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Thanks to msn.com for the image
After talking about Gluten on Wednesday, we’re moving on to dairy. Dairy is something a little subjective, I think, when it comes to deciding whether or not you should be eating it. One major reason that many people believe we shouldn’t be consuming dairy is that we stop producing the required enzymes to digest it in our early childhood years. Hence why so many people are lactose intolerant. Some additional reasons are the high fat and cholesterol, the concentrated amounts of hormones, antibiotics and pesticides if we choose to buy conventional, and (here’s the kicker)- dairy products don’t do a thing for maintaining bone density and preventing osteoporosis. Here’s an interesting statistic: countries consuming the greatest amounts of dairy products (and of course we’re all taught to drink our milk for calcium) suffer from the highest rates of osteoporosis. There are a multitude of reasons for this; however, I think the most important reason has been well defined in this article I found.
There are many healthier, more nutrient dense options for obtaining the calcium we need. Leafy greens and nuts are two perfect examples. But I think the other thing to consider is the acid/alkaline balance that we have in our bodies. I think the link I’ve posted above gives a great summary of how our acidic bodies (those of us who live on a “western” diet of highly processed foods) require our bodies to utilize calcium to balance our pH.
Interestingly, the benefits of removing dairy from your diet include: Better sleep, more energy, fewer mood swings, more sexual energy. Over the course of the last couple weeks, I have been participating in a nutrition experiment and one of the things I am not consuming is dairy. I have noted these benefits from the diet. It should be noted though that I can’t say for certain that I could attribute all these to simply removing diary.
Another thing that I’ve noted myself (and likely you may have as well), is what diary does to my sinuses. It clogs them up and makes them feel thick and just generally yucky. In fact, this is such common knowledge that you if you research sinus problems, the number one recommendation is to avoid dairy products.
So, here’s the thing. Consuming dairy isn’t going to kill you. But its definitely not what it’s made out to be by the dairy industry (including farmers, council, lobbyists, etc). They have a vested interest in getting us to eat as much of it as we can. It’s business. But in reality, we can get our necessary calcium easily without milk or dairy (in fact there are many societies who do so very successfully).
My recommendation on dairy is that everyone needs to see for themselves. Try removing it from your diet for a week (including milk, cheese, yogurt, etc.) and see how you feel. If you notice a difference, than it might be worth it to you to give It up permanently. Consider the alternatives. While I would advise everyone to stay away from soy milk, there are some great options such as rice milk, almond milk, and coconut milk which are all loaded with good things. I haven’t found a suitable cheese substitute yet, but I’ll let you know if I do. See for yourself how you feel, how your sleep habits change (or don’t), what your sinuses do, etc. and then decide whether consuming dairy products is okay for you. For many of us, we can live with minor issues as a trade off for something yummy (for me its chili rellenos). There has to be balance, as with everything. For me, I choose to avoid dairy about 90% of the time. The other 10% is reserved for rellenos. 
Here’s another interesting article if anyone is looking for some additional information about dairy.
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