I think that's an individual thing, you just have to try it.

Butter should be pretty safe. And for me, Milk helps with the Gastritis.

IMO the best product of the type is cottage cheese (known as TVOROG in Russian stores). It is a probiotic, an acid neutralizer, it has protein, and it makes for a nice dessert with sugar added, well, compared to the rest of your bland diet. It also works well at the end of a meal to help neutralize excessive stomach acid.

Herrlehmann here has been using it too and he likes it ;)

Milk can relieve temporary symptoms but it can also call up more stomach acid and fail to neutralize it, thus causing damage. Application should be decided on trial-and-error basis.

Tofu could be hard at first as soya beans are hard to digest. Sadly it is trial and error.

hi Azalea,

I am like you. I have been tested for lactose intolerance and I don't have it but I react badly to milk and all milk products. I keep trying them because I LOVE dairy, especially greek yoghourt but it does not do me any good. And the day I stopped eating a greek yoghourt every morning I started improving tremendously.

I have done a lot of research about this and found out that milk with its high content of calcium is very alkaline (ph level 7 I think), so it gives some relief temporarily. But for some reason the stomach reacts to it and then produce excess acid during digestion (I have the same reaction with tums too). I find yoghourt and cottage cheese too acidic (Ph level 4, I try to stay above 5) and normal cheese too fatty. So now I try to stay away from them as much as possible even though sometimes I can't resist and I sprinkle a little bit of parmesan on my food (I use the microplane gratter to get the most flavor for the less cheese).

To replace milk I use rice milk which I tolerate well now, sometimes soy milk and some almond milk they have here with extra proteins. I don't think it is ideal because it is a little bit acidic so I don't take it too often and always with something else like bread, cereals, banana. When I was feeling really bad and being in pain at the beginning, I did not tolerate them but now it is ok. You have to look at the ingredients though to make sure there is nothing offensive in them.

I tolerate tofu very well. I bake it, saute it or eat it cold. Sometimes I eat tempeh as well.

I can eat tofu now but struggled years ago. I see they now have an almond and coconut milk. Wouldn't mind trying that.

I've read some controversy regarding milk and if it's really good for us. It really made me think. Cows don't produce milk for us, it is for their calves. Aside from the odd story where you read a cat will nurse a baby squirrel, etc., we are the only ones who drink another animals milk. I know we don't typically think that way, but it's true.

Anyway, I stay away from milk because it bothers me too. I can use Lactaid milk on cereal once in a while. I use the 2%. It tastes exactly the same but doesn't have the lactose that bothers so many people. You might want to consider that.

I've been afraid to try any other dairy foods yet. I'm in my 3rd week of gastritis, feeling a bit better, and afraid to stir it up again.

After my last bout I started using Goat's milk, and even goat's milk yogurt. I had no issues with those and I don't notice a taste difference. Whole Foods in my area of So Cal carries a great brand in a glass bottle. I don't remember the brand right now.

I tried lactaid milk but I get the same effect than with milk: it feels good when I drink it than later on I get a lot of acid.

I have trouble with anything high in lactose. It's harder to digest (for me anyway) and it's like my stomach doesn't like doing the work. I can eat aged cheese like cheddar, and greek yogurt about twice a week. Butter I can eat freely. For "milk", I've heard others say coconut milk works for them. I find soy better for me.

Thank you everyone for your replies. I think I will stay away from dairy for a little while longer. I tried Ensure Plus, it has more calories than regular Ensure, but my stomach didn't react well to it. I'll go on a lighter diet today to let my stomach rest, and then I'll try rice or almond milk and see how it goes.

Hearing such good things about cottage cheese and cheese, I has some cheddar on my pasta yesterday. It gave me some light pain but I thought maybe it is only because of the fat it contains. So I decided to try non-fat cottage cheese on my bread today, about two tablespoons and I have more serious pain now. Dairy is really not for me.

"Ensure" is abrasive to stomach lining. It was one of the things I tried early on. It's a mishmash of ingredients instead of a plain whole food.

Thanks for letting me know. I have stopped taking Ensure, and I am feeling noticeably better now.

I just tried a fake cheese of the brand daiya, the swiss style slices. The taste is so so but it melts nicely in the grill and I have no bad reaction from it. It is available at whole foods in the US.

I am going to try Dr. Cow Tree Nut Cheeses next. Those are cheeses made from nut milk with acidophilus and himalayan pink salt.

I do fine with a small amount of goat and cheddar cheese on my food, don't overdo it. I am also fine with Greek yogurt.

Everything else that is dairy, I stay away from.