Going dairy free

[Smash49]

Hi there. Following a post at the weekend I was advised that as I have sinus problems going dairy free may help. Would I still be able to have lactose free cows milk? Also I've noticed having read around a bit that I should not eat anything with soy in it, is this correct? Are there any other lactose free alternatives that I should be avoiding too? I also read that gluten intolerance can be the cause of an intolerance for lactose so therefore should I be going gluten free too? Any advice would be gratefully accepted

[greygoose]

You should avoid all forms of soy, yes. Soy impedes the uptake of thyroid hormone at a cellular level. So, you can have good levels in your blood, but still be hypo.

I don't know much about lactose and gluten intolerance, but gluten-free is a good thing to try, because it helps so many people.

[Smash49 in reply to greygoose]

Thanks for your reply

[greygoose in reply to Smash49]

You're welcome.

[SilverAvocado]

My understanding is that with Hashimoto's something like 80% of people benefit from being gluten free, and then a smaller number, something like 20% will benefit from being dairy free.

Unfortunately I'm not up to date whether lactose is the problem or whether it is also the protein in the milk that causes problems. Hopefully some one will come through with more advice.

In terms of milk I recently stumbled on this great product called Mylk. It's a combination of coconut and other nuts and good ingredients that tastes very much like dairy milk. Although it's not as good in tea and coffee because it separates and gets a bit grainy. I like it because before you open the carton it has a long shelf life so I can keep a few in the cupboard for when I need it.

With these things you need to try it out for a few months to see if you see any benefits, if not you can slowly re-introduce and keep alert for any symptoms getting worse. Some say as much as 6 months to be really sure, but if you're lucky you'll notice a difference more quickly.

[Smash49 in reply to SilverAvocado]

Thanks for responding. I will look out for that Mylk product, sounds good. Do you find your diet is a bit boring being gluten and dairy free?

[SilverAvocado in reply to Smash49]

I dont have Hashimoto's, so I'm not gluten or dairy free (I had thyroid cancer). I've done a bit of a trial to see if they would benefit me, and I've now cut down to pretty minimal amounts of both. I don't miss them as much as some of the other things I've tried cutting out at different times, such as beans or nightshades.

I mainly eat meat and vegetables at this point, and I do think it feels pretty nice to have a more simple diet. I think the key is to take it slowly and not be too hard on yourself. If you regularly have something like toast for breakfast or sandwiches in the day, make sure you've got something to have as an alternative that you enjoy and like to eat, and make the change over at a manageable pace. Definitely don't try to go gluten free and dairy free at the same time, both because it will be a lot more work and because you if you do you won't know which one has had an impact on symptoms.

[Smash49 in reply to SilverAvocado]

I see. Good point about not doing both at same time to begin with. I think you're right about not going cold turkey and gradually reducing the amount of dairy so I won't feel deprived. Thanks😊

[Hidden in reply to Smash49]

We are mostly dairy free at the moment (but were totally dairy free for 18months before that). I'm about to go gluten free, but we don't eat much anyway.

Apart from cheese there are some excellent replacements for almost all dairy products! Deliciously Ella's cookbooks are dairy and gluten free and there are some amazing recopies in there if you're a meat eater then you could easily include meat in a lot of them. 🙂

[Smash49 in reply to Hidden]

I shall look out for that cook book, thanks for suggesting it. I think it's definitely do able as I always cook from scratch anyway. Just think I'm going to miss my fat free Greek yoghurt as I have it for my brekki with fruit but that's a small sacrifice to make in order to feel the benefits. Thanks for responding

[Hidden in reply to Smash49]

The Coconut collaborative do dairy free & soya free yoghurts. They might do an alternative that's good enough to take the edge off! 🙂

[Smash49 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks, I'll be hunting those out 😊