Dairy tastes amazing. Even in the face of heinous, life-altering symptoms like explosive diarrhea multiple times a day, some people will not stop eating their dairy because it is so delicious. We grow up on the stuff: milk, cheese, yogurt, butter, buttermilk, ghee, kefir, cream. Delicious, deeply satisfying culinary delights that in the Paleo world are NOT really acceptable. Sorry. By the way, eggs are not dairy, in case you’re wondering. For some reason eggs are displayed alongside all the actual dairy in grocery stores, so it causes some confusion. Think of dairy as anything that originally came out of a cow’s teat, and that should clear things up for you.
Worse for some than for others.
For some, of course, dairy is more unacceptable than for others. If I cheat and have a bit of yogurt, I pay grave consequences in the form of a rash, a candida infection, and asthma. If you cheat, you may just drive your girlfriend out of the room with your foul-smelling gas for the night, and that ice cream may have been worth it… I’ll be honest and say that if I had the option, I’d eat some dairy every once in a while, so I don’t blame you for eating it; it took me 3 years to fully take it out of my diet, despite my symptoms. So for those times when you’re faced with the decision to either break down and eat some greazy, cheesy Mexican food with your friends or to forgo the night out altogether in order to maintain your Paleo-ness, let me arm you with some background knowledge on the subject of the cheese in said Mexican food (nevermind for now the grains, beans and beers you’ll be consuming along with it).
Not technically Paleo.
The Paleo pros all agree that before the advent of agriculture, dairy was not something people would have consumed after the first few years of life (during breastfeeding), since milking a wild mastodon would have been a little tricky. For that reason alone, dairy’s not quite Paleo. Beyond that, though, Loren Cordain, father of The Paleo Diet and author of the book by the same name, believes that dairy is one of the causes of many of our current health maladies, including some cancers, insulin resistance and acne. Loren Cordain keeps a blog, and this blog post in particular is a fantastic resource for more information on his camp’s beliefs about dairy.
But raw dairy might be alright for some people.
Another Paleo (or in his case, he calls it “Primal”) guru, Mark Sisson, has a slightly different take on dairy, and I tend to agree with him more on this one. Since the studies on dairy that Cordain cites have been done using pasteurized, homogenized, non-whole-fat, factory-farmed dairy products, part of the story is missing. There is a lot of evidence that supports whole fat, pasture raised raw milk’s (unpasteurized, unhomogenized) health benefits to humans, including anti-cancer and anti-acne effects. There have been indigenous groups all over the world who’ve lived vibrant, long lives on diets that include raw dairy products as a staple (see the Weston A. Price Foundation for more info on this). Here is a fantastic blog post by Mark Sisson that further explains dairy’s place in the gray area of the Paleo world. The fact is that even raw dairy products are not Paleo, per se, but they may not be the devil’s spawn, either. Whether you eat raw dairy is a decision you need to make for yourself based on your ethics and whether or not you can physically tolerate it.
So should you stop eating pasteurized dairy?
I say yes, but it’s not just because it’s not technically Paleo: it’s because a LOT of people can’t tolerate it. We’ve been raised on pasteurized dairy, which lacks enzymes and other nutrients we need to digest and assimilate it; raw dairy contains those enzymes and nutrients. Because of the pasteurization of all commercial dairy (except in California) and due to some people’s genetic make-up, many of us are either allergic to the casein in dairy or we lack the enzyme, lactase, in our own bodies to digest it. I see a lot of people who don’t know they’re lactose intolerant or casein sensitive until they take all dairy out of their diet. If you stop eating it for 3 or 4 weeks (sometimes even a few days can be illuminating) and you notice that, for instance, your sinuses clear up, you don’t have headaches anymore, your skin looks better, or your digestion is more at ease, then I’d suggest one of two things: take dairy out of your diet or try switching to raw dairy.
Here’s a great website for finding out more about the history, safety, sources and scientific studies of raw dairy. If you absolutely insist on keeping dairy in your diet and you don’t want to eat raw dairy for whatever reason, I strongly suggest at the very least that you only consume organic dairy that comes from pasture-raised cows. It doesn’t contain the pesticides that conventional dairy does, and it provides more beneficial fatty acids because the cows ate grass instead of harmful grains. Also, the animals on organic farms are treated far better than they are on conventional factory farms.
We can get everything we need without dairy.
