Ditching Dairy
Written By: Melissa Ieraci R.H.N
My sister tried everything! She bought expensive diaper rash creams, changed the laundry detergent, she just could not get rid of my nephews horrible diaper rash. She was breastfeeding and he exclusively on mommas milk.
I suggested removing dairy from her diet. More on that later…
I get a lot of questions about dairy and we all have a milk myth that is near and dear to our hearts.
” I grew up drinking milk, it ‘does the body good ”
” No dairy? Where will I get my calcium?”
OR
“What about the commercials that say milk keeps your bones strong?”
“I LOVE ice cream, how do you expect me to give that up?!”
MILK MYTH 1:
We are the only species of mammals on earth that drink another mammals milk; there is no strong clinical link to milk consumption and bone health (other than advertisements funded by dairy companies).
Eat green vegetables for ore bioavailable calcium.
Per serving these foods have more calcium than a glass of milk:
- Figs
- Almonds
- Sardines
- Broccoli
- Kale
MILK MYTH 2:
“The countries with the highest rates of osteoporosis are the ones where people drink the most milk and have the most calcium in their diets. The connection between calcium consumption and bone health is actually very weak, and the connection between dairy consumption and bone health is almost nonexistent.”
-Amy Lanou Ph.D., nutrition director for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in Washington, D.C.
The British Medical Journal tracked over sixty thousand women and forty-five thousand men for twenty years; it found no reduction in broken bones for those who consumed the most milk. Women who drank three glasses or more per day were twice as likely to die early as those who consumed less than one (BMJ. 2014 Oct 28;349).
So back to the story with my sister and nephews rash…
After omitting dairy from her diet, my sister found my nephews rash disappeared (in less than a week!). Additionally, she lost weight and her skin blemishes began to clear( this was without any other changes to her eating).
Dairy products contain lactose (milk sugar) and whey/casein (milk protein)
FUN FACT
The FDA also allows a fair amount of pus, mucous, white blood cells, hormones and antibiotics in milk too but that is a different story for a different day.
Some people are intolerant to lactose and know this because they promptly head to the bathroom in a hurry after a bowl of ice cream. Others, like my sister and nephew are intolerant to the proteins in milk and these intolerances manifest themselves as skin irritation (acne, eczema, redness/rash), bloating, gas, migraines, and sinus congestion that you might not associate with dairy.
Hidden in most packaged food products it is no wonder milk is one of the eight most common food allergens.
Sneaky alternative names for milk include:
- calcium caseinate
- lactate
- lactose
- milk derivative/protein/fat
- modified milk ingredients
- hydrolyzed casein
- hydrolyzed milk protein
- whey or whey protein concentrate
DITCH THE DAIRY SWAPS
Milk > Nut Milk
Butter > Ghee
Cream > Coconut Cream
Cheese > Nutritional Yeast
Ice Cream > Use this recipe
MILK MYTH 3:
You can still enjoy dairy free alternatives like this easy to prepare coconut milk ice-cream.
Vanilla Bean Coconut Milk Ice Cream
Ingredients
1 vanilla bean
2 cans full fat coconut milk
½ cup sweetener of choice (honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar)
Whisk ingredients together and put into an ice cream maker according to directions.
No ice cream maker? Put in a bowl in the freezer and remove every 30 minutes to break up big chunks until smooth. This should take 1.5-3 hrs until desired consistency.