Starting to think about my reintroduction

[Vian]

I'm on day 29 of my whole30. The only things I've really missed is cheese and heavy cream. I'm curious though, as I haven't eaten any dairy in 30 days, wouldn't my gut bacteria that helps digest dairy have died off? which would give me some digestive distress when I eat it the first time in 30 days whether I'm sensitive to dairy or not? Or is dairy similar enough to other proteins and fats I've been eating (ghee) that if it's not going to cause me issues, it won't, and if it is, it will?

 

When I first went paleo/primal, I kept eating dairy because I loved it so much. I gave up everything else without issue, but I couldn't give up dairy, and I still saw amazing health benefits (body comp changed, felt better, eating less, losing weight). I've never noticed an obvious issue with digesting dairy in the past, so I'm afraid that when I eat some on Sunday (day 31) that I'll have some gas and bloating just because my gut bacteria has died off, not because it's actually doing me real harm. Now, I'm not a big regular (1-2%) milk drinker, but I do love my heavy cream and full-fat GOOD cheeses and butter. I would really like to re-incorporate dairy as a regular part of my diet (a few times a week with certain meals that benefit from cheese, like caesar salad and cabbage "spahgetti"). 

 

So how do I tell if dairy is really harming my intestinal integrity, or just giving me some gas because i'm no longer used to digesting it?

[Tom Denham]

Some people reintroduce dairy without having any issues. That suggests that your body does not lose the ability to digest dairy in 30 days. I eat goat milk yogurt and kefir occasionally. It has never caused any problems and I have had several periods of going with no dairy at all for 6-12 months at a time. So if you experience issues when you reintroduce, it is not likely to be simply because your body quit being able to break down dairy.

[Vian]

Thanks Tom! I'll give it a try on Sunday and see how I feel.