What Does Dairy Intolerance Mean?

Of all the possible food intolerances the most widely recognized one is dairy. Around 65% of the world’s population can’t digest dairy properly. For these people the enzymes to digest milk reduce after infancy, and can cause digestive issues if consumed.

So, am I lactose intolerant?

We get this question a lot. While the mainstream attitude towards dairy intolerance is that it's all about lactose, this dietary intolerance method categorizes all parts of dairy as being inflammatory and disruptive to digestion. It’s not just the sugar (lactose), but also the protein (Casein/whey), and the fats (milkfat/butterfat/oil).

Can’t I just take an enzyme like Lactaid?

According to Dr. Zeff, it is better if you just don’t eat the foods you’re intolerant to rather than trying to make your body digest them with the addition of enzymes. 

Can I have other kinds of dairy, like goat milk?

No. Some people who have a mild sensitivity to milk find that goat or sheep milk & cheeses don’t bother them in the same way. However, people who are dairy intolerant cannot digest milk or milk products from any mammal.

Some non-dairy diets, like Paleo, use ghee. Can I have that?

No. Ghee is similar to clarified butter, in which the butter is heated until the milk solids separate from the fat. The solids are removed and you are left with butter oil. It has a higher smoke point and can be used for frying. Some ethnic foods, like Indian cuisine, use a lot of ghee. 

Many people believe ghee is healthier than butter because the lactose and casein are mostly removed and therefore should be easier to digest. However, Dr. Zeff says that this food intolerance method considers the fat to also be inflammatory to dairy intolerant people.

Instead, use other fats such as olive oil, coconut oil, vegan butter, and animal fats like high quality beef tallow, duck fat, pork fat, etc. 

But cheese doesn’t bother me!

It might not cause you gastric distress that makes it obvious that you’re intolerant to dairy in cheese form also, but there is still an impact on your system. 

When we eat the foods we’re intolerant to it causes poor digestion, so you’re not absorbing all the nutrition you should be. It causes inflammation in the intestines and elsewhere in your body, and contributes to the overall toxic load which, over time and with enough stressors, can lead to chronic illness. 

It is better to avoid your intolerances completely.