Post Punk Kitchen Forum

Hello.

I feel like I've got the flu!!! I think I have with drawl symptoms from dairy; sluggish, grotty feeling... how long might this last for? I also feel like I need to drink lots of ICED COLD water... to help ease the feeling that my internal organs are over heating lol. HELP!

ViViEnNe

I have never heard of dairy withdrawal... are you sure you just haven't got the flu?

Hi Gulliver.

Nope, I have no runny nose, cough or fever... just feel very grotty.
I googled it, and apparently I'm not the only one :/

I've never heard of this either, but it sounds like a great reason not to eat dairy.

What are you eating instead? When you transition to any new diet, make sure you are not just deleting things but replacing them.

Get out and walk lots. Plenty of water. Something seriously nice to eat. Grin and bear it, it will be worth it in the end because after a week you won't even miss it.

What are you eating? The sites that list "dairy withdrawal" are not science-based but are either paleo diet, oil phobic vegan, or message boards.

All sorts of crazy "diseases" and "conditions" show up in Google searches which is why Dr Google is not to be trusted.

Did you cut back on caffeine as well? It sounds almost like caffeine withdrawal which is real.

Make sure you're eating enough food! When some people go vegan, they don't eat enough and feel awful. Drinking a lot of water is good, but also make sure you're eating food.

Yeah, that sounds like hunger and/or lack of caffeine.

water is your best friend, and whenever you're getting something out of your system (which will be for a while as you're transitioning) make sure you meet the 8 cups daily. eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies. dairy causes gross symptoms even when you're eating it, now you're seeing what your body goes through when dairy is a part of your diet. it's just a part of the process.

It seems extremely unlikely that the way you're feeling is just from not eating dairy for two days - I would imagine there must have been other times in your life where you haven't eaten dairy produce for a day or two, and unless you used to consume vast, vast quantities, it's hard to imagine your body struggling to adjust in such a severe way. Are you sure you're not just hungry? Don't drink too much water - the 8 glasses/2litres figure isn't a standard recommendation any more: you just need enough that your pee is pale, and overdoing it can mask feeling hungry.

Also, congratulations and well done on making your first steps in a compassionate way of eating and living.

Very good points, Ruby Rose. The idea put forth by those who wish for you to pay them to pump huge quantities of water up your bum that somehow foods stick around in your system, rotting or just hanging out is not really true.

Yeah, it's not the lack of dairy. My mother secretly cut it out of our meals when I was a teenager because she suspected I might be allergic to it (she was right) and I didn't even notice it was gone until she pointed it out to me. I never drank milk, preferred plain cereal and only ever ate cheese on pizza, so it wasn't too obvious. It's possible that you've just cut out a major source of your calories if you were consuming lots of it before, so make sure you're eating enough food (try some avocadoes, nuts and seeds). It's also possible that the symptoms weren't caused by the change in diet at all.

Are you taking a B12 supplement and an iron supplement, or getting foods fortified with these? I believe most breakfast cereals and non-dairy milks have them added. Deficiency of both will make you feel pretty grotty.

This is true, but I'm pretty sure it would take a lot longer than two days for those symptoms to show up if that was the cause. I agree with everyone who said to make sure you're getting enough calories. I think sometimes when we first go vegan it's easy to just cut out the animal products and forget to replace it with something else.

i have never heard of dairy withdrawal ever but i thought i would see what google had to tell me.

im reading on a few different places that SUPPOSEDLY cheese is addictive like MORPHINE and can cause similar withdrawal symptoms. WAT!

having both been on narcotic painkillers (i actually was on dilaudid which is stronger than morphine after a surgery) and having been a lacto-ovo veg for 15+ years (and before than an omni) i will say that cheese doesnt have anything on narcotics!!!

how is cheese addictive? im confused. i mean i understand you get cravings for anything but physically addictive?

i never felt anything but GOOD after giving up dairy but it was making me soooooo ill.

i would make sure you are eating enough and a variety of things to make sure you are getting everything. vegans cant live on just pasta or vegetables alone!

and like other people said if you gave up caffeine at the same time THAT will produce withdrawal symptoms for SURE!

also if you went vegan from omni cold turkey you may just be adjusting to a new diet that is completely different, it can take some time for sure. some people feel really bloated or gassy if they all of a sudden start eating a lot of beans

like other people said congrats on starting a path to a healthier and more compassionate lifestyle!!!

Cheese (dairy) does have some addictive properties. Basically, it is mother nature's way of getting kiddos of all sorts to drink their mother's milk.

I didn't think it was enough to cause any ill effects but it can cause someone to feel the pull of dairy.

Dairy is the opiate of the masses.

Or, the opioid. Something.

Yeah! I had dairy withdrawal symptoms once! and I didn't know what exactly was it but after a week from recovery! I read about it and it is exists.. my advice to you is to drink water, cold water since it helped with me, and wait for GOD mercy...

Sounds like the flu to me. You can have a viral infection without cough/sniffles etc... But that doesn't change how you should handle it: eat well-balanced food, enough to meet your needs, drink water if you are thirsty but don't force it if you are not. And get plenty of rest.