It feels so good to be writing again since having my sweet baby boy, Wyatt, in January.  He was born on the 3rd then Colton’s 3rd birthday was February 3rd, then we had a slight medical scare with Wyatt.  Needless to say, it’s been super busy the past couple of months.  I have had a blog post I’ve wanted to share for a while now and while Colton is staying over night with his Mere and Papa, I have a little down time to devote while Wyatt naps.  Thank you all for being patient with my absence.  So, here it is.

Do you ever feel sluggish throughout your day?  Noticing an increase in acne?  Do you experience cramping, discomfort, or difficulty digesting?  I may have the “simple” solution for you!  It requires a diet adjustment that could take some time getting used to.

Cutting out dairy.  It doesn’t sound like a complicated task, just stop drinking milk, right?  Maybe cut out ice-cream, too?  Well, how about cheese, or yogurt, or butter…the list goes on.  How do you know where to stop?  It depends on your intolerance to, most likely, lactose.  Lactose is a carbohydrate, or sugar, that is in dairy.  Lactase is a digestive enzyme we have when we’re babies, but some people grow out of the enzyme, so to speak.  Side note, if you see a word ending in -ose, it’s a sugar and if the word ends in -ase, it’s an enzyme.  People that are lactose intolerant have symptoms like listed above.  Lactose intolerant folks make up about 75% of the population so, if you’re suffering, you’re not alone.  When consuming fermented dairy such as yogurt or high in fat dairy products like butter, lactose intolerant sufferers have no issue’s in digestion, in most cases.

Aside from the digestive issues, many argue if dairy is suitable for the adult diet.  Dairy has been widely known to be helpful for supporting bone growth with its known nutrients of Calcium and Vitamin D, but it also has other health benefits.  Consuming milk is also said to promote heart health, decrease risk in strokes and cardiac events.  It’s also loaded with the proteins, fatty acids, and micronutrients we all need.  Grass fed cows carry more fatty acids like omega-3’s in their milk when compared to cows with a different diet.

But most would suggest it’s odd that humans are the only animals who take part in milk consumption in their adult life.  They really find it most oddly that humans drink other animals milk such as cows and goats.  Some studies are showing that dairy promotes cancerous cells within the body.  This is said to be brought on by IGF-1, an insulin-like growth factor, which is in cows milk.  High levels of IGF-1 stimulate cancer cells.  There’s an ongoing debate whether milk actually promotes bone health.  Most teenagers are saying their healthy bones are byproducts of the physical exercise they’ve received in earlier years, not milk consumption.  The calf receives all the nutrients it needs through its mother’s milk.  Once the calf is of age, it moves on to eating grass.  Humans, on the other hand consume formula, or their mother’s breastmilk until they are of age to ingest solids, where other Calcium rich foods, like broccoli, can be taken in.  Even after the child is of age, most still consume milk long in to adulthood.

I love drinking milk and eating cheese and yogurt.  Dairy doesn’t seem to bother me in any way.  I loved drinking milk while growing up so much that I collected the milk mustache ads of all celebrities and hung them on my bedroom wall right next to my NKOTB and JTT posters.  I know, what a loser.  Hahah, what can I say, a food lover at heart, even as a child.  At some point, whole milk started to upset my stomach.  But as I grew older, I began drinking skim milk and that’s what I still drink today.  I will let it be known incase you’re unaware, low-fat anything including milk is typically loaded with sugar to benefit the flavor since the fat is cut out.  Just choose wisely when purchasing your dairy.  Look for full-fat, grass-fed, pasture raised dairy.  Kerrygold cheese and butter is a great alternative, made with grass-fed, hormone free cows milk. Another brand of dairy to look out for is Oatly. Their milk is organically made and lactose free.  A lot of people who do have the lactose intolerant symptoms say consuming goats milk is much more comforting than cows milk.  Raw milk is easier to digest for most lactose intolerant people, too.

Feel free to take this information and do as you please with it.  If milk seems to bother you, maybe try some of the above suggestions.  If you have no issue when taking in dairy, then store this information away for a later date.  Who knows, you may have a friend or relative that could use these findings for themselves.

Have a moooo-velous day!

xox -C