Dare you live without dairy?

Obviously since it’s the beginning of an exciting brand new year, I, along with probably everyone else on the planet, have  been thinking about New Year’s resolutions. Towards the end of 2014 I started to hear more and more about the negative effects of dairyproducts on the body and the benefits of going ‘dairy-free’. I’ve never enjoyed cow’s milk so have been using almond milk on my granola and in my porridge for some time now, but, being a huge fan of yogurt, ice cream and cheesy pizzas, I hadn’t gone without dairy for more than possibly a week. For the past few months, however, I’ve really cut down on my dairy intake as I often felt bloated and sick after my (massive) evening bowl of yogurt. This semi-boycott of dairy has made me feel healthier and more energized, so now I’m interested to see if ditching it altogether will have an even more substantial effect.

Source: tumblr

There are many arguments both for and against the consumption of dairy, and as I am not a nutritionist or medical professional, I’m not here to tell you that consuming dairy is wrong or totally bad for you as I believe everyone’s body is different and what works or doesn’t work for me may be completely different for you! This is just about explaining why I’m interested in moving towards an even more plant-based diet, and why I’m more inclined to believe that dairy is an unnecessary and potentially unhealthy part of our diet.

My main belief about dairy is that it is an unnatural food source for humans. Humans are the only animal to continue to drink milk throughout their adulthood, moreover, we are the only ones who drink milk from other animals. When you think about it, it is a bit bizarre – imagine a grown cow still suckling its mother, or worse: a grown cow suckling a human mother… yeah, not normal. The argument against this is that many humans have developed the ability to digest lactose (the sugar in milk) by continuing to produce the hormone lactase in adulthood. However, over 75% of the world’s population do not produce this enzyme, which makes me think of it as more of a weird mutation rather than a natural or helpful part of evolution.

I’ve also read recently, mainly from Kris Carr’s Crazy Sexy Diet, that the protein casein, which makes up 87% of cow’s milk can promote the growth of cancer cells. This, for me, really debunks the whole idea of milk being necessary for getting enough protein, as well as going back to the idea that milk is meant for a calf, not a human, therefore the amount of protein in milk is a whole lot more than we need – unless you want to grow to the size of a cow. Cow’s milk is also inflammatory, high in saturated fats, which lead to heart attacks and strokes, and are linked to acne. I first heard that dairy may be a cause of acne from my dermatologist 6 years ago when I was struggling with skin problems. She said if any food were to promote acne and inflammation of the skin it would be dairy – and she’s a very trustworthy professional I assure you.

Another argument making many people less keen to let go of the milk bottle is that dairy is the best source of calcium. Whilst it is true that milk, yogurt and other dairy products do contain calcium, it is said that calcium from leafy greens is absorbed into the body twice as quickly as calcium from milk. In fact, studies have shown that countries where the least amount of milk is consumed also have the fewest bone fractures.

For my last reason for getting away from the udders is one that is relatively new to me. I’ve been a vegetarian pretty much my entire life, but I actually spent a lot of that time, especially in my insecure teenage years, being pretty embarrassed about this fact. I used to cringe whenever people asked me why I was a vegetarian, assuming they’d think I was a crazy animal rights activist and make fun of me. My real reason for being vegetarian is simply that from a young age I was really averse  to the idea of eating another animal’s body – it just seemed gross to me. So having gone through years of trying to hide my vegetarianism for fear of people thinking I’m weird, I have become more and more comfortable with my choice. It helps that being a veggie is now much more widely accepted, celebrated and can be seen as a very healthy way to live. The point of this is that after being so afraid of people judging me for caring about animals, I now really don’t care what people think. I’ve been reading articles and watching documentaries about the dairy industry and have found out about the suffering that these animals endure for our satisfaction and I’ve realized it’s not really ok with me. A lot of cows in the dairy industry are treated horrendously; their movement is restricted, they are filthy and uncared for, and are pumped full of antibiotics and growth hormones to keep them producing milk. Obviously there are dairy farms who treat their cows very well, so I’d just say if you want to consume dairy go ahead but maybe try to find out about the product’s source, and always go for organic.

So, to sum up, I’m not preaching that everyone should give up dairy – it is really difficult seeing as it is a major component of the Western diet – but maybe try cutting it out for a week and see how you feel. I haven’t even completely given it up but my dairy indulgences are getting more and more infrequent and it really is making me feel better and more healthy. Now there are actually loads of alternatives to dairy available in supermarkets, not just health shops, and many restaurants have dairy-free options which makes life without (or with less) dairy a lot more feasible.

P.s this cow spends most of her time in a big open field - she just sleeps in here where it's warm.