I've been eating yogurt - plain whole milk organic cow's milk due to constipation problems. I posted a bit ago about trying coconut yogurt. It separated and I'm scared to eat it. Wound up with new 32 oz bucket of the cow yogurt.

Am I just hoping against hope that there is something about yogurt that makes it a friendlier food than cheese and ordinary milk. Did I make this up?

I don't have any diagnosed allergies per se and have not been successful in eliminating anything completely (try try again!), but I'm headed that direction with wheat and dairy due to inflamatory skin and muscle problems and due to awful bloating and constipation and tons of mouth ulcers.

Can I keep the cow yogurt? Alternatively - does my coconut yogurt sound safe?

Last note - am planning to start a batch of sauerkraut a la Capmike one of these days.

Thanks to all for your input and wisdom!

Well, you really owe it to yourself to give it a good clean trial without otherwise how will you know if it's a problem or not? And doesn't the fact that you're so addicted you can't imagine not having it suggest that it might be an issue?

All dairy gives me issues with constipation and mucus (post nasal drip).

Yes, yogurt is lower in lactose, I think some of the casein might be hydrolysed, and it has probiotics. But many people still can't handle it regardless. I ate yogurt for years thinking it was helping, when it was actually making me feel worse!

I understand your trepidation with fermentation experiments, but once something gets good and sour, there's pretty much no chance of harmful organisms surviving in it. I've had coconut milk yogurt separate after leaving it out for 2 or 3 days. What I do is pour off the "whey" and eat the yummy extra-concentrated fat part. If it were yogurt you'd call that "yogurt cheese." Lately I've been experimenting with uses for the very sour "whey".

Just re-read your post. If you're having difficulty, I recommend getting serious about eating gluten-free and postponing the dairy problem until you're over that hurdle. In my experience, dairy is much harder to give up than gluten, but the time will come when you're ready for it.

Now when I hear about people who are constipated, I immediately suspect dairy. It shuts me down completely for 2 days. Every time.

Gluten and dairy free are absolutely worth a clean serious trial. I expect your digestive troubles will go away rapidly and then you can experiment to see which one does what.



I think this is all about your own personal cost/benefit scenario. I gave up dairy over a year ago and haven't intentionally had anything but butter since because dairy has a high immediate and visible cost in my life. Constipation plus problems after that, plus drippy nose and wheezing. Now that there's coconut milk ice cream, dairy just isn't worth it.

Gluten on the other hand has a very low overt cost. A small rash on my face, maybe a little gas. I know intellectually how awful it is, but because it doesn't make me miserable, if I fall off my plan, that's what drags me down.

I think for most people the costs are reversed, but its all about your personal reaction.

As capmikee can tell you, I toyed unsuccessfully with the idea of giving up dairy for years (no problem giving up gluten). Eventually my body decided for me and it was easy as pie to give it up. Go with the gluten first and then dairy.

Lots of yogurts have added "milk solids" and contain more casein than many cheeses. I've even made homemade yogurt from cream, but still wound up with a stuffed up head and mad cravings for more yogurt. I agree with the advice to get rid of the gluten first and then dairy. I've come to the conclusion that any food that causes me to madly crave things must have something in it that I am intolerant of. I feel great when I avoid them all.

My experience was the exact opposite. Cutting out dairy was fairly simple, especially with coconut milk as a substitute in beverages. Maybe because I keep kosher and I'm already used to non-dairy food prep for things that get used with meat meals?

Cutting out gluten is HARD! It can be hidden in otherwise LC foods such as sauces on veggies or meats. Just the tiniest trace can bring all my symptoms back again! A trace of dairy doesn't do that to me.

Now that I read over your posts, I'm starting to think that dairy really might be a problem for me. I've never cut it out completely for any length of time, but I have cut out gluten - and all grains and starches for 10 days at a pop. Then I'll have a weak momment and blammo! Nonethless - I stay pretty uncomfortable with this constipation (have always blamed it on wheat) and also with stuffy nose problems. Time to weed out those bits of cheese that are still clinging to my diet and give that coconut yogurt a go! Yikes!

Now if only I can stay the course until a difference is truly noticeable! Thanks for your input.

Just need to report in that I have tried the coconut yogurt.... It's tangy. I did let it sit out for a couple days - but my kitchen is in no way warm. I tried to get it just the right distance from the wood stove. Perhaps I should invest in a yogurt maker?

I hope to heaven that this stuff doesn't make me ill!!!!!

I have a lot to do tomorrow!

Final note: YUM!

Hi, I make yoghurt for a living. Be careful with long fermentation times. The great thing about yoghurt is that its low pH stops any bad bacteria growing, but it needs to ferment relatively quickly (overnight, for example). The slower the fermentation goes, the more the bad bacteria can grow. I once made some that took 2 days to fement and it had a million coliforms per gram!!!!!!

Don't eat it if it smells off or has bubbles or gas in it.

Keep your yoghurt warmer to speed up fermentation. If you are using typical yoghurt cultures try for between 37 and 43 Celcius.

As Capmikee said, the separation is whey/water coming out. Either stir it back in or drain it off.

And most yoghuts, even with added milk solids, wouldn't contain more than 4% casein, which is far less than in most cheeses.

Don't expect coconut milk yogurt to get firm. It never did for me, unless I added gelatin.

I have found that my heartburn got a lot worse with giving up dairy.....??!! I know...strange....I am seeing a naturopath now that thinks it could still be damage from a parasite from the carribbean I got sick from 15 years ago.....(and years of eating gluten while it turns out I am celiac)......anyway....so I am still having a small amount just to help coat the stomach....but cutting out all the extra dairy...

Just so you know, it's the high temperature that makes dairy yogurt get firm (110 degrees is the ideal temp for Streptococcus Thermophilus), but it has no such effect on coconut milk yogurt. I make mine on top of the dishwasher, but it works even if I don't turn the dishwasher on. I've let it go for 3 or 4 days and it's never made me sick, even when it was a little fizzy.

Mine gets pretty thick in the fridge, but I think it's the fat, not the cultures, that do it.

Yeah, I think so too.