Why the thought of eliminating dairy can feel IMPOSSIBLE…

Many years ago, while I was in high school, I stumbled upon videos about factory farms. These videos shocked me! I had never heard of farms like this before. I wanted to be try to be a vegetarian and/or vegan at that point, but I made two justifications. The justifications, or rather excuses, were:

1) I lived on a farm. We had our own beef cows, chickens, and pigs. In my mind, these animals weren’t a part of the terror of factory farms. They lived a happy life. (Minus the whole raising them, naming them and then killing and consuming them part).

2) I could never give up CHEESE. So becoming a vegetarian/vegan just wasn’t going to work for me. But why?? Why did I think that I could never stop eating CHEESE?? What was wrong with me?! Why did it feel impossible??

The UGLY truth about dairy…

The UGLY truth is that it wasn’t actually my fault. I was raised eating dairy. I grew up in Wisconsin- 30 minutes from the world’s cheese capital. I was a “CHEESE Head” through and through and CHEESE curds were a part of my daily diet. What I didn’t know until very recently is that dairy is actually ADDICTIVE!

This is because dairy is made of casein, a toxic protein. And casein is composed of smaller proteins called casomorphins.

Casomorphins (note the suffix “morphins”) have an opioid effect, just like heroin or morphine.

And casomorphins are great!!!….FOR BABY COWS…

The addictive properties in casomorphins keeps the calves coming back to their moms for more and more milk. The milk provides them with all of the fats and proteins that a large and growing baby mammal needs!

But for humans, casomorphins are a nightmare! The more you drink milk, eat yogurt, and consume butter, the more ADDICTED you become! Thus making it seem and feel impossible to eliminate dairy from your diet.

Why would a person want to eliminate dairy anyways?

Because of the casein protein that it is composed of, many studies have found that dairy has been linked to an increased risk of several types of cancer including prostrate, testicular, breast and ovarian.

The most notable study, The China Project (formerly known as The China Study), was a 20 year research project headed by Dr. T Colin Campbell in the 1980s. The research concluded that protein - in particular casein protein from cows’ milk - had a direct effect on cancer cell production. However, plant based forms of protein had zero connection to cancer cell promotion.

The China Study results also concluded that animal based diets lead to increased risks of breast cancer and higher blood cholesterol levels. Whereas, low fat plant based diets were associated with quite the opposite.

Since that time, many more studies have been done to back up what The China Study concluded- that a high raw, plant-based diet is the ultimate diet for a human. And that dairy milk, especially from cows, should be avoided to maintain health.

So what can YOU do?

As a nutrition coach, I recommend cutting out all dairy now. With the staggering results about casein from many studies, plus what we now know about GMO crops, growth hormones and pesticides being fed to cows, the high fat and sugar content in milk (not to mention the tragic & inhumane conditions of factory and dairy farms) it would be crazy to risk your health by continuing to consume dairy. Just like with an actual opiate, in order to stop an addiction, you need to go COLD TURKEY and cut off the consumption of dairy in all forms.

Luckily for us, there are TONS of plant based substitutes! And many of them are incredibly healthy! Some replacement options are:

Milks- Almond, Oat, Soy, Coconut

Cheeses- nut based cheeses, nutritional yeast as a cheese-like flavor

Yogurt- Coconut yogurt

Butter- Cashew based butters

I try to avoid products that use a lot of oils, thickeners and fillers. So I am cautious of products that use ingredients like guar gum, carrageenan, canola oil, etc.

For a list of some of my favorite brands for plant based dairy options, check out my FREE downloadable resource Make Great Grocery Shopping Great Again!

“But where will I get my calcium from?!”

Ah, yes, the calcium question. Did you know that 98% of calcium is stored in our bones? Many studies have concluded that consuming too much dairy can actually LEECH calcium from a person’s bones. This may lead to osteoporosis, fractures and bone breaks.

The dairy industry has pushed a LIE for years- that milk is the best source of calcium.

Well, I LOVE to burst their milk bubble! PLANTS actually contain MORE calcium (and protein) than dairy.

Some great sources of calcium include-

Green Leafy Vegetables- kale, collard greens, spinach

Cruciferous Vegetables- broccoli, cabbage

Nuts/Seeds- almonds, Brazil nuts, sesame seeds,

Other- oats, tofu, molasses

C-ya, Cheese!

You CAN cut out dairy. It IS possible! If someone like me- a small-town Wisconsin-born-and-raised farm girl, can cut out ALL dairy, SO CAN YOU!

It may require consistency, a positive attitude, and a determined spirit to break the addiction.

-OR-

After reading this, you may just be ready to quit easy-peasy! You just embrace the YOU that doesn’t consume dairy anymore. And you start living that way!

Whichever route you go, know that with the elimination of dairy, you are making a HUGE step towards improving your health!

YOU’VE GOT THIS!

Sending love,

Celene

Resources

McCann SE, Hays J, Baumgart CW, Weiss EH, Yao S, Ambrosone CB. Usual Consumption of Specific Dairy Foods Is Associated with Breast Cancer in the Roswell Park Cancer Institute Data Bank and BioRepository. Curr Dev Nutr. 2017 Feb 16;1(3):e000422. doi: 10.3945/cdn.117.000422. PMID: 29955696; PMCID: PMC5998914.

Fairfield KM, Hunter DJ, Colditz GA, Fuchs CS, Cramer DW, Speizer FE, Willett WC, Hankinson SE. A prospective study of dietary lactose and ovarian cancer. Int J Cancer. 2004 Jun 10;110(2):271-7. doi: 10.1002/ijc.20086. PMID: 15069693.

Feskanich D, Willett WC, Stampfer MJ, Colditz GA. Milk, dietary calcium, and bone fractures in women: a 12-year prospective study. Am J Public Health. 1997 Jun;87(6):992-7. doi: 10.2105/ajph.87.6.992. PMID: 9224182; PMCID: PMC1380936.

https://nutritionstudies.org/the-china-study/

* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition, consult your physician before using this product.

The Cheese Curd Curse