I wish someone had told me this before my surgery, so I figured I would share it here. For the first 2 weeks I couldn't eat/drink any dairy products and was miserable. Anything dairy burned as soon as I had it and would cause stomach problems. I found Fairlife ultra filtered milk and I was able to drink it without any problems. Even better, It has 13g of Protein per cup ( more than some protien shakes), added Calcium, and lactose free. If you are having problems with dairy or want an alternative protein source try Fairlife.

http://fairlife.com/our-products/

I wish someone had told me this before my surgery, so I figured I would share it here. For the first 2 weeks I couldn't eat/drink any dairy products and was miserable. Anything dairy burned as soon as I had it and would cause stomach problems. I found Fairlife ultra filtered milk and I was able to drink it without any problems. Even better, It has 13g of Protein per cup ( more than some protien shakes), added Calcium, and lactose free. If you are having problems with dairy or want an alternative protein source try Fairlife.

http://fairlife.com/our-products/

Lucerne also does a version called Protein Plus milk. Same product if you shop at Safeway/Vons/Pavillions.

Great stuff and I agree, wish I had known about it sooner!

I use it in my coffee, but that's about it.

I agree, though, it's an excellent product.

It seems pretty decent (I've had some of their premixed protein shakes) but I still struggle to come to terms with the fact that it's a coca cola product!

Edited January 2, 201610 yr by Darkaine

I just tried their milk and like it. I'm pretty picky when it comes to milk. I'm glad I found it so when I cook with it, it will add protein to things.

I love it!!!!!

I am a fan as well!

I'm only on my 3rd post-op day... yesterday was the first day at home where I was on my own for my vitamin/protein/calcium regimen and I used Fairlife 2% Chocolate as the "base" for my protein shakes. I'm not exactly lactose-intolerant but I get very gassy when around dairy products, but I wanted to try this because mixing my protein powder in water was disappointing.

Wow. Good stuff! Yeah, I was still a little gassy after taking, but other than that no complaints.

One thing, tho, has me a little concerned. After one meal and two shakes I was already at 90g of Protein for the day. I have been using UpCal packets to get my calcium - would add one to each shake before blending - but I hit my Protein goal while still 500mg short of my Calcium goal. Tried taking the final packet dissolved in water but couldn't finish it.

I know that 1 cup of Fairlife has 365mg of calcium, but I don't know if I can count that toward my daily 1500mg requirement or not. If I can, then I can stop at two shakes a day. It would be great if I could, since taking less Fairlife daily would reduce my gassiness and make this relatively expensive milk ($4 a bottle) last 50% longer.

For the record, my shakes are 8 oz Fairlife (13g Protein), 4 oz water, 4 oz ice, 1 scoop Protein Plus (25g), 1 TBSP PB Fit (2g), 1 Pkt UpCal. Total is 40g Protein and either 500mg or 865mg Calcium, depending on whether I can include the Fairlife calcium or not. Each shake also knocks out 25% of my daily liquid requirement.

Edited January 3, 201610 yr by KenBuzz

If you're in the state of Texas, HEB stores carry a similar milk called Mootopia - tastes wonderful and has all the same benefits (and it cheaper I think).

I'm only on my 3rd post-op day... yesterday was the first day at home where I was on my own for my vitamin/protein/calcium regimen and I used Fairlife 2% chocolate as the "base" for my Protein shakes. I'm not exactly lactose-intolerant but I get very gassy when around dairy products, but I wanted to try this because mixing my protein powder in Water was disappointing.

Wow. Good stuff! Yeah, I was still a little gassy after taking, but other than that no complaints.

One thing, tho, has me a little concerned. After one meal and two shakes I was already at 90g of Protein for the day. I have been using UpCal packets to get my calcium - would add one to each shake before blending - but I hit my Protein goal while still 500mg short of my Calcium goal. Tried taking the final packet dissolved in water but couldn't finish it.

I know that 1 cup of Fairlife has 365mg of calcium, but I don't know if I can count that toward my daily 1500mg requirement or not. If I can, then I can stop at two shakes a day. It would be great if I could, since taking less Fairlife daily would reduce my gassiness and make this relatively expensive milk ($4 a bottle) last 50% longer.

For the record, my shakes are 8 oz Fairlife (13g Protein), 4 oz water, 4 oz ice, 1 scoop Protein Plus (25g), 1 TBSP PB Fit (2g), 1 Pkt UpCal. Total is 40g Protein and either 500mg or 865mg Calcium, depending on whether I can include the Fairlife calcium or not. Each shake also knocks out 25% of my daily liquid requirement.

Talk to your doc/nutritionist/dietician but why not? I would assume you could count that. Mine all prefer me to get calcium from food if possible.

It was a lifesaver for me post op. It helped me get my fluids in when I was struggling to get plain water in - I added in fair life - it was fluid AND protein!

Just bought some to try today...

I love Fairlife skim milk in soups, shakes, and sometimes will drink alone. It has a slightly different taste than regular skim milk, but if adding to recipes, why not get that added protein!????

I know that 1 cup of Fairlife has 365mg of Calcium, but I don't know if I can count that toward my daily 1500mg requirement or not. If I can, then I can stop at two shakes a day. It would be great if I could, since taking less Fairlife daily would reduce my gassiness and make this relatively expensive milk ($4 a bottle) last 50% longer.

Talk to your doc/nutritionist/dietician but why not? I would assume you could count that. Mine all prefer me to get calcium from food if possible.

No dice. My dietician just emailed me back:

"Unfortunately we cannot count the calcium in the milk towards the 1500 milligrams of calcium citrate daily requirement."

Ugh.

So it counts toward my daily Protein and liquid requirements, but not a drop of the calcium. And with each shake weighing in at 40g protein, there's no way I can see myself losing weight long term if I take three of them daily, since my target range is 60-75g.

Looks like I should just shift back to Water.

Edited January 4, 201610 yr by KenBuzz

If you are lactose intolerant use lactose free milk such as lactaid! It tastes the same and is fabulous in shakes and soups.

Fairlife is also lactose free