Cheese question from newbie

(Ivy) #1

Does cheese affect women’s hormones?

Cheese brands you use? Im aware some have ingredients that are worse off.

(Robin) #2

I ate just about every type of cheese, on a daily basis, for my first year of keto. But recently have eliminated so many foods (nearly carnivore) that it’s easy to detect when a specific food doesn’t really work for you. I have realized that I have a limit of tolerance with dairy. Mostly it makes me tired. That’s a signal. So I am cutting back. But at my age, hormones don’t really factor in.

(Jane) #3

I am post menopausal so hormones aren’t an issue for me. I eat cheese from the grocery and my favorite is goat cheese when I can find it. The nearest store is a Walmart that usually carries it and is more than an hour round trip.

Mostly I make my own. Pre-COVID I had a source for raw goat’s milk. Now, my only source is raw cow’s milk but it makes delicious cheese!

The farmer I buy from doesn’t always get it mixed well and I have a gallon glass jar that is 50% cream! I am going to siphon it off and make butter from it and make yogurt for my chickens from the rest. I don’t care about stealing all the full fat cream from yogurt I feed the chickens!!! :rofl:

(Ivy) #4

Do I go see a farm in person or can I email, phone them – to see if they give away free fat? / meat? How do I go about this? Not sure going forward.
Are there any common places I should know about? Im in Connecticut.

(Jane) #5

Goat’s milk is naturally homogenized which is why some colic infants can tolerate it, but not cow’s milk if not breastfed.

You cannot “siphon off” the cream from goat milk like you can from a cow. You have to mechanically separate with a centrifuge. Which I have and have done. Butter from goat milk is heavenly.

(Jane) #6

What are you trying to buy?

Every state is different. Most states allow raw, unpasteurized milk to be sold from a farm, but not commercially. Some states are more progressive and allow retail raw milk sales.

Pasteurization protects the consumer from unclean practices but penalizes the farmer who does everything right and makes it harder to buy live milk, instead of dead milk.

It is challenging to make cheese from dead milk since the process of making cheese involves cultures and live microbes. I am thankful I have a source of raw milk, thanks to me joining the local beekeeping club and meeting the couple who sell raw milk.

(Ivy) #7

This is a dumb question but do you think I should start buying milk or atleast wait 6 months to? I meant fat or meat though about getting it for free

(Jane) #8

Oh, ok.

A butcher might give you free fat or sell it cheap. Free meat? What is that? LOL

I don’t drink milk - too many carbs. I buy it only to make cheese or make yogurt for my spoiled chickens.

(Alex ) #9

I’m not a woman but I’d definitely say a lack of cheese makes me very grumpy :rage:

#10

I’m 58 and haven’t had any issues with goat’s cheese (love it!) or hard cheeses. I don’t eat a lot, but cheese is energy dense. :grinning:

(Bob M) #11

This is a complex topic. There are some who have a hard time eating cheese, such as causing them to overeat or to have inflammation.

I’m not one of those people. If I eat some chunks of cheeses, I’m done. I don’t have a desire to eat more.

I also can’t find any effect for me from cheese. There might be an effect from “too much” cheese, which is why I don’t eat pizza made with Fathead pizza dough: the dough has a lot of cheese, then we add more. But Fathead pizza dough also uses almonds, which I rarely eat, which could also cause issues.

Regardless, I’ve moved to potentially “safer” cheeses with A2 protein, such as goat’s milk or sheep’s milk cheeses.

I still eat yogurt made with regular milk, though. (Though right now, I have yogurt from goat’s milk, but it’s way expensive. Need to get my own goats.)

I try to buy cheeses made with raw milk, as they are typically higher in vitamin K2. But even that is sketchy, as different cheeses have different K2 levels.

In general, though, I usually prioritize non-cows-milk cheese; if cow’s milk, then raw if I can. But if I make fake pizza, then I use mozzarella cheese, and if I have “Taco Tuesday”, I use “Mexican” cheese blends. I haven’t found many/any replacements for those.