Hi Matt. The sensation of increased mucus may be due to the texture and viscosity of dairy products, and not to an actual increase in mucus production (although cheese does not usually cause the same increased mucus sensation as milk). Studies actually measuring mucus production after drinking milk have failed to show an increase.

A dairy protein allergy may cause increased mucus, but it will also typically cause more severe symptoms such as hives, facial and lip swelling, vomiting and breathing difficulty.

Lactose intolerance causes bloating, nausea, gas and/or diarrhea, but does not usually cause increased mucus in the nose or throat.

If the increased mucus is the only adverse reaction you have from eating cheese, then it's probably ok to keep eating it if you want to.

Link: http://www.abc.net.au/health/talkinghealth/factbuster/stories/2007/11/28/2102703.htm

~Don't consume anything that causes negative physiological responses, such as excessive mucous production. - Brent Pottenger

Personally, cheese makes me feel weird, so I only eat it on special occasions when it's the best cheese ever and the farmer is there, giving me an angry look.

You might want to try some organic pastured cheeses and see how they make you feel. I don't notice any problems myself on pastured cheeses but I do with regular cheese. Plus better fat balance!

If that doesn't work, try goat cheese/milk. If that still doesn't work I'm afraid you might not be able to tolerate it >_<

Yes. For one, dairy is NOT paleo, no matter what Mark Sisson says. Dairy first came about when we became herdspeople, which is around the same time as agriculture became big. There is no such thing as "wild milk" - you don't catch a pregnant buffalo and suck on its nipples.

It is estimated that 75% of adults worldwide show some [lactose intolerance]

via wikipedia

My basic meta-rule is that if it causes bad reactions with a decent chunk of people, we're not genetically made to eat it. Yes, there are flukes, but things like lactose intolerance and peanut allergies are well known.

Mucous is a well known reaction to dairy, and it's the least of your worries.

I feel nauseous when I eat a cheese slice on a sandwhich, but not when I eat shredded or cut it from a block. I figure it's the way they make it. I can only drink Lactose free milk as well, but icecream yogurt, and cream cheese are agreeable with me. Hmmmm...????

Funny thing: I noticed over the course of the last months, whenever I eat raw milk cheese, about an hour later I get diarreah. Seems to happen every single time these days, I didn't have that problem before... Also, I can drink raw milk and eat other cheeses (especially sheep and goats) without a problem (btw, all of the dairy I eat is organic & grass fed).

I also noticed that (cows milk) cheese makes me smell bad, haha.

I'm trying trying to give up dairy as I also become a mucus producing machine when I consume too much of it. Seems like I'm the classic example of casein intolerance which sucks because I could live of the stuff ;)

Are the CLAs in grass-fed cheese worth pursuing I wonder? I only eat a few TSPs of sheep cheese a day (supposedly highest in CLAs) so if negative, the effect is minimal.

i think cream cheese is good to eat forever i eat it every day and every night and i'm only a little fat everybody calls me the cream cheese fart king mainly because i fart but also because i love cream cheese