This past weekend I caught up with a friend I had not seen in a long time.  She was diagnosed a while ago with Grave’s Disease (overactive thyroid), and has had many medical treatments/procedures done in dealing with the disease.  Her Doctor has recommended for some time now that she stop eating dairy.  She just couldn’t wrap her head around it as milk was a HUGE staple in her diet.  During the last year as her joint pain worsened he revisited the subject and she decided to give it a try.  She was amazed how much better she felt almost overnight.  We were all amazed at how great she looked, especially her skin and hair!  All I could think was “If I had a nickel for every time I hear one of these dairy elimination/feel better stories I could retire tomorrow!”  What I realized in that moment is I have avoided THIS topic long enough. 

I am used to getting some grief over quitting soda, but people also “logically” understand it.  Milk is a topic I have steered clear of because it is such a staple for most families, and it is something we have been conditioned to believe is good for us…and as Mothers it is the one thing we were told was “Great” for our kiddos.  I know I even felt better about a fast food meal if my kids flushed it all down with some milk.

One of the things that always comes up when I talk to people about what I eat, and what I no longer eat, is dairy.  Most specifically milk.  The comment I most often hear, “So what’s wrong with milk, why can’t I drink milk?”

I think for me the easiest way to answer that question is with another question,  “Why do we drink milk, why do we need it?”

There is only one answer I have ever gotten:  Calcium.  

Honestly we drink milk because we have been told too.  The Dairy Industry is a marketing marvel!  But I think each person, and each family, needs to do their own research and make their own choices! I got rid of milk because the more I learned the more I realized milk is the PERFECT food if, and only if, you are a cow.  There is a reason 75% of the world’s population cannot digest lactose (the sugar found in milk)…our bodies were never designed to process it.  We simply do not need it.                                              

There are so many ways to get calcium out of a healthy, balanced, real food diet.  Not to mention most of us give our kiddos a vitamin every day too.  Kids also need fat for brain development, and overall health (we all do) but they need healthy fats, not processed, chemical-laden fats.  Avocados, nuts, seeds, poultry, olive oil, salmon, shrimp, & canned-light tuna all work-( The Mayo Clinic helps break down the fats, and sources).

Milk, in our house, is Almond Milk.  My kids like it, it works when I need milk to cook with, and my husband likes it in his coffee.  That covers my bases.  I have tried all the options, but I preferred almonds over soy, and some of the other options like rice and hemp, just didn’t fit our family.  Was it hard to switch?  No.  I remember when my Mom introduced skim milk in our house.  The first time I tasted it I said it was like drinking water.  But soon we were all used to it.  This was the same type of thing.  The first day I got a few turned up noses, by the third day no one said a word, it just was. 

Compare this label to the label on the milk you are drinking?  Is it that different?  When I did this I found MORE calcium, FEWER calories, LESS sugar.  The organic milk had more protein, but we were never drinking milk to get our protein, and my guess is you aren’t either.  You probably eat meat, cheese, nuts, nut butters, and several other things throughout the day that fulfill your protein requirements.  So I wasn’t losing anything we needed, and I believe I got rid of MANY things we did not need to be consuming (lactose, antibiotics, hormones, pesticides and in general, a very highly processed food).

Remember Popeye The Sailor Man?  What did he eat to grow up so strong?  Not milk!  He ate his dark, green, leafy vegetables.

Better for us to get calcium, potassium, protein, and fats from other food sources, like whole plant foods — vegetables, fruits, beans, whole grains, nuts, seeds, seaweed and dark leafy greens.  Of course that means you need to be eating those foods:)

Increasingly Dr’s are linking the consumption of dairy to overall body inflammation, acne, joint pain, exacerbation of auto immune disease, chronic fatigue, IBS, colitis and so on and so on and so on.  Fun stuff!

Here are a few resources with information on why we should not drink dairy:

• Here is a great article from the Huffington Post
• Watch the documentary Fork over Knives.  It is a quick, easy watch, and available on Netflix.
• Dr. Andrew Weil on Milk and Cancer
• 8 Reasons to stop drinking milk now

My kids still eat some dairy, but many days they have none.  I still have an occasional latte with milk or soy in it.  I think anything in moderation is ok, it was just too much when we relied on milk, cheese, and yogurt to complete a portion of each meal we consumed everyday of the week.  I also feel strongly the dairy we do consume should be organic when it can be.  Here are the dairy items I still buy.

• YoKids Squeezers by Stonyfield These are a great frozen treat.  Twice a week my kids get these in their lunches and they love them.  I can live with them b/c they have no HFCS and no food dyes (coloring comes from beet juice).  Also the milk used is organic.  With Gogurts you’re getting the addition of high fructose corn syrup, potassium sorbate (food preservative), red 40, and blue 1.
• Horizon Organic Cheese Slices I will actually combine these with a vegan cheese slice like Tofutti, when I make grilled cheese, they don’t even notice.
• Horizon Organic Cheese Sticks Again they have two or three a week.
• Organic Shredded Cheese For when I make something that requires sprinkling cheese on top for the kiddos (chilli, tacos, tortilla soup)
• 2% plain or greek yogurt, organic. This is a great sour cream substitute and a great base that I can add honey, agave, jam, or frozen berries to this and give the kids flavored yogurt.  If you want your yogurt flavored make sure to read the ingredients and check for artificial flavorings and food dyes.

Organic dairy is more expensive.  However we are not eating very much of it so I feel spending a bit more for the small amount we do consume makes good sense. 

The benefits I have noticed for us have been great.  Honestly my digestive system has never been better.  The bloating, cramps, and overall tummy issues I have endured on and off my whole adult life are gone.  My Daughter had dry skin patches all over her body from an early age, and those are gone.  My Husband has always had sinus issues, and those seem to have lessened.  I guess the only way to REALLY know if it was the dairy causing the issues would be to add it back in.  No thanks.  I am going to just go with it!