As a child, I had a lot of issues. I couldn’t tolerate milk of any kind, I didn’t like cheese, and I had eczema so badly that my mom had to grease my arms and legs with lard and wrap them in hot damp towels for hours. Food allergies cause inflammation and typically are caused by a nutritional or hormonal imbalance. 

Now, “Why?” you ask, “Are you talking about food allergies when the topic of discussion today is Joint Pain, Elle?”  The answer is dairy. When I was little there wasn’t anything called “lactose intolerant” as an issue. And even when I discovered I was lactose intolerant, I knew nothing about any other type of allergy or intolerance related to dairy until recently. 

Dairy contains a high level of the protein casein. This type of protein triggers inflammation and pain in the joints and may even contribute to irritation around the joints. When I moved away from Washington state, I had missed hard cheeses – I have always stayed away from them because of my migraines, but my migraines have all but disappeared now that my hormones are balanced. So, I said why not… unfortunately, my body wasn’t so accommodating. All of a sudden, I woke up with cramps in my finger joints, my hips started hurting, and my knees throbbed. I couldn’t understand why all of a sudden I started having joint pain when I knew I didn’t have arthritis. I was fine a week ago. 

Come to find out, it was the cheese. The casein protein in cheese is well known for causing problems. Dairy allergies are caused by casein.

  Recommended reading: https://www.onegreenplanet.org/natural-health/casein-dairy-protein-and-your-health/

What is the difference between an allergy and an intolerance? Here you go, courtesy of https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au: A food allergy occurs when the immune system reacts to a food which is usually harmless. Food intolerance occurs when the body has a chemical reaction to eating a particular food or drink. 

Goat’s milk and sheep’s milk are both naturally casein and lactose-free and have some similar nutritional benefits to cow’s milk. Check out the specialty cheese section and look for things labeled as sheep or goat’s milk cheese. Typically, feta cheese is goat’s milk, but not always. 

If you are determined to eat / drink dairy, low-fat cheeses and milks generally contain less casein than full-fat cheese and milk.  The food and drug administration doesn’t require the inclusion of casein protein on food labels, and doesn’t track the percentage of casein in dairy, so we can only guestimate how much is in different types of milk and cheese. 

  •   Parmesan Cheese: 37.4%
  •   Mozzarella Cheese:  27%
  •   Swiss Cheese: 27%
  •   Gouda Cheese: 25%
  •   Cheddar Cheese: 35%

Once I stopped eating cheese, my symptoms slowly disappeared. It took about a week for them to completely disappear. Now the inflammation and pain in my hands, hips, and knees is gone. 

Remember to always listen to your body. When you move to a new place, expect your body to need time to adjust to a new atmosphere, to new plants and pollen, and to a new home. Similarly, when you start changing your diet, you will need to pay attention to how your body adjusts. If it doesn’t like something, it will definitely let you know. 

If you have joint inflammation, try stepping away from dairy of all kinds for 30 days. You might be surprised at what you find. 

Blessings – E