Why after all these years I cannot suddenly digest milk properly?
We have all had it as the first food in this life. Why has it suddenly stopped agreeing with your system, now?
Ayurveda highly regards milk and its health benefits. Not just Cow's milk, Ayurveda enlists the benefits of commonly domesticated animals and their milk qualities (Buffalo, goat, horse, sheep, camel, and elephant). Donkey milk, although not mentioned in the ayurvedic pharmacopeias was popularized by the glorious Cleopatra and her beauty regime, featuring lots of donkey milk.
Milk is a nutritious beverage that provides essential nutrients such as calcium, protein, vitamin D, and other vitamins and minerals that are important for bone health and overall well-being.
However, the perception that milk may be "bad" for some people stems from a few factors:
Lactose intolerance: Many people worldwide are lactose intolerant, which means they lack the enzyme lactase needed to properly digest lactose, the natural sugar found in milk. This can lead to digestive discomfort, bloating, gas, and diarrhea after consuming milk or dairy products.
Milk allergies: Some individuals have allergic reactions to proteins found in cow's milk, which can result in symptoms ranging from mild skin rashes to severe anaphylactic reactions.
This blog is for all, who are not lactose intolerant or severely allergic to milk but still find milk difficult to digest.
Ayurvedic reasons: why milk has gone rogue in your system.
Milk allergies start with an accumulation of toxins. Of course, you have not been consuming toxins. Ayurveda calls these toxins Ama. "Every piece of improperly digested food that gets absorbed into your system is ama (toxin)" - Robert Svoboda.
This ama, triggers your system to clear it out. When it accumulates greatly over a period of time, it becomes an allergic trigger.
Causes :
Improper digestion of milk.
Consuming milk that is laced with antibiotics and hormones.
Milk is to be consumed with proper rules and guidelines. When ignored leads to indigestion of milk and over the years can lead to milk allergies.
Milk and salt.
Nobody puts salt in milk. But you may put foods with salt in milk.
Cereals, chocolate cereals, and cornflakes have salt
Biscuits have salt
Healthy chocolate malt drink powders (Bournvita, Horlicks, Milo, etc.) have salt.
Muesli has salt
Bread / Toast
Kheer, ras malai, ice cream with other foods that may have salt.
White sauce pasta
Chances are these begin very early in childhood. The mother struggles to put the milk in her toddler's system and devises different ideas or heeds advertisements to lure them into finishing milk. Don't. Check the labels, and avoid all foods to be dunked in milk that have salt as an ingredient.
Replacements:
Cereal: Rolled Oats, Puffed Jowar, Taal Makhana, Rice Laahi / Laja, Puffed Rajgira.
Biscuits: Time to bake a salt-less batch at home.
Health drink powders: Sattu (Chana, Jau), Almond powder, Dry dates (Kharik powder) and Pure cocoa powder with natural vanilla essence.
It's easy to mix in a bit of almond powder and high-quality cocoa powder and natural vanilla essence to give the best to your child. (I found this, it tastes lovely).
Bread/toast: Salt-free Khakra.
If Kheer or Rasmalai is on the menu, consume milk sweets first. Wait for at least 20 -30 minutes and then consume other food items.
Use non-dairy milk in your Pasta
Milk Tea/coffee and Salty foods
English breakfast teas are ingenious, they are strong and invigorating. We adapted them with milk, because hey, milk is healthier and tastier. But remember milk teas do not go with anything that has salt in it.
All savoury items with milk tea should be restricted.
Chai and Namkeen
Chai and Samosa
Chai and Chaat
Chai and Achar Paratha
Chai and Pakoda
Chai and Biscuits
Chai and Ganthiya
Chai and Poha
Chai and Methi Khakra
Chai and Puff pastry (Khaari)
Chai and Mathri
Coffee and Idlis
Coffee and Ccroissants
Coffee and Bread / Toast
Coffee and Cinnamon buns
These are all hurting your gut. And then you wonder what's wrong with my digestion?
Replacements:
If you like to have savory foods with your tea. Please switch to non-dairy milk like almond, soy, or oats.
Better yet have black tea, like the English or rather Scottish who actually started the fad.
