“You will pee in your pants when you see how much weight you lose from giving up dairy.” – Rory Freedman and Kim Barnounin, Skinny Bitch
Why do I need to give up dairy?
To answer this question, I'll turn to Kimberly Snyder, a certified nutritionist and raw vegan enthusiast.
"First, let’s take a step back. What is dairy anyway? It is the baby food of another species- cows! It is not fit or meant for human consumption. In fact, it is not fit for any adult consumption- even adult cows. When was the last time you saw a grown cow suckling on another grown cow. Ewwww!! Well that is what is going on when we adults eat dairy products. We are eating the food that is meant for babies- and baby cows at that!
By the time we are 3- 4 years old, most of us have stopped producing the enzymes of lactase and rennin- the enzymes used to specifically break down lactose in milk. Again, nature knows best! The reason we don’t produce these enzymes anymore is because we really aren’t supposed to be having milk anymore. That is the reason we don’t digest diary fully or comfortably. To make matters worse, all dairy sold commercially has been pasteurized, which means it has been heated to such high temperatures that it is even harder to digest, and very acidic in the body.
Think for yourself, and see what makes sense to you. If we eat a food that is totally unnatural for our bodies to break down- how can we not expect to have repercussions? Acne is one such repercussion. Acne is not fun for anyone, and can bring down our confidence and make us not feel and look our best. Besides acne, chronic runny noses and colds, allergies, menstrual cramps, infertility, kidney stones, obesity and breast cancer could represent the results of our continued dairy consumption despite our lactose intolerance."
Kimberly cites a number of references in her blog. Here are two of the most staggering:
-Soy contains isoflavones, specifically genistein and daidzein. These are estrogen-like substances that have the same effect in the body as estrogen. When we eat lots of soy we can become estrogenic, which contributes to such problems as cancer, irritability and mood swings, fat gain around the waist, hips and thighs, fibrocystic breast disease and uterine fibroids.
Casanova, M. et al. “Developmental effects of dietary phytoestrogens in Sprague.” Toxicol Sci, Oct. 1999, 51 (2): 236-244.
Santell, L, et al. “Dietary genistein exerts estrogenic effects upon uterus, mammary gland and the hypothalamic/pituitary axis in rats.” J Nutr, Feb. 1997, 127(2) 263-269.
-The amount of phytoestrogens that are in a day’s worth of soy infant formula equals 5 birth control pills.
“Soy Infant Formula Could be Harmful to Infants.” Nutrition Week, Dec. 10, 1999, 29(46):1-2.
Dairy is extremely mucus forming, which affects our skin, our digestion, and our sinuses. Ask any singer you know if they eat or drink dairy before a performance! I urge you to take the “no dairy” challenge for at least a month, and see what happens to your skin.