The idea behind Paleo is that we can get all the nutrients we need from animal carcasses (including meat, marrow and organs), eggs, vegetables, fruits, and some nuts and seeds. People are attached to dairy partly because of the calcium it provides for healthy bones. To that, Cordain would say that dairy is so acidifying to your body that it causes you to leach calcium from your bones, and that eating too much calcium can negatively affect zinc absorption. If you want to get your calcium, eat seaweed, dark leafy green vegetables like kale, and have some tahini (sesame seed butter) every now and then with some sliced veggies. 3 tbs of tahini contains about as much calcium as a cup of whole fat milk. Or eat the soft, small bones of salmon and other fish. Lastly, know that there was far less osteoporosis in Paleolithic people than there is in people nowadays…
What are your thoughts on dairy? Do you eat it?
19 Comments
Dairy is hard to kick! I’m still in the process of weeding it out of my diet. Cheese is just so good
Kat
Actually high-fat dairy is an excellent source of some critical nutrients like Vitamin K2, therefore I try to include some butter and cheese in my diet.
It is also a good source of calcium. Now, I’m not sure if it’s really necessary for us to get that much calcium but it doesn’t hurt to be on the safe side.
Kris @ Health Blog
Since this is a Paleo blog, I’d have to agree and disagree with you. High fat raw dairy does have some excellent nutrients in it, but the Paleo theory is that fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, meats, fish, and organs all have more than enough of those and other critical nutrients. As far as the calcium goes, Cordain’s camp has this to say about it: “I believe that all dairy products are problematic. Cheeses do not cause the high insulin response as does milk, yogurt and other fermented dairy products, but is one of the most acidic of all foods. Paradoxically, despite its high calcium content, its net acidic load promotes calcium loss from the bones…” For more on that, here’s a link. At that link, you’ll find this quote, to top things off: “Finally, there is evidence of higher fracture incidence rates in countries with higher milk and calcium intake82, some long term prospective studies have failed to show a benefit from drinking milk or taking calcium supplements…and a recent meta-analysis…concluded that calcium intake doesn’t decrease the risk for fractures. And calcium intake is only part of the story – we need to consider the GI absorption and the renal excretion, and in these regards, vegetables from the brassica family have a clear advantage over milk.” I think we place a lot of undo emphasis on dairy in this country…
Neely
I see you saying that paleo people didn’t have problems like we have today, such as tooth cavity and osteoporosis. Am I wrong, or is it true that paleo people didn’t live nearly as long as we do, either? Could this be the reason they didn’t have some of the same problems?
T'Rose Maze
Good question – it’s worthy of a blog post and I’ll write it soon. The short answer is that there’s a lot of evidence that our ancestors did NOT live short, brutish lives. And that many of them lived as long as we do, except they weren’t kept alive by respirators and/or oftentimes life-numbing prescription drugs. There’s some speculation that because their bones may have been in such better condition than ours that the aging techniques anthropologists use on bones may have been flawed (an ancient 60 yr old’s bones may have looked like a modern day 30 yr old’s). Also, there was quite a bit of infant mortality, which skews the average life-span. Here’s a good article on it. http://www.marksdailyapple.com/life-expectancy-hunter-gatherer/
Neely
Hey…great post, great info. Just curious why eggs (I am assuming predominantly chicken, not wren or heron or owl) are in the Paleo diet if dairy is not since they both seemed to come into play with the ag era.
Sidenote: I don’t do well on eggs at all, and it’s one reason I keep so many nuts and seeds in my diet, especially at breakfast. After reading the nut/seed info, it’s a little discouraging. Thanks for such great posts!
Kris
Hi Kris! Eggs actually were and are a part of hunter gatherer diets, seasonally and where they’re available. They got/get them by raiding nests. The only difference now is that we generally only eat chicken eggs and we have access to them all the time. I recently started NOT eating eggs in the morning and opting for (guess what) meat instead, and I feel more satiated, so I’d give that a try if you’re worried about your nut consumption and are wanting more protein in your breakfast. Hope you’re doing well!
Neely
I have been on a very strict diet this year and have lost a good deal of weight. I have been looking into the paleo lifestyle to maintain my weight loss.
I recently stopped or rather slowed my (cow) dairy consumption and replaced it with (goat milk) dairy and coconut and almond milk products.
What are your thoughts on goat milk cheese/yogurt/kefir occasionally.
Linda
@Linda – Same as cow, for the most part.
Neely
I have just spent a number of weeks in Tanzania and Kenya. I was astonished by the Maasi…
Tall, slender, very strong, very fit and many long lived..
Their limited diet is- seeds, nuts, fruits (in season only) goat meat, cow blood and unpasturized cow milk.
Not a grain to be had. But lots of milk. I wonder a lot if the grain/milk combo is part of the problem.
I can eat cereal but not with milk, and I can drink milk if I don’t eat cereal.
