiers can be a problems for some people. The amount of almond in almond milk is also amazingly small! It is possible to make your own, if you really need to use almond milk.

Your problem with dairy may be temporary. I had to give up dairy for a couple of years, but am now just lactose intolerant, so able to have low-lactose dairy like yoghurt and cream.

Perhaps try having something different for breakfast?

[virgolizzy]

It could well be the almonds you have a problem with. I can't have dairy, or soy or rice & now almonds & some other nuts, so the usual milks for a good old cuppa are out of the window! I always used the unsweetened varieties & even made my own almond milk so I knew exactly what was in it. The issues are the same for me whether it is the milk or the things themselves as food etc. Oddly I have different reactions from the foods, some give me a bad stomach/bloating etc like gluten (cross reacting) & others give me really painful joints. It is a pain going without but a pain going with! 😀

Worth looking at the previous suggestions tho to try & keep as much food in your diet as possible. Good luck.

[Rosy_Holly]

Have you tried coconut milk?

[iris8]

I haven't in truth but moo-less is the rule of thumb. Have you tried hemp? Good vit & mineral resource/tastey too! Go well :O)

[Mike52]

Thank you all for your replies, what a great site this is. I have not yet tried other milks but will look into them,it's the old problem of identifying what's causing the upset gf milk seems the prime culprit but then I start wondering about the cornflakes though they are gf you nether know what else is lurking within. I think one of my problems is lack of fibre in the diet am playing around with own bread recipes at present to see what I can do. Right back to the kitchen I think!

[bd79og]

Almonds are high in salicylates as is coconut and cornflakes (natural food chemicals related to asprin). I react to the tiniest bit of salicylate and rice dream should be ok for me but it is not! Not quite sure why but I do have trouble with fermented foods and they use fermented rice. I reacted to the fortified version and have since reacted to vitamin D so that could be my problem when I feel really brave I will try the unfortified version although for all the food help it gives me I might as well eat rice! I can provide details of exactly what is in rice dream as I contacted the makers if any one is interested.

The australian diet FAILSAFE fedup.com.au/factsheets/sup... may help you figure out diet problems if your reactions seem to go beyond gluten and dairy but it is very hard and restrictive and whilst you eat natural food chemicals you have an increased tolerance to them, when you remove them from your diet you end up becoming MUCH more sensitive which is very hard indeed so read the advice but think very carefully before you try any exclusion diet.

It is possible that vitamin deficiencies and thyroid problems are part of food intolerance and you may have to wait for your gut to get better or look carefully at these especially B12.

Good luck!!

[Jacks in reply to bd79og]

Good article, especially the bit about gluten and non coeliacs. Might be good to see some clinical studies about this.