Dairy

[carolBF]

Happy new year to you all.

I have a question about Dairy.

I have been without dairy for 4 months which helps my PMR however I miss my cup of tea in the morning, would it be ok to introduce lactose free milk?

X

[PMRpro Ambassador]

It depends on WHY you are doing better without dairy - if it is anything to do with the proteins in dairy then lactose-free milk won't help, the only difference is that it is processed to remove lactose, also sometimes called milk sugar. It is done for people who have a lactose-intolerance or a rare genetic condition which means they can't digest it at all.

My vegan daughter uses whichever m*lk she's using generally for her coffee - no doubt also for tea when she drinks it. They are an acquired taste I have to say but all are different and you might find one that works for you.

Have you ever tried using lemon juice in tea? Not a normal Brit cup of tea but I find it totally acceptable.

[HeronNS in reply to PMRpro]

The problem I found with lemon in tea was eventually I couldn't drink the tea. I seem to need the milk to buffer the acid of the tea.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to HeronNS]

I do have a cast-iron stomach

[HeronNS in reply to PMRpro]

I gave up milk in my tea for Lent one year. By the end of the six weeks I had had to give up the tea as well!

[carolBF in reply to PMRpro]

Giving up dairy has helped my inflammatory pain, if I have some I am in more pain at night time

X

[Mary63]

Actually lactose free milk is not actually even lactose free. It has the enzyme lactase added to normal milk. This helps people, eg from the Chinese population who do not produce lactase in their intestine. But for those who are milk intolerant it is no help at all.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Mary63]

It could not be sold in Europe as lactose-free if it contained lactose. The whole point of adding the lactase is to remove the lactose to make it lactose-free. A wide range of all forms of lactose-free dairy is sold here where I live - the conditions requiring it are quite common in alpine regions for some reason.

mila.it/en/the-products/mil...

[MhairiP]

Have you tried Oatly Foamable/Barista oat milk? It's great in tea and coffee (doesn't split like many soya or nut milks do) and can also be used in cooking, on cereals, etc.

Worth a try - I know how important that first cup of the day is! (In my case, it's a cup of coffee - just one cup of really nice strong coffee is all I need.)

[carolBF in reply to MhairiP]

Thank you for all your replies,

I haven’t tried oat milk in tea yet however I have tasted it on it own which taste like porridge

I fid found some soya in Morrison store cafe which I bought but it didn’t suit my decaf tea only their tea, going to try Turkish tea tomorrow.

Lemon is a great idea thank you xx

[Blearyeyed in reply to carolBF]

I don't like soya milk , although the cheeses can be nice.

I found rice milk or almond works ok in tea and coffee , don't know if I would have oat milk in straight tea , although it's nice and creamy in coffee as it is slightly porridgey.

I did remove Dairy in elimination diet for a while to help reduce stomach issues and IBS . Although , I found , that it's fine to eat Probiotic Yoghurt , Butter and some Hard Cheeses with no bad effect , but that sometimes eating soft cheese , milk , or cream , did increase some digestive issues and general pain.

I find that as it's not strictly a food intolerance or allergy I have , I will keep a little of these as an occasional treat in my diet and don't go for weeks without just a little portion , much like with gluten and wheat , then I don't get that bloating that happens because my stomach isn't used to it anymore .

We have to accept and change things so much with these illnesses in all areas of our Life , I feel if we can find a happy medium and still occasionally enjoy things without Ill effects in food or some activities we deserve it.

If you have been off Dairy for four months just be aware that your digestive system will have got used to not processing Dairy or producing enzymes to cope with it , so you will only want to start small , and you may have a little grumbling or a looser stomach when you first try it . After a few days to a week it settles down though , and as long as you don't find a huge rebound in Pain or inflammation you know you can have a little of what you fancy , like your morning cup of tea.

I do use Lactofree milk and cream and soft cheese and have found it fine on these occasions , and for cooking with . I had no really noticeable change in Pain or inflammation from small amounts of Dairy in my Digestive or Joint inflammation issues but obviously everybody is different.

Sometimes the joint inflammation , like gut inflammation, does come from you having reduced dairy enzymes in your gut and imbalanced stomach flora . This happens with my daughter whom now takes a Digestive Enzyme complex each morning , and an extra supplement just before eating milk products , called Lactoaid , we get it from Holland and Barrett , and she hasn't had the same issues since using these , she can even enjoy a nice ice cream or proper milkshake again.

[carolBF in reply to Blearyeyed]

Thank you so much for your reply,

I also don’t have a food intolerance or Allergy therefore I may give lactose free milk a try this morning as a birthday Treat I think

❤️___carol

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Blearyeyed]

The dairy you can eat does suggest it may be a lactose problem for you.