Patrice
@Patrice – Yes, this could be. However, one of the only genetic changes we’ve made since the dawn of agriculture is that some groups of people have mutated so that they continue to produce lactase through adulthood. The Maasai seem to be one of these groups, as well as some others. It may be that. I’m jealous you got to be around them!
Neely
What are your thoughts on almond milk? Since nuts are high in phytic acid, should foods derived from nuts be avoided? Also, is the calcium and vitamin D from almond milk easily absorbed? What about acidity? Does almond milk cause leeching of calcium from your bones the way cow’s dairy does?
AK
AK – Well, I’ll start out by saying that I don’t personally eat nuts or seeds because they cause joint pain in me, and I’ve found that they do the same for others and many people can’t digest them very well. All nuts and seeds have quite a bit of phytic acid in them, and so they’re the first thing I think to take out of someone’s diet when they have been Paleo for a while, but are still having digestive, musculoskeletal and sometimes other symptoms. I tell people to start out eating them if they want to, give it a month or so on the diet and then reassess whether nuts and seeds work for them and in what quantity. If the calcium in almond milk is calcium citrate or other krebs cycle chelates, then I don’t see why it wouldn’t be absorbed, but I’m not a fan of supplementing just calcium, as it really messes with the balance of other minerals and nutrients. If the vitamin D in almond milk is Vitamin D3, then i don’t see why it wouldn’t be absorbed by your body. Acidity? Almonds are not acidifying like dairy, so no. Hope this helps.
Neely
Thanks Neely, that does help. I don’t have an issue with nuts, other than occasional scratchiness on my throat. But I recently read a book called Cure Tooth Decay which talks about using diet to prevent and potentially reverse tooth decay. What’s interesting is that while the author never talks about The Paleo Diet, his dietary recommendations are almost exactly the same. The big difference is his stance on dairy. He strongly recommends it, provided it’s raw, full-fat, grass fed organic dairy. But he also recommends that people avoid nuts and nut milks precisely because of phytic acid. It’s an interesting book. I’ve read a lot about the Paleo Diet and very little has been said about tooth decay. Usually, the emphasis is on weight lose, reversing diabetes, and so forth. So it’s really interesting to see someone essentially arrive at a Paleo-like diet from a completely different angle. I guess the root of my question has less to do with almond milk and more to do with getting adequate calcium, which I believe is why the author of Cure Tooth Decay recommends raw dairy. If you haven’t read the book, it might worth looking at and provide another topic to address on your blog. I’m sure your readers are concerned about their teeth along with the rest of their health. The author makes a strong case for why grains are evil.
AK
Hi Neely.
Am also pretty confused over the dairy issue as some paleo guru’s while not recommending dairy products, do in fact promote & sell whey protein powders (sometimes with sucrose added). Others seem to think it is ok (while others seem to gloss over the topic) I would have thought so long as the dairy is grass fed/sourced or fermented then it can’t be all bad…the fact that there is such confusion between the experts suggests to me that it is probably not as harmful to our health as we might think. I think the issue with dairy is more about where it is sourced & whether it is pasteurised or not???
Mike
@Mike – Here are more of my thoughts on dairy: http://www.paleoplan.com/2011/12-07/dairy-is-not-paleo/
I think it’s ok for some, but not ok for many. Basically you have to figure out if it’s ok for you personally, and a good way to do that is by taking it out of your diet for a month or so. Then add it back in and see how you feel. I think it can be confusing out there, too…
Neely
Most of the sites I’ve seen for paleo agree that butter, grass-fed, and especially ghee (clarified butter) are paleo (despite not having it during paleo times) and are great to use for cooking. Something to do with the fat make-up and no lactose left in it features.
Amanda
Hi Amanda – I’m not really sure why the other sites have agreed on that. While there are certain exceptions to the Paleo diet that are kind of hard to avoid in the modern world, I don’t think that dairy is one of them in any of its forms. I’ve explained why in the post above and this post:
http://www.paleoplan.com/2011/12-07/dairy-is-not-paleo/
It’s more of a “Primal” thing to eat dairy. It’s really not something we could naturally get our hands on after weaning as humans. I think it’s a really delicious food, though, and that’s why a lot of Paleo bloggers/chefs/experts are ok with making an exception for it. I honestly think a lot of people would feel a lot better if they didn’t eat it, since it’s not just the lactose that people have problems with, but the casein. I, for instance, can’t even drink fermented raw milk or pastured ghee – I get eczema and asthma, and I don’t doubt many people have similar problems. It’s up to you to decide in the end.
Neely