Dairy: Is It Good Or Bad For You?

If you enjoy eating dairy and can tolerate dairy products without any side effects then you should be fine eating dairy. Unless you’re lactose intolerant, dairy can have a positive impact on your health.

What is dairy? How much dairy per day? Is lactose bad for you?

These are some of the most commonly asked questions - why is it so complex?

I guess it’s because there are lots of different types of dairy products these days and it’s not uncommon for someone to be able to to enjoy hard cheese but at the same time find soft cheese hard to process.

On that note: did you know that processed cheese is not actually cheese?

It can take some detective work to find out what type of dairy will have a negative impact on your body. Keeping a food diary can help you spot a pattern and determine which dairy foods are not for you.

Of course, if you have an actual allergy you should absolutely avoid dairy and any products that contain traces of it.

Lactose intolerance and other side effects

If lactose is a problem you have plenty of dairy-free products to choose from these days.

What is lactose intolerance? Simply put, it happens when your body is unable to digest dairy because you do not produce adequate amounts of an enzyme called lactase which is necessary to digest the sugar found in milk - lactose. As a result, you will feel nauseous, most likely get diarrhoea, bloating and flatulence. Having said this some people can tolerate fermented dairy like butter.

For some of you, dairy can play havoc with the skin.

I’ll give you a real-life example: if my son eats pizza the next day his skin has lots of pimples and tends to get red. This is an inflammation response in some but not everyone - it’s actually tricky to know if it is inflammatory or not.

If you have a dairy allergy, lactose intolerance, IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) or even gluten intolerance, evidence-based science shows that dairy consumption can be linked with the occurrence of acne, eczema and other skin issues.

Why we need dairy in our diet?

Full-fat dairy supports woman’s bone health, boosts fertility and immunity. If you are concerned about inflammation then include plain yoghurt and kefir (great probiotics) in your meal plans. Evidence shows that dairy supports the improvement of certain inflammatory biomarkers.

There are some great benefits to consuming proteins from milk to support muscle tone and recovery from exercise.

Dairy is rich in calcium, protein, phosphorus, potassium, vitamins A, D, B12, riboflavin and niacin.

Low fat or full fat?

Not all dairy is equal. Food manufacturers have done a great job selling us low-fat products branded as healthy but I have news for you. They’re not.

Full-fat dairy products have been shown to be more beneficial than low fat!

It’s mostly due to the amount of added sugar in the skimmed, semi-skimmed or any type of low-fat products you see on the shelves these days.

Removing natural and healthy fat from milk for example results in stripping it off the healthy bacteria and increases the number of bad bacteria by adding sugar disguised as flavourings, syrups, glucose, etc.

Commercially farmed dairy is made from pasteurised milk with hormones, chemicals and antibiotics which is most unhealthy for human consumption.

Milk from cows raised locally by independent farmers or smaller reared animals like goats and sheep will contain more easily digestible A2 beta-casein. That’s why organic dairy products are less likely to cause an inflammatory response and gastrointestinal symptoms.

The best type of diary will be low or no sugar, unprocessed and not changed from its natural state unless traditional forms of fermentation are being used.

Choose dairy coming from grass-fed cows, goats or sheep - they will have a much higher nutrient profile including more fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins especially K2.

Fermented dairy products like yoghurt and kefir are very beneficial for your gut health and help improve the quality of your microbiome.

Calcium in dairy, for example, cottage cheese, full-fat cheese and yoghurt, helps maintain bone density which is especially important for women going through menopause.

how often should you eat dairy?

The decision may well come down to how it affects inflammatory markers in your body.

I think you have to think about making sure you make up for the nutrient shortfall if you can’t or do not want to consume dairy. For example, spinach is rich in calcium and the majority of nut milk-based yoghurts have probiotics added to them so you can include them in your diet to replenish any nutrient deficiency that would be covered with dairy.

It’s human nature to want clear cut answers but the reality is still cloudy. The best decision is to make an informed judgement call about what is best for you.

Is dairy the big bad wolf? Dairy is not inflammatory for everyone but I always advocate moderation in all areas of life, especially when it comes to health and nutrition.