Dairy products

[zx123]

Over the course of the last month I have been drinking whole milk and eating an increased amount of cheese as a way of putting on weight. Recently I have noticed that I sometimes feel a slight twinge in my chest close to where my heart is.

My question is is, this sensation caused by the increase in dairy products in my diet? and should I be consuming less of them?

Is consuming too much dairy products bad for me? and could it cause heart disease?

[ricardo]

Too much of anything isn't particularly good for anyone.

Dairy products are a no no for many people as it has shown in excess, cheese especially can lead to a number of potential illnesses, and high colestral which in turn could effect the heart.

The experts drive us mad about what we should and shouldn't eat or drink, forever changing their minds.

Skimmed milk is preferable to full fat and then again almond milk is better than both.

[Fishmanpa]

Dairy products do have health benefits but as stated too much of it is not healthy in the long run. The reality is that while you will gain weight by consuming larger quantities of dairy products (or any food for that matter), it's not the kind of weight you want to gain (body fat). Increasing high quality proteins along with exercise will help to build muscle and muscle will increase your weight in a beneficial way. I would look into a good whey protein supplement and exercise program as opposed to calories that are filled with fats. It's all about body fat vs. lean muscle mass.

Positive thoughts

[Emilym80]

Yes, eating too much dairy in the long run could potentially cause heart disease. But that's in the long run, not after having eaten more than normal in the last few months.

The twinge in your chest could be indigestion if it happens right after you've eaten lots of dairy. But other than that I don't see how dairy could directly cause that feeling. It could be coincidental.

[MyNameIsTerry]

It could just be your stomach acid as Emily says. It could be heartburn. How about cutting down the amount and seeing if it no longer happens? Cheese can be rich and heavy, and the more mature the more likely to cause things like headaches.

Why are you trying to put weight on? If you have an eating disorder, then this needs to be a question back to the service helping you because they can use what we would see as unhealthy eating practices just to get the weight stabilised. They would just need to adjust this but I would imagine they use a range of foods as opposed to cheese & milk as seen on other threads.

What are you weight gaining goals? There are better ways than with cheese.

[zx123]

Hi,
thank you for your advice.
I have been losing weight for a while due to some changes that I was going through last year. It came to the point where I was starting to get concerned and I decided to do something about it.
I bought a weight gaining protein drink but due to all of the additives it contained I decided not to drink it. I noticed that the main ingredients seemed to be whole milk so I thought I would just drink whole milk instead of the protein drink. Along with this I also began to increase my intake of other foods.

The new diet worked and in a couple of weeks my weight started to increase. After a while I started to drink more whole milk and this is when I started to feel a slight twinge in my chest close to my heart. For the last week I have stopped drinking whole milk and the feeling that I was getting has started to reduce.

I have been able to maintain my weight for a while now but I am still concerned about losing weight again.

[Frenchy]

There are a number of websites around with tips on how to gain weight healthily - and most of them include dairy products, like whole milk and cheese. but as the wise collective above have highlighted, everything in moderation.

A glass of whole milk a day, or simply substituting whole milk in your tea coffee and cereal while you're gaining weight is not going to do you any damage. And cheese once or twice a week (keywork: moderation) is fine too. Granola with a blob of natural yogurt is a good healthy breakfast, but is still pretty high in calories, fibre and protein. Dairy or lactose doesn't agree with everyone though, but then there are plenty of other foods that can help.

Nuts (including nut butters - though be careful about sugar/salt in things like peanut butter) are particularly excellent at helping with healthy weight gain as they are high in calories but those come from predominantly "good" fats along with tons of protein and fibre. Avocado is another great one that comes up over and over - wholemeal bread too, You can even eat some great salads that can help you gain weight, if you include things like pine nuts, avocado and bacon, a few shavings of Parmesan and let yourself go with a good olive oil based dressing. Chicken/Bacon/Avocado salad is one of my absolute faves in fact! Essentially, you are looking for high calorie "whole foods" - that haven't been through any processing.

When you get to a weight you're happy with, then just lower the frequency or portion sizes of these things down until your weight stays constant.

[zx123]

Thanks for the advice.

[zx123]

Hi,
I'm beginning to feel anxious I don't want to lose weight again. When I was putting on weight I was eating lots of bread and oat cereal, but I stopped eating those because they gave me wind. I have also stopped drinking whole milk and at the moment because of the feeling I was getting in my chest. I am trying to think of foods I can eat to put on weight which don't cause wind and are healthy. I can't eat peanut butter because it is too hard.

[JustJoe25]

It sounds like GERD to me. I'm also very sensitive when it comes to dairy and is my main GERD trigger. I can't drink regular milk at all. Cheese I can get away with but I gotta try to keep it in small amounts.