Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Re: the proof is in the pudding

I think casein can be tolerated in dairy substitutes because there is less of it in, say, soy cheese than there is in milk-based cheese. I can't figure out a way to nail this down beyond question. I do know that the main ingredient in soy-based cheeses is soy so it seems logical to assume that the bulk of the protein comes from that rather than from casein whereas in milk-based cheeses all the protein comes from milk (18-20% whey, 80-82% casein apparently).

I did a little poking around and you can find other sources that say casein may be hard to digest. I thought this Family Doctor article was really interesting (although I have no means of judging how knowledgeable the poster is):
web page

The only other source I found that says whey may be difficult to digest is Dr. Weil who I usually find less than helpful on IBS issues:
web page

Beyond that I agree with everything Little Minnie said. I think Heather's guidelines are the place to start and then if you find you can expand those a little, great. If you have to cut out some stuff she says is okay, ouch. (Oatmeal. I just can't do oatmeal.)

I think of the EFI Diet as a "most" kind of thing. Most IBSers can't handle these triggers. Most IBSers can use these foods as an SF base. Most IBSers can handle a little milk protein in their dairy substitutes. Most IBSers can't tolerate too much fat. There are always exceptions. Based on watching the Boards for the past few years, I don't think there's a single food on the SF list that *someone* hasn't reported a problem with - including plain white rice. At the other extreme, there is always someone who reports they can eat one trigger food or another and do fine.

I also agree with LM that science is not as helpful as I'd like. Heather's approach is based on experience - hers and others who've followed her approach and done well. I think it's more anecdotal than scientific which is why we can always have such wonderful fights about things like how much water to drink, whether soy is the spawn of Satan, and the always popular classic "Can I eat cheese?" Saying that casein and whey cause digestive problems for (again) "most" IBSers isn't really science to me - it's description. When my doctor can tell me *why* my gut can't handle them, that will be science. And when he can tell me what to do about it, that will be a miracle.

So I say if you're feeling stable and think you might be able to handle dairy, give it a whirl. If you have no trouble with a little bit of it, great. If you do, then you'll have to do a more experimenting to determine if the problem is the fat, the lactose, or some other component.

HTH.