[Blearyeyed in reply to PMRpro]

It's a enzyme thing partly to do with my digestive issues with EDS , partly because of also being Gall Bladder Free!!😋😂😂😂

[HeronNS]

Unless you have a real dairy intolerance you may find after four months without it may be safe to reintroduce small amounts of dairy just to see how things go. I think generally they suggest a bit of butter first because it's so low in lactose, but possibly a little 2% or full fat milk in your tea would be okay. Try it and see, but only once a day at first.

[bakingD]

Organic barista almond milk by rude health is the nearest thing-it froths up nicely,great in cereal too -in a dark pink carton

[Kath567]

I have ulcerative colitis as well as PMR so did a food sensitivities test. While I have read negative things about the test, it showed high reaction to dairy, casein, certain nuts and barley, etc. I had tried going lactose free, but did not have an improvement until I went completely dairy free. I only drink alternative milks with no additives. There are quite a few available now, oat, walnut, rice. Same with yogurt, I switched to coconut but no additives. Watch out for ones at coffee shops as they tend to use ones which have careenagan, gums, sugar, etc. I take my own alternative milk with me or don’t add anything. It didn’t help PMR but did make a significant difference I think for colitis.

Happy new year!

[journey2019]

I love a cup of tea but converted to fruit teas a few years ago, which you may want to try as you have no milk in them. Just one warning is that they sometimes sneak in liquorice root, which you can’t have with pred, so just check the ingredients. Good luck in finding a solution that suits you x

[Lonsdalelass in reply to journey2019]

Why can't you have liquorice when on pred?

[journey2019 in reply to Lonsdalelass]

I’m sure it says avoid liquorice on the leaflet in with the pills. I think most of us read it initially but when we’ve been on same meds for a while we forget, this has prompted me for a reread.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Lonsdalelass]

It may make the adverse effects worse apparently. Aniseed isn't a problem though.

If it makes adverse effects worse, it can increase the amount of pred in the blood, I want to know if it also increases the beneficial effects and would act as a steroid sparer!

[Hidden in reply to Lonsdalelass]

I have avoided it because of high blood pressure. I would risk it if it acts as a limited steroid sparer as I really miss the occasional Pontefract cake.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Hidden]

I think the occasional Pontefract cake is unlikely to cause a problem Unless they are Eccles cake size and more than once a week ...

[Hidden in reply to PMRpro]

An Eccles cake sized Pontefract cake sounds good to me.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Hidden]

Thought it might - but NO!

[Jan_Noack]

I think from memory, licorice raises cortisol (which is what prednsione also raises?) So I have been using occasion licorice now I'm down to 2.5mg trying to get to 2mg. It does help me reduce, but I had never read that one shouldnt take them together..err I'm still here , but orobably cheating on my reduction!

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Jan_Noack]

Prednisone suppresses the body's production of cortisol - but acts as a substitute as the body just requires corticosteroid, it doesn't care if it is natural or artificial. I think (not sure) the licorice reduces the excretion of the steroid - so if you put in the same amount, the blood level rises.

[Jan_Noack in reply to PMRpro]

that's why i finally could reduce from 2.5mg pred after 6 mths . Though I suspect getting my root canal pulled out about 3 or 4mths ago really helped. i've felt better everyday. Remember when I was sooo fatigued, and my new rheumatologist has orderd a syncathen test..only i've just got around to trying to book it (as I now have the energy I guess).

[ClarkB]

I have soya milk (sweetened with apple juice- better flavour than unsweetened) in tea - not Alpro, as it has its taste dominates. Soya milk curdles in coffee, so I have Batista oat milk or soya cream. In coffee shops I find that soya milk in cappuccino or flat white is fine.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to ClarkB]

That's interesting - my vegan daughter was surprised when the soya milk here curdled in her coffee as the soya milk she uses at home doesn't. Though to be fair - not sure that she drinks real coffee at home, just instant ...

[ClarkB in reply to PMRpro]

I only have real coffee! and mostly decaf. If the water is too hot it will curdle, but I just don’t use soya in coffee anymore. Coffee shops are the exception as they seem to have mastered frothy soya in cappuccinos or flat whites. The occasional one doesn’t get it right. If your daughter lives in England there are so many vegan food options now!

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to ClarkB]

Scotland ... But there is an amazing range here too, in Italy. She had the full range to choose from and chose soya - so I wonder if she has just been lucky at home. Interesting to know it is a known adverse effect - so to speak

[ClarkB in reply to PMRpro]

I haven’t been to Italy since 1991, and it was difficult to find anything vegetarian then! I did have a nice veggie meal especially cooked for me at a small restaurant in a hilltop village though. I didn’t know of any nut milks, soya milk back then.

I seem to remember now that you said your daughter lived in Whitby, but that she was going to move.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to ClarkB]

Depends how far south I suppose - but Calabria, and all regions south of Rome I suppose, is known for cucina povera, poverty cuisine, with almost no meat and a lot of vegetable pasta sauces. In the north - totally different world.

[ClarkB in reply to PMRpro]

The village where I had the meal was above Lake Nemi, 30 km south of Rome, in Lazio. That explains what you meant about the different cuisine!