I would like to try the GOMAD (gallon of milk a day) method to put on weight some time in the future. However, when I eat lots of dairy products, my hay fever/allergy symptoms become much worse. I have much more congestion, more nasal symptoms, and all around just worse allergies.

Anyway, I've researched natural ways to reduce/prevent hay fever symptoms: avoiding/minimizing dairy, eating local bee pollen or honey, taking stinging nettle capsules, taking quercetin, taking butterbur, nasal rinses, moving to a different climate. Of these suggestions, I've tried minimizing dairy, nasal rinses, and taking freeze-dried stinging nettle capsules when needed. These three things have greatly reduced my hay fever symptoms.

Since the GOMAD diet includes a gallon of whole milk a day, I'm not sure if there's a way I could do the diet without having terrible hay fever symptoms throughout. The diet would only last 1-2 months, and it seems like the most effective way to finally put some weight on my body (along with strength training so I put on muscle). I've considered making my own concoction of nut milk containing coconut oil and other things so it would have a similar nutrient profile to whole milk, but buying a gallon of milk for each day is easier and cheaper.

What are your thoughts on what I should do in this situation? Is there some nondairy alternative that can give similar results to the GOMAD diet, or do you have any techniques you've used that have greatly reduced/stopped hay fever symptoms so that diary products wouldn't be a problem?

Thank you in advance for any assistance you can provide.

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you're allergic to dairy products. the allergy symptoms you can see/feel are just the tip of the iceberg of stress you are putting your body under in terms of inflammation and congestion -- not good. sure, you could load up on nexium and lactase and benadryl and whatever else... or just suffer through and hope the bee pollen and stinging nettle help you -- although i doubt it would help you if you are bombarding your system with the offending stuff.

what does dairy deliver that makes you gain weight -- fat and protein. just like eggs. are you allergic to eggs? why don't you go on a DEAD diet (dozen eggs a day! ha! i didn't know it would come out like that in advance, i swear!) instead. or do the almond milk thing with the coconut oil -- i promise you, if you use almond butter and make 4 days worth at a time it will not take you appreciably longer than pouring a glass of milk. i think your health is worth the 2 minutes per day that almond milk might take over the milk.

Ok, if I was allergic to dairy I would not even think about doing GOMAD. I wouldn't recommend GOMAD to anyone who doesn't do well with regular doses of dairy, actually. Think about it this way... you may get extra calories from the milk, but your workouts will probably suffer as a result from the hay fever. Working out when sick is pretty counterproductive IMO.

Basically, the point of doing GOMAD is that it adds about 2400 calories and a shit ton of protein to your diet and is a bit easier to get down than solids. If I were you, I'd try to take Jen's advice especially on the milk substitutes... though if you're like me, a dozen eggs a day will make you vomit a dozen times a day. The advantage of GOMAD is that its really easy for me to drink a gallon of fluids but its kinda rough to eat another 2400 calories of solid foods.

Another option is to add calorie and protein dense food in good amount. If this is only going to be a two month bulk, the option to get calories from fast food exists. Probably not the healthiest option, but then again, something tells me GOMAD isn't that healthy either.

Another option would be to make your own mass gain shakes. I have always preferred to make my own rather than to buy commercial ones, which seem to be filled with shit. I haven't done it in awhile, but IIRC my recipe was:

4 servings whey protein (used Gold Standard Whey, Chocolate: 240 calories, 96g protein, 4g fat, 12g carbs)
1 cup oats (606 calories, 26g protein, 11g fat, 103g carbs)
1 large banana (121 calories, 1g protein, 0g fat, 31g carbs)
1 cup strawberries (not sure if that was the right serving size... I generally just added a fistful of strawberries, but going on my assumption that I can fit a cup of strawberries in one hand; 49 calories, 1g protein, 0g fat, 12g carbs)
4 tablespoons almond butter (404 calories, 8g protein, 36g fat, 8g protein)
Add water and crushed ice for a consistency you like.

Honestly, the thing tasted like shit (I blame it on the almonds... I had them in because I got almond butter, didn't like it too much, but had to get rid of it somehow) and makes so much that if you try to down it in one go you'll probably not survive the experience (better to drink it throughout the day) but at the end of it all you end up with:
1468 calories
132g protein
51g fat
166g carbs

Compared to 1 gallon of whole milk which is
2400 calories
128g fat
192g carbs
128g protein

There was a time when I was doing two of them a day on top of my regular diet. Didn't gain much weight since I was focused heavily on cardio at the time, but I probably would've wasted away to nothing if it hadn't been for that nasty slop of a drink. Point is, you can easily come up with a substitute for a gallon of milk in your diet by throwing stuff into a blender.

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Hmm...I don't think I'm allergic to dairy since I'm not lactose intolerant, but it definitely seems to aggravate my hay fever symptoms. Oh well.

Here's a almond milk recipe I came up with that has similar nutrients to whole milk:



The only major difference is that it has less protein than whole milk. I could add whey protein to make it up, but I like to eat whole foods as much as possible. So, I'll just get the rest of my protein requirements from the other foods I eat. I also created recipes using whole almonds and cashews which had more protein, but my blender is not too powerful so almond butter would work better.

Does this recipe sound good? If not, what additions/removals/changes would you recommend?

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No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way. Hebrews 12:11

You may be allergic to one or more of the proteins in milk. An intolerance to lactose is an inability to digest lactose.

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Do the best you can with what you have and where you are.

Dietary guidelines:
1. Keep blood glucose levels tightly controlled
2. Whole foods - organic, free-range, grass-fed, etc.
3. Raw where it makes sense / gently cook the rest
4. Don't fear the fat (avoid man-made trans fats)

Allergies are different from an inability to digest food. Some people cannot digest lactose, or some of the proteins in milk. Others have allergic reactions. Like Dozer mentioned above, your issue may not be the ability to digest the stuff, but rather the allergic reaction that comes along with consuming it. They're two different things.

I'll join the choir and day it sounds like a bad idea to me. Eggs are probably a good solution, as is some extra meat. You can try shakes, but don't be silly and buy whey or other milk protein isolates...you'll probably just react to that, too. Buy a pea or hemp protein.

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I just skimmed through your post. I tried some form of the GOMAD diet before and this is what I have to say about it:


DON'T TRY IT. I am stupid


Unless you're like 130lbs 6', I don't recommend trying it at all because you will put on more fat than you do muscle.

Dozer and BaoDing: Yeah, I guess I have an allergic (histamine) reaction to a protein in milk (probably casein). I've drank many whey protein shakes, and those do not worsen my allergies.

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No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way. Hebrews 12:11

Have you considered yogurt or kefir? They are a more concentrated form of milk, and *might* not effect you the same way as milk does. Kefir and Greek yogurt especially are high in protein.