Why You Should Limit Your Dairy Intake

Everything you need to know about dairy, in Colbianna fashion only (ofcourse).

It’s a love hate relationship. People deserve to know about it.

I realize this title is a little misleading; after all, I am only referring to dairy.

Let’s talk about it though. Humans were not made to eat dairy. It’s as simple as that. Why would we humans drink milk from a cow? IDK. But what I do know is that we all just seem to go with the flow these days. It’s almost as if we see Taylor Swift on a “Got Milk?” ad and immediately think it’s the real deal. Well, I’m here to tell you exactly why it’s not.

Before I get carried away I want to make it clear: I eat dairy sometimes. But here’s why I limit my intake and why you should too.

Dairy includes anything (cheese, milk, butter…etc) coming from mammals (cows, goats, sheep). Dairy contains growth hormones that are specifically made for baby cattle in order to speed up the milk makin’ process. Ever wonder why baby cows grow so rapidly? Colbs I am sorry to break it to you but no, I can’t say I have ever found myself wondering about cows before. Okay, stay with me though. Think about it- if those hormones are what make cows so #largeandincharge, why are we lathering them all over our foods or even consuming as main dishes!? After all, you are what you eat… Right?

The Indian Casein Cancer Study

Casein is a protein found in milk that has been highly linked to cancer. In this study, there are two groups of rats. Both groups were exposed to a carcinogen (called aflatoxin). One group was given 5% casein while the other was given 20%. The group that was given 20% casein literally fed their cancer cells, showing mutation and actual development and growth of cancer! The group given only 5% showed barely any increase in growth if any mutation at all.

That was probably a lot to digest, and I am sorry if you are reading this with a cheese stick in your hand, for real. BUT- it's the truth, and I think you deserve to know it.

When I was a vegan and then reintroduced dairy back into my diet, my body reacted in fight/flight mode. It literally did not know what to do with it; my stomach would turn and rumble, I would wake up feeling puffy eyed, even my nose would clog up. Try resetting your system for a few days… You’d be surprised by how much our bodies become in tune to what it needs vs wants.

A little #foodforthought because this got me thinkin' a million mph

Atleast one of us has that friend who is lactose intolerant. He/she usually compensates by taking a pill so that they can enjoy their dairy in #peace without the discomfort. For starters-WHY!? Why are we masking our internal symptoms if we aren’t made to eat it in the first place?! If you’re one of those peeps, I don’t mean to offend- I understand we all love our Ben & Jerry’s. But think about it, why are we eating something that our bodies can’t handle? Clearly if you are lactose intolerant, your body especially wasn’t meant to be eating this way! I mean at the end of the day, none of us were because it is MILK FROM ANOTHER SPECIES. But I guess that is beside the point in this day in age, right?

Another #foodforthought because clearly I have no chill.

When we are first born, we drink our mother's milk. We do so in order to grow to our natural state and stop at around ages 1-2. This is the same with baby cows, except they do so to grow to THEIR natural state… After all of the NATURAL hormones that cows produce, comes the ADDITIONAL ones that they are injected with (the ones that help speed up the process keeping them lactating all year round). Colbs did I just waste 2 minutes of my day reading that post when I buy hormone free milk? Hate to break it to you… Hormone free milk might mean that the cows aren’t injected with hormones, but what about the natural ones… The one’s that support cow growth, not human growth. The ones that nearly triple in protein levels that our bodies weren’t made to consume! Interestingly enough- studies have shown that the average age of puberty is now 9! It used to be age 13, (before the food industry took over and started bringing added hormones into the picture).

Colbs, back to the pro’s…Dairy is famous for being rich in calcium. I even learned that one in health class!

There it is…. The myth we were born to believe since LITERALLY day one. Hate to break it to you but that whole dairy and calcium link was disproven and has been for quite a while! Dairy actually LEACHES calcium from your bones… If you don’t believe me, google it. If you still refuse to let go of milk solely due to your belief that it “has calcium”, you should know that a lot of other foods have calcium without the carcinogens!!!! That right there is the bottom line. Carcinogen? Car who? Carcinogens are what cause cancer. Back to calcium Colbs. If you need calcium, I suggest eating whole foods such as kale, broccoli, bok choy, collard greens, figs, oranges… The list truly goes on!

There are lots of dairy alternatives that I go to when I find myself cravin’ that texture! But with this, comes a little advice (from Living Purely herself). I once was in this position too, remember? I was FLOODED with information about dairy, didn’t really know if I should eliminate it entirely or eat it with guilt (hence the Colbs went vegan show that lasted 4 months). So here is what I advise- don’t go 0 to 100 overnight, that is NEVER the answer. Start including these dairy-free products as replacements (if you want, I can’t force ya). Maybe try going without dairy products for a whole day and see how you feel. Definitely don’t compensate for eliminating dairy products by going overboard and consuming as many alternatives as you can (remember- always check the labels because there are also additives in those guys!). At the end of the day, it’s all about getting to know your body and what it needs. Atleast knowing this information, you will continue to be aware and in tune with your internal body signals.

FOR THE MILK LOVER

Almond milk (MUST be carrageenan free though!!!) – That’s why I use Califia Farms Unsweetened Almond Milk (I buy it from either Whole Foods, Fresh Market, Stop & Shop).

Cashew milk

Oat milk

FOR THE CHEESE LOVER

Daiya Mozzarella Style Shreds

Almond cheese strips (cheese alternative- from Trader Joes)

Go Veggie vegan cheese (I get mine from Stop & Shop)

pic: https://urbanveganchic.com/category/dairy-2/