Introducing Milk: Diarrhea > Constipation?

Vileplume

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TL/DR: Raw goat milk is causing diarrhea and stomach cramps, instead of the constipation I've suffered from for years. From an optimistic view, my bowels are finally moving more freely than they have in a while. Is it reasonable to view this as an improvement? Is 4-5x/day diarrhea better than constipation (one overly dry bowel movement every 2-4 days?)

Long-time sufferer of IBS, been dealing with chronic constipation for about 12 years--since I was in high school. Eventually, my poor digestion led to cognitive and mood issues which ultimately led me to intermittent fasting and the carnivore diet, which I followed from 2019-2020, stopping about a few months ago when I discovered Peat's work.

I've still been eating a lot of meat, with a few tablespoons of gelatin, because for the last ten years I have been under the impression that I could not tolerate any dairy. A few weeks ago, I tried introducing pasteurized organic, grass-fed cow's milk (A1) from Horizon brand, and although I had no gas and bloating, my constipation came back instantly. I tried another brand of pasteurized A1 cow's milk, again a gallon from the grocery store, and I instantly felt negative cognitive effects: brain fog, poor mood, inability to focus on or enjoy my work. So I temporarily stopped with the cow's milk.

Last week, I found a local goat farmer who feeds her goats only alfalfa and takes great care of them, and I picked up a few gallons from her. I've been drinking this raw goat's milk for just over a week now, averaging about a quart a day. I'm noticing some positive cognitive effects from this milk, such as a balanced mood, positive outlook, appreciation for being outside/joy in the little things, coherent writing, and a desire to socialize.

The raw goat's milk has given me none of my usual chronic IBS symptoms of bloating, gas, or constipation, but instead I have been suffering from stomach cramps and diarrhea. As opposed to constipation, where I usually go 2-4 days without a BM, I appreciate what feels like food travelling through my body much quicker, albeit in the form of diarrhea. I know diarrhea and stomach pain is not symptomatic of strong digestion, likely indicating inflammation and poor nutrient absorption, but I prefer this to the constipation that affected me with pasteurized cow's milk. Less food sitting around in the stomach = less chance for putrefaction and toxic stuff to build up, right? Also, I am having more bowel movements per day; this diarrhea (4-5x a day, roughly) indicates, at least, that my colon is more active than when I was constipated. In the thread/article originally posted by @Amazoniac , John Harvey Kellogg writes that "The multiplication of bacteria in the intestine is more actively encouraged by stasis or stagnation of the intestinal contents than by any other factor aside from an excessive amount of protein in the diet. A most important means of lessening the multiplication of bacteria in the intestine is the acceleration of the food materials along the intestinal tract. Delay of intestinal contents at any point along the twenty-seven feet of small and large intestine is quickly followed by the development of active bacterial changes."Plus, again, the cognitive and mood effects have been positive.

Has anyone else undergone something similar to this (constipation gone, diarrhea and stomach cramps increased) when reintroducing dairy after a long time? Did it go away? On the surface, is this 4-5x a day diarrhea better than constipation where I only poop once every 2-4 days? How positive a sign are the cognitive/mood effects, weighted against the cramps and diarrhea?

My current plan is to stay around a quart per day of this raw goat's milk, hoping the diarrhea and stomach cramps go away, before I increase the dose.

Other notes:
  • the skin on my hands/lips feels very moist since drinking more milk
  • the first few days drinking milk, my tongue was ABSOLUTELY COATED, and now it's less so, although there is still some white/tan bacteria on there.
 

Maljam

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The constipation will be from the opioid effects of A1 cows milk, which I'm guessing you know since you changed to goats milk.

IMO raw milk is not worth the risk and I would even call it dangerous.I am friends with someone that used to own their own farms and drink their own raw milk and developed a nasty bug from it. There are many stories on the internet like this.

If you want to drink milk then pasteurized whole goats milk should be the best bet.

The diarrhea could be caused by your gut bacteria reacting to the milk fats. It can take several weeks for the gut to normalise to a new food, which can be frustrating as an initially negative reaction short term can go away and result in a positive food long term, but it is hard to tell.
 
J

james2388

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Have you ever tried lactaid? Are you asian, black or latino? For someone dealing with decade long constipation issues, I'd follow more of the easier peat ideas than jumping straight into milk. I'd eat liver and incorporate ox bile and betaine hcl. You may have a congested gall bladder thats creating IBS. Maybe incorporate a calcium powder. It's a bad idea to jump straight into milk. Try a cup a day a 1/4 of a quart. Baby steps man. It's sounds like you need to make a list of peat ideas and incorporate them one by one.
 
J

james2388

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Stomach cramps and Diarrhea 4-5x a day sounds like salmonella or ecoli....
 
OP
Vileplume

Vileplume

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The constipation will be from the opioid effects of A1 cows milk, which I'm guessing you know since you changed to goats milk.

IMO raw milk is not worth the risk and I would even call it dangerous.I am friends with someone that used to own their own farms and drink their own raw milk and developed a nasty bug from it. There are many stories on the internet like this.

If you want to drink milk then pasteurized whole goats milk should be the best bet.

The diarrhea could be caused by your gut bacteria reacting to the milk fats. It can take several weeks for the gut to normalise to a new food, which can be frustrating as an initially negative reaction short term can go away and result in a positive food long term, but it is hard to tell.

