Cheese, Milk, and Dairy Products in the Tayyibat Diet: Casein Controversy and Fat-Based Classification
Cheeses allowed in the Tayyibat Diet
β Processed cheese
β Emmental cheese
β Goat Gouda cheese
β Kashkaval cheese
β Cheddar cheese
β Babybel cheese
β Triangle portion cheese
β Provolone cheese
β Medium-consistency cream cheese
β Mozzarella cheese
β Kiri cheese (except the square portions)
Milk in the Tayyibat Diet
Dr. El-Awady states that milk is prohibited in the Tayyibat Diet due to the hypothesis that casein is not properly digested once it is exposed to an acidic environment and coagulates.
It then enters the stomach and may cause irritation, and later reaches the colon where it may also cause irritation. In addition, milk may trigger allergy-like symptoms because it stimulates the immune system.
From this perspective, Dr. El-Awady argues that anything that harms the digestive system also harms the immune system, and therefore it is impossible for it to have any beneficial effect afterward .
Why is cream allowed in the Tayyibat Diet while other dairy products are prohibited?
Cream contains fats as well as lactose. These fats are triglycerides, in addition to fat-soluble vitamins, cholesterol, and cholesterol esters. All of these components are present in cream. Its high density leads to the observation that some people with lactose intolerance may consume cream without experiencing symptoms, which is interpreted as indicating that lactose is not the cause of the problem in such cases.
People who eat cheddar cheese, which contains some lactose, also often do not experience issues, and the same applies to processed cheeses eaten with toast and similar foods. Therefore, lactose is not always considered the primary issue.
Dr. El-Awady emphasizes that the problem may not lie in lactose, but rather in casein. Casein is a protein found in milk. However, cream contains almost no casein, because casein exists in milk as floating proteins within water, where two types of proteins form milk. Thus, in cream, casein is not a major component as it is in milk .
Processed cheese in the Tayyibat Diet
Dr. El-Awady states that the cheese allowed in the Tayyibat Diet is composed mainly of protein along with fats. When exposed to heat, this type of cheese melts and then solidifies again.
The system permits all fats because they are capable of changing form with heat in both directions without a fundamental physical change, whereas proteins cannot behave in the same way. As long as the protein is bound to the fat, it is digested alongside it (following the same metabolic pathway).
Cheese that melts in the microwave contains a high proportion of fats; therefore, its digestion is considered certain, and the protein within it is regarded as easily digestible .
