Ive gone gluten free and dairy free for about a year now. I always noticed i got bloated and had stomach issues whenever I ate things with gluten. However recently i have started to reincorporate milk products to my diet. I lift weights and i am trying to build muscle and therefore have been eating dairy again for more protein. Its been a month and its been going fine, i try to make sure to not eat big amounts of dairy for example skyr or cottage cheese in one go but divide it over the day, as eating too much at one can cause discomfort, like rice as well which i need to eat in certain amounts. My question could eating dairy affect my overall thyroid health? Could it cause my to have a flare up?
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DApali
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I don't know of any studies showing dairy affecting thyroid. Some people have an intolerance to dairy but you seem to have shown you are not intolerant. If we don't have dairy for a very long time it can affect our ability to produce lactase. Also, hypothyroidism can cause pseudo allergy which should resolve once we are appropriately medicated.
Just wondering if you have looked at how much of the dairy product you would have to eat to get enough protein for it to be worth it?
I just used an online calculator and Greek yogurt would need 100ml to get 10g protein.
100g cheese to get 25g protein
The advice I’ve followed suggests 30g protein 3 times a day! This is aimed at perimenopausal life stage, focus on lean muscle growth and is combined with resistance training.
Have you considered whey or collagen protein to put in post workout shakes? These were great for me until the supplier started using a processing plant that has dairy (I have an allergy) and I reacted and they apologised and refunded. Another option is bone broths and it’s starting to be the weather for them 🌱
There’s no reason at all why you should go dairy free if you’re tolerating it well. It’s always something to try if you’re struggling but it sounds like you’re doing fine.
good morning - it was ‘my’ understanding that it’s not so much an intolerance as such - although like yourself this is why I cut out gluten - but that certain foods like dairy and gluten (along with other things) cause an inflammatory response which if we are autoimmune thyroid patients can trigger a flare up. However I believe the intolerance can be the alarm bell for the inflammation etc … I eat dairy but in small amounts as that doesn’t seem to affect me but gluten, aspartame, certain preservatives and -yes you’re reading this correctly, sun light I have an intolerance to. Gluten not only plays havoc with my tummy and skin and makes me fall asleep but also I can feel it aggravating my thyroid physically 🤷♀️ ie sore throat etc. aspartame cause severe bouts of depression for me and makes my hair fall out, certain preservatives makes my tongue swell and tingle and the sun sets off my polymorphic light eruption (I’m currently on holiday in Gran Canaria so trying to dodge sunlight is interesting 😂).
Personally I’d give the dairy a go and just see how it sits with you and may I say congratulations on doing the weights 🙂
If you were dairy free for a while, the stomach loses the ability to digest milk. Lactase breaks down lactose, the sugar in milk. You need to reintroduce milk in a step by step ladder. There is a lot of info on the web under "dairy ladder". Most of it is written to reintroduce milk to children, but it is still all valid for you.
Hi there - I have a severe dairy intolerance - but I use Lactose free milk - spreadable - cream and cheese - all made my Arla and available in Sainsburys and Tesco. If you need to eat out at a restaurant you can carry with you tablets that replace the enzyme missing in people who are intolerant - I use Nature's Best Lactaid 9000 - brilliant product.
Dairy products contain iodine, a key nutrient required for thyroid hormone production. So I guess that means if you're consuming too much dairy it could lead to thyroid imbalances. As with anything, I think it's about doing things in moderation and balance. I think if you are eating the dairy and don't notice any flare-up of thyroid symptoms, then it's probably okay. I am lactose intolerant and do not eat dairy. I know that some people eat the cottage cheese with added lactase enzymes that break down the naturally-occurring lactose. For me days that I do not get enough protein, I add a vegan protein shake which has 20 grams of protein per serving.
I have a problem eating cow dairy so I don’t eat much of it at all but I’m ok eating goat or sheep cheese & yoghurt. It might be worth changing the type of dairy sometimes so that you don’t become sensitised. This happens to me if I eat the same thing frequently.
Or you can try unhomogenized milk. The fat globules in this are not broken down so are digested lower down the digestive tract. This is why some people can tolerate goat or sheep milk.
I am not intolerant to milk, in fact most of my diet is dairy in one form or another. I am, however highly allergic to iodine. A fact a nurse ignored during a smear test. Sorry if I made you wince! But iodine is not recommended for those of us with underactive thyroids - this is because the thyroid is not functioning properly to absorb iodine. But you would have to drink a lot of milk to go over the daily recommendations.
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What do you eat / avoid 
Why do you stop both wheat AND dairy for autoimmune issues?
A tasty gluten/meat/dairy free curry
Have I been glutened?
Flaxseed bread mmmmm, have you tried it?
