Is feta cheese a good thing to eat?: I have had... - Thyroid UK

Thyroid UK

137,156 members160,846 posts

Is feta cheese a good thing to eat?

22 Replies

I have had no dairy for about a year, and feel better for it, I also have no desire for anything related to cows anymore! For about a week now though I've been craving feta cheese (from goats/sheep) and today I had some and it was great. I just hope it will not cause me the problems I had with cows dairy and wondered if anyone dairy intolerant out there has found goats and sheeps cheese to be okay? I would like to eat some here and there as I want to have as varied a diet as possible.

Thanks

SP

22 Replies
108Optimist profile image
108Optimist

I dont know for myself. Some times I react to anything or nothing!

A little now and again should be sweet. believe it or not, its the things we have most commonly, or in large amounts, that we start to develop reactions to .

A little now and again should be okay. You are your own boss on this. plenty of people can tolerate but it doesnt mean you can. Plenty of people cannot tolerate but it doesnt men you cannot!

I hope someone gets back to you with their experience :)

in reply to 108Optimist

Thanks for all your help, 108optimist! Yes I am going to see how it goes having a bit once a week or something. Its funny how everybody is so different. Cheers :)

bluebug profile image
bluebug

There isn't a thing called dairy intolerance you are either intolerant to the sugar (lactose) or to the proteins in milk, cream and products produced from them.

The intolerances are due to not having enough of or any at all of the necessary enzymes to breakdown either the sugar or proteins in milk, cream and products produced from them. So this means the amount of intolerance to the sugar or proteins in milk vary person to person.

So while some people are fine with milk and related products from other mammals others aren't. This is due to different milks containing different amounts of lactose and having proteins with different structures.

In my case milk from any mammal is out there as I have a friend who can have milk sometimes but not in large qualities. On the other hand I can cope with lactose in tablets due to the small amount that is in the majority of them, and eat small amounts of cheese but know someone else who cannot cope with this at all.

Talking to a couple of people who have issues with milk they actually blame eating too much processed food as lactose and casein are used as fillers or binders in lots of processed food. In my case I suspect my lactose intolerance is inherited as my dad never drank milk or ate dairy products.

in reply to bluebug

Great explanation, thank you! Makes alot of sense. I'll have to test my individual tolerance. :)

puncturedbicycle profile image
puncturedbicycle

I find that if I eat too much of any kind of dairy, even fermented, even sheep/goat, I get sinus issues (pain, infection). This is exacerbated by the fact that I find some dairy so irresistible (looking at you Greek yogurt) that I have trouble keeping my intake low. I have to keep it out of the house or only have a few little pots around. If you feel okay after some feta and have no problems I'd say enjoy it.

in reply to puncturedbicycle

Aww that sucks. Seem to be doing alright on the feta so fingers crossed. Sinus problems are horrible. If its any consolation I would get a lot of inflammatory symptoms if I had cows dairy. Makes you wonder what they're doing to the cows!! :D

puncturedbicycle profile image
puncturedbicycle in reply to

Glad it's working for you! :-)

in reply to puncturedbicycle

Sorry its not working for you! I love your username btw, so cool :)

SusanKay profile image
SusanKay

I have Sheep Feta Cheese all the time. I am totally intolerant of all things from Cows. I have been off all things from Cows for more than 10 years. Enjoy your Feta...it should be absolutely fine.

in reply to SusanKay

Thanks that is really encouraging! Yay for sheep huh? :)

abby3216 profile image
abby3216

Hi, I am terribly allergic to cow dairy items.....sheep.....sensitive but goat.....bring it on! No problems at all for me with goat cheese. There are some new and wonderful goat cheeses to try and you wont miss cow cheese at all. For me, its the protein in cow dairy that gets me going!. Good luck and by the way, there are some wonderful goat milk yoghurts too.

in reply to abby3216

Yay for goats too!! :) thanks

abby3216 profile image
abby3216 in reply to

You are welcome! I actually thought of you this weekend as I was grating my goat cheese for a pizza topping!

Take care!

in reply to abby3216

Awww how sweet! May there be many more pizzas in our futures :D

abby3216 profile image
abby3216 in reply to

are you in the US?. If you are I can mention where I get my goat cheese....usually once a year in February.

in reply to abby3216

Very kind of you, I am in the UK though. I bet you have some really good stuff over there. Thanks for the offer :) it means alot to me that you thought of me. I still can't get over that :)

abby3216 profile image
abby3216 in reply to

Well I know what its like not being able to eat certain foods,...on top of the thyroid stuff we have to deal with.....so I am just happy you found something that you can enjoy! Actually I mentioned you to my husband when shredding the cheese! Take care and enjoy that cheese!

in reply to abby3216

You are so thoughtful and kind. Thank you so much. And I willsure enjoy the cheese :)

It might be the fat or salt your body actually wants, but if you like it, eat it. Gouda, Brie, Jarlsberg, Emmental and Edam probably have more K2, if you want to give yourself a mental "OK" reason to eat cheese. Some people are less sensitive to hard cheese than they are to other forms of dairy, but only you know how it makes you feel. There are other hard sheep and goat cheeses, too. Some people find unpasteurised ones easier to digest.

in reply to Angel_of_the_North

I actually eat quite a bit of fat and salt as it is ha ha. But I don't think a bit more will hurt :) I'd forgotten about K2. Always good to have plenty of excuses to eat cheese. Thank you!

BeansMummy profile image
BeansMummy

I was on a strict diet (with private nutritionist) as I had a lot of gut issues, and seemed to be having a problem with dairy. She suspected that dairy was not actually a problem, but advised to stop having most dairy products for a while - however, I was able to have feta cheese, soft goat's cheese and mozzarella with absolutely no problems whatsoever. I can now tolerate small amounts of mature cheddar, but still seem to have an issue with cow's milk.

in reply to BeansMummy

Yes, I think they are doing strange things to cows nowadays. I don't really trust them! Its great that there are lots of sheep and goat dairy things now to have instead. Thanks for your help :)

You may also like...

histamine in cheddar cheese

As I read some cheese contains histamines does anybody know which ones do, and how these can affect

Walkers cheese and onion

I have been eating walkers cheese and onion crisps for the past while being gluten free. I didn't...

Advice on what to eat and what not to eat.

you would have relapsed in any case as some 80% relapse no mater what you eat. Eating some fats and...

Help! I'm pregnant! (this is a good thing)

Hello ladies (and gents), Well last year I had a miscarriage at 9 weeks, and after post natal...

Vitamin K found in some cheeses could help fight Covid-19, study suggests

discussions about vitamins K1 and K2 over the years right here. Vitamin K found in some...