Richard Whelan ~ Medical Herbalist

Dairy Elimination Diet

If you suspect you may be intolerant to dairy there are two steps to take to know for sure

Completely avoid all foods containing dairy products for a limited period of time
Challenge yourself by eating a small amount of dairy and observing your body’s reaction.

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The first stage is to completely avoid all foods that contain:

~ Butter, Cheese, Cream, Ice-Cream, Milk, Milk Powder & Yoghurt

You have to ask the cook or read the labels on all foods products unless you are certain. Many people suffer from allergies to dairy in New Zealand and other countries and it is a legal requirement for manufacturers to state if the food product contains dairy.

You may be amazed at how many manufactured foods contain dairy in one form or another. The good news is that there are many dairy free alternative products on the market, including different types of non-cow’s milks, cheeses, ice-creams etc. Most of these are made with rice, goats or soy products, all of which you can eat.

The second stage is challenging your body with foods containing dairy products. The typical time period to eat a completely dairy-free diet before doing the challenge is 7-10 days. The typical amount of dairy to challenge with equates to 1 cup of cow’s milk.

If you have an intolernace to dairy then what may happen during the dairy-free stage is that some health symptoms improve or you simply feel significantly better. Then when you eat some dairy there is an obvious negative reaction that happens within 30 minutes to as much as 48 hours after you eat.

The main point is that the results should be clear cut, ignore any mild drops in energy etc as down to the power of suggestion, you are looking and listening to your body for a certain physical response to show you that dairy products really are a problem. This reaction will usually be stronger than your usual level of intolerance because the week or 10 days that you avoided the dairy products makes your immune system hypersensitive to them.

If you do have an intolerance to dairy, there are some points to bring to your attention.

Try to think about this as positively as you can. The fact is that if you have been allergic to dairy products then your health is going to be greatly improved by removing them from your diet.
You are not alone; you will be surprised at how many other people also have trouble with dairy. Make sure your friends and family understand what is going on for you and you will find a lot of support in the community.
There are many dairy-free cookbooks and other supportive literature available in libraries, bookshops and on the Internet, use this support, especially to make new and delicious foods.
The intolerance may not last if you get healthy. Many people find that after several months of strict avoidance they start being able to tolerate increasing amounts of dairy without any trouble. Read my article on immunity to get more information about building up good health towards this goal.

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