Dietitians discuss chaas and digestive tolerance. See how lactose, preparation and added salt shape the claims behind recent buttermilk headlines.
On October 13, 2026, The Indian Express reported that Priyanka Chopra Jonas drinks chaas daily while filming in Hyderabad and asked dietitians about its digestive appeal. Their comments highlighted individual tolerance and a specific caution about very salty preparations for people with high blood pressure.
Before the October coverage, a September 2026 health-information article had already described why some people might tolerate cultured buttermilk differently from regular milk. It explained that fermentation uses some of milk’s lactose. Some people with lactose intolerance may therefore find cultured buttermilk easier to tolerate, although the drink still contains lactose and responses vary.
That background matters because “fermented” and “lactose-free” are not interchangeable descriptions in this coverage. A reduction in lactose does not mean its removal. The useful distinction is between a preparation someone finds comfortable and a drink assumed to suit everyone because of how it is made.
This provides a starting point for reading the latest comments. The earlier coverage framed tolerance as variable rather than supporting the same dietary advice for every person with lactose intolerance. The October story continued that framing when KIMS Hospitals chief dietitian Amreen Sheikh advised people with lactose intolerance or other digestive issues to notice their response.
For readers, this keeps the discussion grounded in an ordinary food choice. Someone’s preference for chaas and their experience after drinking it are different from a claim about what the drink will do for anyone else. The news fits that existing distinction rather than representing a reversal of medical thinking.
The October report put preparation and personal response alongside the drink’s proposed benefits. Its dietitians discussed nutrient content, hydration and digestive comfort. These are distinct topics, so each deserves its own reading rather than being bundled into a broad promise of better gut health.
In The Indian Express, consultant dietitian and diabetes educator Kanikka Malhotra described buttermilk as low in fat and a source of calcium, potassium and B vitamins. This was her nutritional description of the drink.
News18’s October 2026 coverage said chaas can contribute to fluid intake. It also noted that nutritional properties depend on preparation. That makes the recipe part of the story rather than a detail to ignore.
The nutrient description and the hydration description answer different questions. One concerns what the drink contains, while the other concerns its contribution to fluid intake. Reading them separately keeps the message specific to the qualities being discussed.
Chaas can therefore be considered one possible contributor to fluids, not a replacement for adequate hydration. A general description should not be treated as the nutritional profile of every homemade or commercial version. The broader discussion of drinks and everyday bowel patterns also calls for separating a beverage choice from a digestive-health promise.
Sheikh described chaas as containing “good bacteria” that may aid digestion and gut health. Malhotra also praised South Indian preparations containing curry leaves, ginger and asafoetida. She attributed reduced bloating and improved digestive efficiency to those ingredients.
Those comments explain the experts’ enthusiasm for particular preparations. They also show why the exact claim matters: discussing bacteria in a drink is different from discussing the effects of its seasonings. Neither topic should disappear into a vague statement that all buttermilk preparations have the same digestive qualities.
Putting these observations into broader food and nutrition context helps keep a single drink in perspective. The question is how to understand its role as a food, not how to make a familiar recipe carry an entire digestive-health strategy.
Sheikh advised people with high blood pressure to avoid very salty chaas. Her caution concerned the salt added to the preparation. It was not a statement that every version contains the same sodium amount or that all buttermilk is unsuitable for everyone with high blood pressure.
That distinction directs attention to the actual drink being discussed. The recipe matters to this particular caution, while the name “chaas” alone does not settle it. For someone managing a personal sodium restriction, decisions about a particular preparation belong within their advice from a qualified healthcare professional.
The celebrity routine is a separate part of the report. According to The Indian Express, Priyanka Chopra Jonas said on the Mythical Kitchen podcast that she likes Maharashtrian or South Indian-style chaas. Her reported daily use describes a preference while filming rather than a schedule for readers to copy.
The Indian Express piece was a lifestyle report with expert commentary, not an announcement of clinical research. It cited no named clinical study and supplied no measured results on digestive effects, probiotic content, electrolyte replacement or nutrient quantities.
That sets a clear boundary around the health language. There was no trial result in the article showing that chaas reliably improves symptoms or gut health across people. Its favorable descriptions should remain attributed views rather than becoming settled findings in a retelling.
The report also established no standard serving size or specific lactose, sodium or probiotic amount. It therefore does not support a prescribed daily intake. The preparation differences described by News18 further limit how broadly a description of one version can be applied to another.
One expert’s description of chaas as “far superior” to packaged beverages or sodas was a comparative opinion. The article supplied no comparative data to test that description. It should not become a blanket ranking of beverages.
These limits do not make the drink unworthy of discussion. They define the conclusion the coverage supports: an optional food or drink with expert-described qualities and preparation-specific considerations. Chaas should not be presented as a treatment for digestive problems or a way to determine the cause of symptoms.
The realistic implication is modest: chaas can remain an optional drink rather than a required gut-health habit. The useful considerations are the preparation being discussed and the individual’s experience with it.
For someone choosing foods around recurring digestive discomfort, the important question is how that choice fits their situation. Personal decisions about digestive conditions or sodium restriction belong with qualified care when needed. A structured conversation about digestive symptoms is more appropriate than using a celebrity routine to explain ongoing bloating.
This story offers a reminder rather than a new dietary rule. Daily food choices need room for enjoyment and personal tolerance without turning an appealing drink into a universal recommendation.
Reading a daily chaas habit as a solution for everyone’s bloating turns a personal preference into a health claim. Through its free educational platform, DigestGenius translates research about food and digestive function so adults can better understand bloating and regularity without mistaking a celebrity routine for advice that applies to everyone.
DigestGenius publishes research-led guidance on digestion, the gut microbiome, fiber, probiotics, gut-brain signaling, inflammation and everyday digestive wellbeing.
Explore clear, research-led guidance on digestion, the microbiome, food, fiber, probiotics and the gut-brain connection.
read the blog
