Articles in: Dairy Issues

For centuries, certain populations have relied on dairy consumption to survive and thrive. Today, dairy issues comprise one of the most common food intolerances. And while some blatantly avoid dairy to stave off the unpleasant gastrointestinal consequences, others are asking if their symptoms are truly a sign of dairy intolerance, and even whether the (often self-administered) diagnosis is reversible. In this article category, Ayurveda chimes in with a time-tested way to test your tolerance, along with how to pick the best quality dairy, tell whether you have “the dairy gene,” and little-known ways to boost your tolerance.

Round 2: Eat Wheat vs Grain Brain | Finding Common Ground with Dr. David Perlmutter

by John Douillard on February 5, 2019 | Leave a Comment

Have you heard of the #1 New York Times bestseller Grain Brain? In it, Dr. David Perlmutter argues that wheat, carbs, and sugar are the brain’s “silent killers.” He recommends going completely gluten-free and using fat as your main fuel source. 1.5 million people have read his book, and while it has made quite a […]

Cheese: The Good, The Bad, and The Ayurvedic Perspective

by John Douillard on December 6, 2018 | 15 Comments

When we think of cheese, we may imagine cows roaming freely in the Swiss Alps or Europeans picnicking with wine and baguettes. We probably don’t immediately think of Ayurveda. In fact, in general, Ayurveda frowns on the consumption of hard cheeses. But there’s good news: it approves of soft cheeses!7 Fermenting dairy into yogurt, buttermilk, […]

Studies Support Whole-Fat Over Low-Fat Dairy

by John Douillard on October 24, 2017 | 1 Comment

Have you ever struggled while grocery shopping, debating whether you should choose a low-fat or full-fat yogurt? Don’t worry, it’s not just you… Millions of dollars have been spent in attempt to convince us all that low-fat dairy products are somehow healthier. While there are studies that suggest low-fat dairy offers heart protection (1), there […]

Navigating Lactose Intolerance

by John Douillard on March 11, 2017 | 1 Comment

Average Reading Time: 1 minute and 52 seconds Due to popular demand, the food industry has made millions on dairy products that have less lactose (milk sugar) OR have lactase — the enzyme that breaks down lactose — added to the dairy product. Interestingly, there is not conclusive proof that either of these products actually […]

Full-Fat Trumps Low-Fat Dairy

by John Douillard on May 28, 2016 | 5 Comments

Average Reading Time: 1 minute and 27 seconds Logic would tell you that when you start breaking up whole foods into components that we deem “healthier,” it always seems to backfire. Low-fat milk takes away the fat and leaves the milk with a higher concentration of sugar (lactose) and casein — the hard-to-digest dairy protein. […]

A1 vs A2: Does Casein Type Matter in Cow’s Milk?

by John Douillard on May 21, 2016 | 4 Comments

Milk might do a body good, but a new trend in milk production may have us thinking twice! The issue is around the type of casein protein that is found in milk from different breeds of cows. Some breeds might be better than others. Casein makes up about 80 percent of the protein in milk, […]

Euro-Vedic Cheese-Making Part 2: Navigating Rennet (Eat, Pray, BUGS)

by John Douillard on August 9, 2014 | 1 Comment

Average Reading Time: 7 minutes and 41 seconds When most of us buy a type of cheese, we select it because we want to bite into that particular delectable taste and chewy texture. Many of my readers also prefer cheese that is organic and even raw when possible. But do you know what type of […]

A Yummy Cheese-y Love Story (Eat, Pray, BUGS)

by John Douillard on August 7, 2014 | Leave a Comment

Average Reading Time: 6 minutes and 10 seconds As we continue our Eat Pray BUGS tour, we set our GPS for the tiny Austrian town of Thomatal, located in Austria’s Biosphere Reserve region called Lungau. South of Salzburg, deep in the Austrian Alps, Lungau is one of the original sustainable living cultures and recognized as […]

Euro-Vedic Cheese-Making: Part 1 (Eat, Pray, BUGS)

by John Douillard on August 5, 2014 | Leave a Comment

Average reading time: 5 minutes and 34 seconds The objective of our Eat, Pray, BUGS tour is not only to measure the “before and after” microbiome changes in our small ten person trial, but to more deeply understand the original and traditional cheese-making process of the more remote regions of Europe. Ninety percent of all cheeses […]

The Fight for Raw Dairy (Eat, Pray, BUGS)

by John Douillard on July 28, 2014 | 4 Comments

Average Reading Time: 3 minutes and 34 seconds Just last week the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in the United Kingdom finished a 6 month review of their raw dairy policy. Currently, raw milk sales are limited to farm sales and not available in stores (with the exception of Scotland, where it is banned entirely). Now, […]

Feed Your Inner Viking (Eat, Pray, BUGS)

by John Douillard on July 26, 2014 | Leave a Comment

Reporting on one of Norway’s most rare and famous cheeses: Gamalost (gammal = old, ost = cheese). Gamalost is one of Norway’s oldest cheeses, but it received its name from the length of its aging process. When a Norwegian grandfather was asked how to make Gamalost, he replied, “Take some cheese, stuff it in an […]

Why Whey Cheese May Be The Way To Go (Eat, Pray, BUGS)

by John Douillard on July 22, 2014 | Leave a Comment

Skyr (pronounced “skeer”), an Icelandic cheese product now sold in the US, is one of Iceland’s most popular foods. On our 24-hour layover in Iceland we made a quick trip to Burid, Iceland’s premier cheese shop, where we spent time with owner Eirny. (If you visit Iceland, she offers some amazing cheese-making classes.) She was […]