First off…if you eat sustainably sourced dairy and feel 100% fantastic, then more power to you. This article is really not for you.
If you are struggling with chronic pain, fatigue, skin issues, headaches or hormonal imbalances – then pay attention. Testing for dairy sensitivities or a trial elimination could unlock part of your health mystery.
For Starr, simply eliminating dairy made a world of difference
“I kept hearing that people gave up dairy and had very positive results, but I was reluctant because I love dairy and had spent time growing up on dairies and have a family history associated with the industry… you could say that milk ran in my veins… 🙂
However, I listened in on a couple success stories and giving up dairy was really just a part of people’s basic migraine management. I decided I really needed to give it a go. So in November last
I wish I had tried this earlier – I feel as if I have my life back… most of the time.”
~ Starr W. , Australia
The Got Milk? Generation
Did you grow up thinking dairy was a fundamental part of a healthy diet?
So did I!
But guess what…those were advertisements from the milk industry itself, and while some people thrive on dairy (notably, followers of the Westin A Price diet) – many see transformational improvements in their skin, hormones, sinus congestion, digestion and pain levels when they avoid it.
This meta-analysis of 52 studies about both the anti-inflammatory and inflammatory reactions people can have to dairy.
While dairy proved to be anti-inflammatory overweight and obese adults with metabolic dysfunction, it was clearly inflammatory to people with sensitivities to the proteins in milk.
Potential inflammatory issues with dairy include:
- Quality of the milk source – what did the cows eat? Were the cows healthy?
- Added sugar in
yogurt , ice cream, pudding, etc - Aged cheeses – these are a commonly reported migraine trigger
- Lactose intolerance (Inability to break down the sugar, lactose, found in milk)
- Casein intolerance (Immune reaction to the protein casein. About 50% of people who are gluten intolerant are casein intolerant as well)
- Whey intolerance (Reaction to the protein whey, slightly less common)
So how do I know if I’m reacting to dairy??
To find out if dairy is part of the stress in your “stress bathtub” – try completely eliminating it for 2-3 months. Using a weekly tracker, monitor your symptoms and note any potential improvements. After the elimination, you’ll do a limited introduction and continue to track after you reintroduce dairy into your diet.
Alternatively, a more comprehensive but shorter elimination diet like the Whole 30, when done with proper reintroduction (that’s the part people usually miss!) can be enlightening as well.
To help you get started we’ve put together our definitive guide on embarking on a trial elimination – and are giving it to you at no cost.
This 12-page guide will walk you through the ins and outs, the common mistakes, ideas for substitutions and answer frequently asked questions such as “will I have to avoid dairy forever?” and “
PLUS we tell you the one fool-proof way to see if dairy is inflammatory for you.
Get our Free 12-Page Guide to an Effective Dairy Elimination Trial
Referenced study:
Alessandra Bordoni, Francesca Danesi, Dominique Dardevet, Didier Dupont, Aida S. Fernandez, Doreen Gille, Claudia Nunes dos Santos, Paula Pinto, Roberta Re, Didier Rémond, Danit R. Shahar & Guy Vergères(2017) Dairy products and inflammation: A review of the clinical evidence, Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 57:12, 2497-2525, DOI: 10.1080/10408398.2014.967385
I suffer from migraines and chronic sinus issues. This post has inspired me to test eliminating dairy from my diet; thank you for sharing this information!
Migraines are awful and folks who suffer with them consistently should definitely talk to their doctor and explore as many options as possible, especially ones like this that are ‘pain free’ options and easy to execute.
I gave up all dairy, caffine, sugar and alcohol after suffering from chronic migraines and nausea for years.
Changing my diet and eating clean non processed food had dramatically reduced my migraines. ( i only tend to get them now if i have eaten something naughty!!)I would recommend anyone who suffers to give it a go.
Appreciate you sharing your success, Beth!
I never knew that dairy could contribute to migraines. Definitely helpful information for those who suffer from migraines.
Thank you for sharing this post. It makes me glad that people are continuously trying to find ways to eliminate migraine headaches. My husband suffers from them occasionally, but I am not really sure if he can give up dairy.
This is so very interesting. I never really would put two and two together about the dairy. It’s something funny though because since we found out my husband is lactose intolerant – his migraines have gone down.
Glad you found the roots of his migriane. Hope he is getting better!
This is very interesting. I never knew that dairy can have an effect in having migraines. I look into this more. Thanks for sharing.
You are welcome.
I heard your f people coming off milk because they are lactose intolerant but I never heard of much ok contributing to migraines. This post is as an insult education for me. I am glad that the incidences of migraines have been reduced.
wow this is such an informative article! thank you so much for enlightening us. i had no idea that cutting out dairy could eliminate migraines. i do get migraines every now and then but find it hard to cut out dairy like greek yogurt as it’s my main source of protein! need to find a sub now haha
I cut out Dairy completely for a year now, also Soya. My migraines have massively reduced. I am nervous to reintroduce any dairy whatsoever, but maybe in the future. So many alternatives now.
So glad to hear it helped that much!