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Are milk alternatives worth it if not lactose intolerant?

Not sure if I'm lactose intolerant or not, going to test Almond milk into my diet, and swap for milk and see if I notice anything different before my next appointment with my GI.

However, are there any studies or any of your personal experiences where you are able to drink milk but you prefer the alternative forms of milk because of any reason, if so why ( reducing inflammation, better for nutritional use ect.)

Also is Silk Almond milk considered safe? I've heard many different opinions on this even if it is the unsweetened kind, because of the extra additives via added calcium.

And if you do drink cow milk what percentage of fat do you recommend.
Thanks.
 

Gianni

Moderator
Hi KB24. Switching off of dairy products all together did wonders for me. Studies on dairy and inflammation is all over the place and show very inconsistent results. My experience is completely anecdotal but I do believe that dairy is a main culprit of symptoms, at least mine.

Give it a try and see if you notice a difference but give yourself enough time for your body to adjust to a non dairy diet. A few months or so. Personally I really enjoy rice milks and coconut milks. Just please make sure none of these milk alternatives have the ingredient "carrageenan" because that has been linked to inflammation and intestinal ulcerations.

Most of the fuss about almond milk specifically is from carrageenan so as long as you avoid that, you should be golden.

Give it a try, it can't hurt :) .
 
Thanks, nice seeing you reply. Seen you in a juicing thread I believe, going to try to incorporate that as well. And by dairy free do mean ALL dairy, or just milk in particular?
 

Gianni

Moderator
Oops sorry. Whenever i see "milk" i guess I sometimes just subconsciously think dairy. If you're really interested to see if milk is a trigger for you I think its important to try and avoid dairy all together during that time to get the best idea of where you stand with milk. Though of course its completely up to you.

Gianni
 
Oops sorry. Whenever i see "milk" i guess I sometimes just subconsciously think dairy. If you're really interested to see if milk is a trigger for you I think its important to try and avoid dairy all together during that time to get the best idea of where you stand with milk. Though of course its completely up to you.

Gianni
Yeah on second thought since my bone density is low I think I'll combine almond milk and dairy for now till my appointment and see what the GI recommends. Also how important is a nutritionalst? I'd assume since I'm making a big change and to avoid losing nutrition I should be in touch with one.
 

Gianni

Moderator
Also how important is a nutritionalst?
Not very. It is well within your own power to request a vitamin panel test from your doctor and address your deficiencies as you see fit by looking up which foods would work best. I went around to numerous nutritionists and never really found someone that I thought was actually beneficial to me. Of course there are great and inspiring nutritionists some of which have helped people on this forum so if you can find a good one, go for it.

If you are interested in holistic treatments and nutrition then I'd suggest a naturopathic doctor. Much more knowledgable about chronic conditions and what helps with them. Many naturopathic doctors actually focus quite heavily on Crohn's disease. Some MD's are Naturopaths as well and are able to bring the best of allopathic and the best of naturopathic medicine to the table and in my experience it is these doctors that are often the most knowledgable of crohn's disease and its intricacies.

As for dairy being beneficial to your bones, many studies show the that its just not true or otherwise inconclusive. All we know is that milk contains high levels of calcium that is beneficial to your bone health. There's concern about the large amounts of protein, especially animal protein found in milk may contribute to metabolic acidosis in which case your body would pull calcium reserves from your bones to make up for the PH imbalance. It is important to note that it is when you already have a high intake of protein that this can occur but regardless your green vegetables will have a much higher ratio of calcium to protein. I suggest whatever you end up doing to also increase your green vegetable intake substantially.
 
Not very. It is well within your own power to request a vitamin panel test from your doctor and address your deficiencies as you see fit by looking up which foods would work best. I went around to numerous nutritionists and never really found someone that I thought was actually beneficial to me. Of course there are great and inspiring nutritionists some of which have helped people on this forum so if you can find a good one, go for it.

If you are interested in holistic treatments and nutrition then I'd suggest a naturopathic doctor. Much more knowledgable about chronic conditions and what helps with them. Many naturopathic doctors actually focus quite heavily on Crohn's disease. Some MD's are Naturopaths as well and are able to bring the best of allopathic and the best of naturopathic medicine to the table and in my experience it is these doctors that are often the most knowledgable of crohn's disease and its intricacies.

As for dairy being beneficial to your bones, many studies show the that its just not true or otherwise inconclusive. All we know is that milk contains high levels of calcium that is beneficial to your bone health. There's concern about the large amounts of protein, especially animal protein found in milk may contribute to metabolic acidosis in which case your body would pull calcium reserves from your bones to make up for the PH imbalance. It is important to note that it is when you already have a high intake of protein that this can occur but regardless your green vegetables will have a much higher ratio of calcium to protein. I suggest whatever you end up doing to also increase your green vegetable intake substantially.
I do have a few questions of what you said. How would I go through asking a doctor for a Vitamin panel and what Vitamins/Minerals does that test look at and how accurate is it generally, and is it just a normal drawing of the blood in order to do the test? Also are Naturopathics within Hospitals or have their own separate thing really?
 
I'm not sure what a naturopath would cover but GIs or GPS commonly test for nutrient/vitamin deficiencies in CD patients.

Since CD inflammation can cause malabsorption issues and vitamins such as b12 are absorbed in a common area for CD (small bowel ileum) then a check on B12, D, magnesium, folic, zinc are generally done to determine if your levels are in good range. It's a simple blood test. My son's GI runs his about every 12 weeks.
 
I'm not sure what a naturopath would cover but GIs or GPS commonly test for nutrient/vitamin deficiencies in CD patients.
Since CD inflammation can cause malabsorption issues and vitamins such as b12 are absorbed in a common area for CD (small bowel ileum) then a check on B12, D, magnesium, folic, zinc are generally done to determine if your levels are in good range. It's a simple blood test. My son's GI runs his about every 12 weeks.
Gotcha thanks. I'll ask for other nutrition deficiencies I might have since only iron,vitamin d and calcium were tested. I would like to know what your standpoint on nurtionalists are. Would you recommend it?
 
On nutrituonists? My son still sees a peds GI. The GI group has a nutritionist and a dietitian that is well versed in IBD. There is an SCD study going at my son's GI group and they help with meal plans related to caloric intake and other aspects. They also work with the kids that are doing EEN or supplemental EN to ensure they are meeting the thresholds needed to promote growth etc.

My son worked with the nutritionist when he was on supplemental EN. He placed an ng tube nightly for formula and removed it each morning before school. Since it was supplemental EN meant for weight gain before surgery he took in 2700 calories through formula then the nutritionist worked with us to ensure he ate plenty of calories during the day.
 
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