Answered by SecondMedic Expert
General Physician · Infectious Disease
Depending on the type of infection you had, it is important to wait at least two weeks after being completely cured before reintroducing dairy back into your diet. This is because many infections can compromise the bacteria within your digestive tract and disrupt its natural balance. While this process takes about a week to recover, it's best to give yourself an extra week to ensure that your digestive system has returned to normal functioning and that introducing dairy won't have a negative impact. Additionally, during this time it's recommended that you adopt anti-inflammatory dietary practices such as avoiding processed foods (including those with added sugars) while eating whole foods including fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, nuts/seeds, and healthy fats like olive oil and avocados. These nutrient-dense foods provide key vitamins and minerals necessary for restoring optimal gut health in addition to offering anti-inflammatory benefits which can fight off additional infection or relapse. After two weeks of following these practices has passed without any adverse reactions from adding dairy back in then you should be able to safely enjoy milk again!