All commercial chocolates have a good amount of salt in them with Milk solids. When you consume these for over a period of time, they surely damage your system. Young children are highly sensitive to these, including adults.
Children may develop frequent colds and coughs because of high allergens (toxin ama) in their system owing to such combinations of milk and salt in commercial chocolate bars.
Replacement: Vegan chocolate bars, without dairy. Or ones that lack salt. Check labels, thoroughly.
Milk and Fruits
The second most gust devastating combination is milk and fruits especially sour.
Milkshakes with any fruit including mango are a bad combination. Aam ras should be had without milk or with any non-dairy milk. Better yet you can make Mango shrikhand.
Some popular combinations
Aam ras ( Mango with milk)
Strawberry and cream
Banana milk shake
All milkshakes with fruits in them like Papaya, Pineapple, etc.
Salted caramel milkshake
Oreo milkshake
Peanut butter milkshake
Fruit cream
Fruits Ice creams (Jackfruit, Papaya, Pineapple, etc.)
Custard and jelly
Milk and fruit juice
Replacements: Have frozen yogurt, flavoured yogurt, yogurt shakes, flavoured shrikhand, Mishti doi (it's beautifully caramelized), strictly avoid milk and fruit combinations.
Choose ice cream that tastes splendid in spite of the lack of fruit.
Milk Time: when to have milk.
Milk is best had at night, at least two hours after dinner.
Or in the morning. Have breakfast at least 2 hours after consuming milk
Do not drink milk immediately after food, with food, or right before it.
Other rules for Drinking milk
Temperature:
Milk should always be hot or at least warm. Avoid cold milk altogether.
Avoid milk with
2. Yogurt, Paneer, Buttermilk
3. Eggs and Meat
4. Vegetables
5. Oily nuts and seeds (Walnuts, Sunflower seeds, Flax seeds, Mustard seeds, Sesame seeds, Peanuts, etc.) Exception-almonds
6. Strictly avoid milk when you have a gastrointestinal infection (loose motions / vomiting), until the infection is cured.
5 Simple recipes to make milk agreeable, and prevent bloating.
1) Milk With Vidanga:
Vaav-ding/Vay vidang should be stocked just like any other spice, at home. Boil the powder of this herb in 1/2 part water and 1/2 part milk. Boil until the water part evaporates and milk is left. Strain and flavor as needed.
Benefits: Vayvidang has absolutely no taste, making it an excellent choice for children and finicky adults. It is very effective in controlling bloating after drinking milk. It prevents cramping and intestinal worm infestation.
2) Milk with Trikatu:
Add 1 /2 tsp of Trikatu with a little bit of water and a cup of milk. Bring it to a rolling boil. and consume after straining it.
Benefits: Trikatu is excellent to balance Kapha and Vata doshas. Milk thus boiled digests well, without hurting the gut.
3) Milk with Ginger and Turmeric:
Grate fresh ginger / or add dry ginger powder to milk. Add a few teaspoons of water (this is to compensate for the evaporation loss while boiling). grate in fresh turmeric or turmeric powder. Ratio: 1 cup milk and 1/4 tsp ginger and turmeric. Bring to a rolling boil. Strain and enjoy.
Benefits: Excellent for Cold, cough, allergies, skin diseases, Congestions, etc.
4) Milk with Pippali or Pippalimul:
Boil milk and a little water (to compensate for evaporation) with freshly ground Long pepper or Long pepper root powder. Ratio 1 cup milk: 1/4 tsp Pippalimul or Pippali powder.
Benefits: Pippali (Long pepper) is excellent when you have digestion troubles with mildly deficient immune functions. It strengthens immunity, reduces allergic reactions, and may help balance hormonal functions.
Pippalimul (Long pepper root) and milk make a great pairing when you suffer from bloating and sleep disorders. You can take this at bedtime.
5) Milk with Nutmeg and Cinnamon:
Boil a cup of milk with a pinch of nutmeg powder and cinnamon powder (Add a small amount of water to compensate for any water loss). Strain and drink warm.
Benefits: Nutmeg and cinnamon kindle digestion and metabolism. They also relieve gases. They make the milk easy on the digestive tract.
Reach out to an ayurvedic practitioner if you feel you have suddenly developed sensitivity to milk. They can guide and help you heal your gut.
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