Going dairy-free is definitely one of the best decisions I ever took. I would like to share with you some of the reasons why and how it helped me in my life.
I know what you are going to say 😉 : “But Maria I LOVE cheese!”. The question is: Does cheese love you back?
I summarized 6 main reasons why you should ditch dairy altogether and start living a healthier life. Food is medicine and whatever we put inside impacts our health in one way or another.
Sometimes, we are very unaware of the link between what we eat and the illnesses we have but trust me, it is all interrelated.
NO MORE HEADACHES
One of the first things I noticed when I ditched dairy is that my headaches were completely gone. As a matter of fact, I never thought my headaches were connected to dairy at all.
Until I discovered that casein, which encompasses almost 80% percent of all the protein found in cow’s milk, is a major trigger of migraines and other types of headaches. Casein causes serious addiction.
So if you are having headaches regularly and you ruled everything else, give it a try and go dairy-free for a month and see if you see any improvements.
YOUR SKIN WILL GLOW
We all love clean, clear skin and let me tell you, dairy is quite the big bad boy in this department.
There is growing evidence suggesting a link between dairy and acne.
I know you are probably thinking: “Oh, so going Vegan can help me with the acne?” Being Vegan does not automatically equal eating healthy. You can be Vegan and eat lots of junk foods and oils for example.
Therefore, I think you could see an improvement if you go HEALTHY Vegan. 🙂
OSTEOPOROSIS YOU SAY?
Since we have been children, we have been told through serious advertisement and marketing strategies that we should drink lots of cow’s milk to strengthen our bones!
Now help me out, if this is the case then those countries that consume the MOST milk should have almost non-existent levels of osteoporosis among their population, correct?
But what we discovered: Those countries that consume the most milk in the world such as USA, Sweden and England have also the highest rates of osteoporosis.
So wait, I thought milk helps strengthen the bones…. 😉
By the other hand, China and Japan, where people consume very little dairy they have the lowest rates of osteoporosis in the world.
OTHER HEALTHY SOURCES FOR CALCIUM
One of the misconceptions people have is that dairy is the only source of calcium. But it isn’t. There are way healthier sources for calcium found in kale, broccoli, leafy green veggies, almonds, etc. And none of them have the kind of side effects we see with dairy products.
Dairy provides high levels of saturated fat and cholesterol which we do not need! The number one cause of death in Trinidad & Tobago is heart disease. We are killing ourselves slowly with the foods we are consuming. And we need to take some serious measures now with our health before it is too late.
WE ARE NOT CALVES
Just the other day, I was looking at an advertisement in the highway for a popular milk brand and it said something along the lines “What is inside our product? 100% cow’s milk!”. I chuckled for a little bit and then I thought to myself:
Do we realise that we are the only species that drink the milk of another species? Even though we have been weaned since we were babies?
The milk found in cows is clearly NOT for us. They are for their offspring: Calves. The milk is super rich in all the nutrients a CALF needs in order to become 350lbs in a matter of a year. Think about it.
DO NOT SUPPORT THE DAIRY INDUSTRY
Many people naively believe that cows produce milk at any moment of time. The obvious fact is that cows (like any other animal) would produce milk only when they are pregnant or nursing.
A cow’s natural lifespan is around 20 years, but cows used by the dairy industry are typically killed after five years because their bodies are wear out from constantly being pregnant or lactating.
“Most dairy cows reach a point in their life when they transition from being a milk producer to being a beef producer. The contribution of beef from culled dairy cows and dairy steers is very important to the beef industry.
These poor cows are standing on concrete flooring for the entire day without having the chance to go out and enjoy green pastures.
But what exactly farmers do in order to get the milk flowing? They artificially inseminate cows over and over using tools called “rape racks”(I didn’t make up the name, that’s how they call it). If you have no idea how this process is like, please take a look (viewer discretion is advised).
When you ditch dairy, you are making a conscious choice to take good care of your health. You are also helping our beautiful animals. They are here WITH us, NOT for us and we should try our best to minimize any pain that we might cause them.
If you have any questions on how to go about going dairy-free please leave a comment below and I will be glad to help. 🙂
My husband and I are over 65 and are now trying to transition to a healthy vegan lifestyle. Our main setback is dairy, especially butter. There is just no substitute to our liking. Any suggestions?
Hi LanQiao! Very glad to hear about your new Vegan journey. Glad for your husband as well. 🙂
There are Vegan spreads in the market, but you will need to check the ingredients. Many of them are plant-based and oil-free.