Hi I'm new hope to find lots of recipes here

[azubah]

Hi
I have suffered from a milk problem since my teens. I did not realise that it was not normal to be thirsty all day every day until I was 40!
I would need to go to the loo every 5 minutes after my cereal and milk breakfast and felt sick after every cup of milky tea. My life revolved around where the nearest toilet was. If I could not get to a toilet and had to hang on I got pains in my left side.
Amazingly I put up with this for over 20 years before I noticed that I felt better when I did not eat breakfast. I just guessed that milk was the problem and decided to avoid all milk products for 24 hours and see what the result was. All my symptoms disappeared in that 24 hours. I then started the difficult task of keeping off any food containing milk.
Most of my relatives and friends think that I am a bit strange for refusing tea with milk and a biscuit etc. Even my doctor told me that I should not give up milk as it contains valuable nutrients...but I now feel so much better. The first time I went for 3 hours without needing a toilet I was amazed.
I hope to find lots of useful information on this site and perhaps help others with the same problem.

[cnc]

Hi and welcome:)

The main thing to ensure you get is enough calcium, which can easily be gained through leafy veg or a supplement if you're really that worried, but the obsession with milk and it's properties is a bit over exaggerated as far as I can work out. A lot of things like soya milk are fortified with calcium anyway.

If you need help with anything specific just give one of us a shout- we tend to specialise in all things chocolatey:D

[Katerina]

Hi Azubah

I am new here today too :).

That is interesting what you said about being thirsty-I'm always thirsty and need water. I've been tested for diabetes endless times but have eventually realised that it was dairy foods affecting me. I also realised that I was severely dehydrated while I was consuming dairy foods and that was what caused a lot of my health problems.

I drink rice milk fortified with calcium and take supplements to keep up the calcium.

[azubah]

Thanks for your welcome and advice CNC. I use soya milk instead of dairy and it seems to suit me. I also take calcium carbonate indigestion tablets as my teeth were sensitive and I found they helped.

Thanks for your reply Katerina. You are the first person I have come across who has the same problem as me! I find that butter is the worst for making me thirsty. It acts as a powerful diuretic. I can tolerate some cheese if I do not have too much too often, which is good as I love mature cheese. I am glad not to have to give up everything I like.
I also thought of diabetes, but as there is none in my family and the thirst only comes when I have dairy products I have not been tested for that, and I eat far too much sugar.

I also had bad breath, really bad wind (only a lactose intolerant person and their family will fully understand about this) , and bleeding piles. They all have gone with my milk free diet.

The thing I find most difficult is other people's opinions. They clearly think that I am just being fussy about food though after 10 years of persistance they are getting used to it. The only reason that I would give up milk chocolate, cream, fudge, etc is because they make me so ill that the sacrifice is well worth it.

[rebecca c]

Hi azubah and welcome to the site. It is difficult to give things up but apart from eating out it does get easier.

One of the symptoms I have when I am at my worst is needing the loo frequently in the evenings. I havent had it for a while now. I dont really get thirsty normally I have to remind myself to drink, but that can be a symptom occasionally. It is not anywhere as extreme as you describe though.

As for recipes we mostly just swap our own alternatives like pure margarine for those in our favourite recipes. I do have a lot of intolerences and a very restricted diet though so I just have to enjoy my few treats and not worry about what I am missing - I am just glad to be a bit healthier.

[jill]

Hi there, you sound so much like me but I only suffered for about 15 years before i found out i was lactose intolerant. I worked out myself that it must have been somethng to do with milk. Yes i definetley know what you mean by the wind. Thankfully that has reduced considerably. Don't need the elasticated trousers now either, and the days of looking 9 months pregnant are gone aswell. Can't remember ever having a problem with thirst though.

[Katerina]

Hi again. If you like cheese, have a look at a list of dairy free cheeses I made in another section. I am just off to bed and tired so just pointing you i the right direction quickly :)