I am really repeating what Kiwi has said but I have read that hard cheese contains much less lactose (hardly any?)and I have been making my own yoghurt fermenting it for 24 hours as all the lactose goes (not very technical I know ). I bought an EasiYo (£15 maybe cheaper in the US)a couple of months ago, its basicaly a large mouthed plastic flask with a container that fits inside to put the yoghurt in. I dont use the sachets you can buy I make the mix myself.

I put 4 cups milk in a pan and heat stirring to 82degC then leave to cool to 46 degC. Then add 1/4 cup probiotic yoghurt and mix. Then I put it in the yoghurt maker as per the EasiYo directions in the section I have pasted from http://www.greenlivingaustralia.com.au/yoghurt.html

A yoghurt maker will have directions on maintaining the heat. The only change required here is that in an EasiYo system for example, do not fill the external container so high with boiling water, as to have it come in direct contact with the yoghurt container as this may scald, and kill some culture. Just fill it to the level of the hole in the baffle, and this will give you the benefit of a heat reservoir, without risking scalding or killing the culture.

If you do not have a yoghurt maker, then place your jar in an esky and add warm water, but do not have very hot, or boiling water, in direct contact with the jar. You can also wrap your jar in a blanket, and place it in a warm place; on top of the hot water heater works well in my laundry.

To check if your yogurt is ready, press a spoon into the surface of the yoghurt and see if the impression of the spoon is left. If so, it is done.

Their temperatures are different I use the ones from my GAPS Internal Bliss cookbook. If you use raw milk or I think UHT you dont need to do the heating up first it is explained in the link.


You can also make yoghurt cheese but I havent tried this yet: put the yoghurt in a fine mesh cheescloth, tie the top around a wooden spoon and place over a bowl so that the liquid can drip into the bowl. Keep the bowl in the fridge for about 8hours depending on how thick you want it. It supposedly can be eaten as is, used to replace cream chesse or as adip/spread.

We have a large family gathering tomorrow (visiting relative from Canada) and I was going to do this to make a dip just didnt have the cheesecloth so it will have to wait until another day


I dont know for sure if I react to dairy but I haven't so far to the homemade yoghurt. I have been limiting cheese intake and so far have got away with eating cheese (hard) a couple of times a week.

I also don't have butter but make my own ghee instead using organic unsalted butter. Apparently you are less likely to react to it and it is cheaper than coconut oil for cooking I use it for savoury things.

That is terrif Grumpally - I used to make my own yogurt and yog cheese when I lived in India. Delish. I love yog cheese. Fortunately here in France I can get very good goats yog cheese. One of my faves. You can aslo add various things to the yog cheese, like different peppers, cilantro, apricots, nuts (walnuts are very good with it). Spring onions (not for me though!) And whatever you can think of. Apricots are great as indeed are the walnuts. Oh yes, cranberries are amazing - and some people like raisins, but ensure you use organic raisins, i.e. no sulfites etc as preservatives! And also olives. Yummy.

goat cheese - traditionally made, and i really mean traditionally - verry good for me.
hard cheese - no lactose (or only traces), also the casein is a little bit softened by the fermenting bacterias - also ok. you should check that the cheese do not contains any preservatives - only milk, salt and fermenting bacterias.

other types of cheese, diary - a no for me.

Thanks for that link, Vader. That's very interesting. I had been reading at a zero carb forum and was wondering why it doesn't protect from cancer but it does make those doing it feel better. I'm glad you posted that because I was on my way to doing as low carb as possible thinking that it might be the answer to candida/fungal issues.

I am also searching for the root cause of my problems. I think if I find the root cause I can get a handle on the best diet in the long run and the best supplements to take to help my body deal with the problems.

Along the way I have seen many things blamed for the root problem and I haven't been able to come to a conclusion which is the correct one.
Louis Pasteur said that it's the microbes' fault so we must kill them.
Alexander Haig says uric acid found in foods with purines is the culprit and that if you get that out of your body the microbes won't have a desire to set up camp.
Medical systems that have control of doctors and medical journals say that it is the microbes' fault and also the body's fault so kill the pain, kill the microbes and suppress the immune system. (antibiotics, Vitamin D, NSAIDs, etc.)
Alternative supplement suppliers (Vitalzym, etc.) say it is the fibrin's fault, so dissolve it.
Another alternative method would be to dissolve the calcium (magnesium chloride), take Vitamin K2 to make sure the calcium is deposited in the correct places in your body, it's the calcium's fault.
Another medical doctor says cut out the starch it feeds the microbes......

And life is just an experiment for now. If you can get away with the dairy, let us know. I cut it all out and felt better. Then I used some heavy cream and butter for two days in a row and woke up with a terrible headache and gut issues again. Maybe it's a sensitivity, maybe it's the Vitamin D content, maybe it's the HORMONES! I don't know, but I won't stop experimenting.

Once again, thank you so much for that link!

I have been wondering about the dairy too. We have been drinking Zylitol (lactose-free milk) with no aches. I am wondering about raw cow's milk, even though it has lactose in it I have heard that is can be easier to break down....?

I have one of these

http://www.amazon.com/Euro-Cuisine-Yogur...7365&sr=8-2

and not only does the result turn out a fine consistency for a dip, it came complete with a very amusing Engrish instruction sheet, which repeated the words "specially designed cotton bag for cheese" in just about every sentence

Fine calico cloth is cheesecloth. I love goats milk yogurt cheese. Delicious. It is a speciality of the region here, so easy to find and also inexpensive. Love it with strawberries - try adding a sprinkling of fresh ground black pepper. Yummy. Also, with olives, another yummy. This last I also 'doctor' up with a sprinkling of Provencal herbs. All really good.