Thanks for your reply. The high fat content in milk could certainly be causing the diarrhea, and I have already noticed a lightening of color in the stool and a lessening of bacteria on my tongue, which indicate movement in a positive direction.

Stomach cramps and Diarrhea 4-5x a day sounds like salmonella or ecoli....

Well I did have food poisoning 8 days ago from ground beef, and since then the idea of eating meat has sounded totally unappetizing. It could certainly still be having residual effects, even though the initial fever went away a few days ago. I feel you on the suggestion of baby steps and incorporating other Peat ideas, which I have done (gelatin, increased carbs particularly fruits), but no dairy forces me to rely on meat as my primary source of protein, which grosses me out after the food poisoning. Plus, the positive mental effects, along with the decreased gas and bloating that have accompanied dairy, are positive signs.
 

PolishSun

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Your pancreas is not making enough enzymes, could be becuase of undereating, and diarhea is dangerous for a longer period (like for a month or two), because you can get beriberi or pelagra or other deficiencies.
 
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Vileplume

Vileplume

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Your pancreas is not making enough enzymes, could be becuase of undereating, and diarhea is dangerous for a longer period (like for a month or two), because you can get beriberi or pelagra or other deficiencies.

Thanks for this. I totally agree--if the diarrhea persisted, I would have had to change something. However, chronic constipation, which I have battled for years, presents its own dangers. In the last few days, I have upped the raw goat milk intake even further (getting up to like 6-7 cups a day) and the diarrhea has slowly begun to improve. Less frequent and also more solid.
 

ebs

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Goat milk has been a godsend for me to get adequate calcium without aggravating my digestion issues.

Again the Peat logic makes sense based on the explanations given here about the difference between cow and goat milk.
 

Maljam

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Goat milk has been a godsend for me to get adequate calcium without aggravating my digestion issues.

Again the Peat logic makes sense based on the explanations given here about the difference between cow and goat milk.

Which Peat logic? The A1/A2 debate? Peat personally doesn't really believe in it FWIW, although many people, including myself, have found noticeable differences in the two.
 
Joined
Mar 10, 2021
Messages
21,494
The constipation will be from the opioid effects of A1 cows milk, which I'm guessing you know since you changed to goats milk.

IMO raw milk is not worth the risk and I would even call it dangerous.I am friends with someone that used to own their own farms and drink their own raw milk and developed a nasty bug from it. There are many stories on the internet like this.

If you want to drink milk then pasteurized whole goats milk should be the best bet.

The diarrhea could be caused by your gut bacteria reacting to the milk fats. It can take several weeks for the gut to normalise to a new food, which can be frustrating as an initially negative reaction short term can go away and result in a positive food long term, but it is hard to tell.
I would be a bit scared having raw milk from a private farm. It is the high standard of commercial raw milk that makes it much safer. The raw milk standards are far higher than pasteurized facilities. Pasteurized facilities take milk from any cow, diseased or not and just boil it all off. I often had spells of vomiting from milk, ever since my twenties, and thought i was intolerant to milk, until I tried raw milk. What a difference, no mucous, no vomiting and I can drink unlimited quantities of it. I would rather drink half as much of it than twice as much of the pasteurized, for the same price. We have been drinking it for years….


“It is true that raw milk produced as “intended for pasteurization” and sourced from Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) is generally unsanitary and unsafe to consume raw. Such milk is being produced in conditions where animal health is compromised, antibiotics are utilized, hormones are used to stimulate higher levels of milk production, there is an abundance of manure, and there is a corresponding high rate of pathogens. This type of milk is generally commingled with milk from multiple dairies, which increases the risk of pathogenic exposure. This type of raw milk is actually defined under the Grade A Pasteurized Milk Ordinance. At the Raw Milk Institute, we agree that consumption of this type of raw milk is high risk.

However, raw milk that is carefully and intentionally produced for direct human consumption is a low-risk food with superb nutritional benefits. This type of raw milk is wholly different from raw milk being produced in unhygienic conditions. Raw milk intended for direct human consumption is produced in sanitary conditions, with much care to ensure that the animals are healthy and that the milk is clean. This type of raw milk is tested often and held to rigorous standards to ensure that it is being produced in a way that discourages pathogen growth.

Carefully produced raw milk has numerous health advantages over pasteurized milk. Whereas pasteurized milk is now recognized as a top food allergen and difficult to digest, raw milk is actually a health-supporting food with rich therapeutic potential and is easily digested by most consumers. Like breastmilk, raw milk is a living whole food which provides excellent nutrition along with health-supporting enzymes and probiotics. Raw milk has a superior nutrient profile, whereas pasteurized milk has diminished nutrition with denatured proteins and fats. People who are lactose intolerant can often consume raw milk with no maldigestion, due to the presence of a variety of living bacteria which facilitate production of lactase enzyme in the intestines. Numerous scientific studies have shown that raw milk is correlated with decreased rates of asthma, allergies, eczema, otitis, fever, and respiratory infections. Raw milk also aids in recovery from antibiotic use, and provides many gut-healthy probiotics and enzymes.

Carefully produced raw milk is a health-promoting food that has been maligned because of the simple fact that people are confusing it with commodity milk that has been produced with the intention to be pasteurized. Doctors and healthcare professionals routinely warn patients that raw milk is unsafe to consume, but there is ample evidence that this conclusion is not applicable to carefully-produced raw milk. For the health of your patients and clients, please consider the following information about the benefits and safety of raw milk.“

 

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