Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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Here I am again with another question. This time it concerns dairy. I've heard people sprout about the evils of dairy products. I am not alergic to dairy products. In fact I love my cheese. I eat some with nearly every meal now. Along with my eggs, steak, and even fish.

Is this bad? Combining meat and dairy along with added fats and veggies in my meals? Is it damaging in any way

I find by eating cheese such as lebenah (a soft cheese used as a dip with olive oil and zaatar) or other hard cheeses. I don't drink milk nor do I eat yogurt as I have no use for them. The cheese I eat are from pasturized cow milk bought from the store. I only eat the ones with milk, rennet, and salt. The only e# cheese I will eat are ones with e202 which does not seem bad.

Am I better off eating something else other than cheese. Where I am right now has no raw dairy products. Organic cheese is expensive and only comes in yogurt or milk.

Is there a way to sastify my craving for what the cheese has to offer. Is it the carbs? The fat? its not protein as I eat too much of it to begin with.

Thanks for your reply.

P. S On a health standpoint should dairy be avoided? Even if you are not allergic to it. Is cheese just as bad as drinking pasturized milk that is full of antibiotics and pus?

And on another note, as of late I have been eating cheese with nearly every meal. For example Today I had some eggs with leftover beef with sliced cheese on the beef. Lunch was salad with chicken and lebenah cheese. Supper was a 500g fillet of salmon with oil and a side salad with lots of lebenah cheese as a topping. Too much cheese? Most likely but it seems to sastify some kind of craving. And stop me from reaching for the bread and hummus and dreaming of homemade pumpkin pie with heavy whipping cream.

flag	asked Oct 14 at 16:30 fromthericefields 760●1●8

the paleo elephant · Answer 1 · 2012-10-14 18:43:15Z UTC

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I think you're obsessing a little too much, as we all tend to do. Paleo is about eating healthy whole foods. Cheese is very nutrient-dense. If you're experiencing no adverse reactions (personally, too much cheese gives me acne), I say cheese on. ;)

answered Oct 14 at 18:43

the paleo elephant
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I like your comment as its what I want to hear but the cheese is store bought and filled with junk. Is deli cheese better than shelved cheese? – fromthericefields Oct 15 at 3:55

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Hmm. Perhaps instead of having low-quality cheese with nearly every meal, you could instead have very high-quality cheese* a few times a week? The expense of high-quality cheese will naturally limit your intake. I've found this practice arising naturally within in my own food shopping, not just with cheese, but with whole foods in general. Instead of buying a bunch of cheap junk, I buy a handful of high-quality food. *at the very least antibiotic and hormone free, at the very best raw, organic, and grassfed – the paleo elephant Oct 15 at 15:19

I wish we could edit comments. Sorry for the typos. I also want to add that according to this: whatsonmyfood.org/food.jsp?food=MK there's quite a bit of pesticide residue in milk. I'm not sure if this extends to cheese-- perhaps the aging process has an impact? Something to research. – the paleo elephant Oct 15 at 15:23

Dragonfly · Answer 2 · 2012-10-14 23:20:06Z UTC

I LOVE cheese! Being female, I am conscious of my hormonal balance, so I avoid conventional dairy & eat raw pastured cow or goat's cheese.

Of course cheese made from pasteurized milk from cows given antibiotics & hormones is not ideal.

Goat's cheese is usually a better/safer option.

Perhaps you are craving fat? Adding coconut oil to your diet may help.

hhsuey · Answer 3 · 2012-10-15 15:40:51Z UTC

Are there any health issues that you wish to resolve that may be attributable to dairy? Do you notice any digestive issues after eating dairy? If there are no obvious health concerns that you have, I would not worry about it. There are many individuals who are intolerant of dairy and see an improvement of specific symptoms (such as nasal congestion, bloating, skin and acne issues). However, if your goal is simply improving your health for the long term, I'm not sure if there is any any conclusive evidence that proves dairy is bad for your health. Every food has its nutrients and anti-nutrient properties. If you've looked around enough for the problems with different types of foods, you might think that almost everything you eat is bad for you. Since we all need food to survive, it's in our best interest to focus filtering out those foods that may be attributable to some type of health condition or negative physical symptom that we wish to eliminate.

Amanda · Answer 4 · 2012-10-15 14:47:07Z UTC

Why don't you try an n=1 experiment and cut out cheese completely for a week or so. Then reintroduce it and see if you notice any differences. I think most people like cheese because it's just plain yummy! You may be in a bit of a 'dieter's trap' of becoming obsessed with a certain food. Are you eating enough in general? When I first started paleo, I cycled through eating a bunch of random things (obsessed with nuts, then fruit, etc) and I just let myself indulge (since the foods were still technically paleo) and I got it out of my system. Now I don't really crave anything anymore. I just eat...

A Cheesy Question.

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