What's up with dairy?

JamieZ0503 · September 2014

I keep hearing that dairy is so "bad" for you. I was working out with a trainer awhile ago (which since has become too expensive) and he kept telling me to eliminate all dairy from my diet. I love half and half in my coffee and cheese, so i'm wondering what this is all about. He told me that dairy is really highly inflammatory and causes your body to hang onto weight light crazy.

However, dairy is allowed in clean eating and cottage cheese is always touted as a good source of protein. What gives?

Any ideas?

AskTracyAnnK28 · September 2014

dairy products are an excellent source of protein. I have no idea why your trainer would say that?

Chief_Rocka · September 2014

It' highly controversial. One side of the debate says it's nutritious, macro-friendly, and delicious. The other side says stupid stuff.

lemurcat12 · September 2014

Well, there are no actual rules to "clean eating." It's not really a thing. Just a buzzword some people like for some reason.

However, to address your actual question, some people have ethical issues with dairy (vegans), and a decent number of people have digestive issues with dairy (people who are lactose intolerant, for example). How common this is depends on ethnic background and it may affect you more wrt milk than butter and cheese, I believe.

Anyway, my opinion and experience is that if you have no digestive issues with dairy there's no reason to avoid it. I love it, it makes me feel great, and I've lost fine and tend to feel healthier when I include it in my diet.

kgeyser · September 2014

I eat dairy every day. Lost 39 lbs. Your trainer probably encourages people to stop using dairy because some dairy products can be high in calories and fat, and by getting people to eliminate dairy, it forces them into a calorie deficit, they lose weight, and credit him with the success when realistically his advice was completely unnecessary.

If you enjoy dairy and it doesn't cause you any health issues, there is no reason why you cannot have dairy products while losing weight, provided they fit into your calorie goals.

IsaackGMOON · September 2014

Dairy is far from bad for you, it's a good source of protein and fat.

I understand why people might say its "bad for you", I think they just avoid dairy (cheese is my example) because it is high in fat, making it high in calories. So they might say "its bad for you" just to rule it out... unless you're lactose intolerant or have other medical reasons why you can't consume dairy, it's all good.

I must have dairy almost every day, an ounce of cheddar cheese almost every day.

shadowofender · September 2014

I miss dairy

It's bad for me because I'm lactose intollerant. If I want to hurl all day, I can eat it...but I mostly stay away. That's the ONLY reason it's bad for me, though.

bunnylion · September 2014

I was also wondering about this. I know some diet plans that suggest limiting dairy to one serving a day. And the explanation was something about it messing with hormone (soy is supposed to that as well). But it all seemed very vague...

afortunatedragon · September 2014

I miss dairy It's bad for me because I'm lactose intollerant. If I want to hurl all day, I can eat it...but I mostly stay away. That's the ONLY reason it's bad for me, though.

Me too :-/

ShibaEars · September 2014

I miss dairy It's bad for me because I'm lactose intollerant. If I want to hurl all day, I can eat it...but I mostly stay away. That's the ONLY reason it's bad for me, though.

Me too :-/

Just buy lactose free or soy milk. I'm lactose intolerant too, and I went YEARS without having milk. I finally decided to buy lactose free, and - it sounds dramatic - but I feel like it changed my life :laugh: I can have cereal again (and I love cereal), and being able to have a glass of cold milk is wonderful. And don't even get me started about how excited I was to see soy ice cream! Lactose free milk tastes a bit sweeter, but you get used to it really quick.

I don't know what the "right" answer about milk is, but I know I like it and won't eliminate it from my diet. It's quick & easy protein, and it means I don't have to eat meat at every meal. I like chicken breast & tuna, but don't really want that kind of food first thing in the morning.

Mr_Knight · September 2014

I keep hearing that dairy is so "bad" for you.

Talk with better informed people.

thunderseed · September 2014

I keep hearing that dairy is so "bad" for you. I was working out with a trainer awhile ago (which since has become too expensive) and he kept telling me to eliminate all dairy from my diet. I love half and half in my coffee and cheese, so i'm wondering what this is all about. He told me that dairy is really highly inflammatory and causes your body to hang onto weight light crazy.

However, dairy is allowed in clean eating and cottage cheese is always touted as a good source of protein. What gives?

Any ideas?

Your trainer sounds like he is getting his information from highly controversial diet fads on the Internet.

The truth is this: Milk is extremely nutritionally dense, especially raw milk, and they actually prove that drinking milk that is high in fat is even better for you than low fat milk. There have been numerous of cases and studies that prove that dairy products actually help people lose weight. The biggest reason why milk has a bad reputation is because a lot of people are lactose intollerant. If you aren't, it will not give you problems. If you are, majority of cases of lactose intollerance are solved by taking probiotics and improving healthy gut flora and bacterias. Celiac is another big problem that makes people unable to drink milk.

This claim usually comes from a certain group of paleo dieters, who claim that not only is milk bad for you, but so are all grains, unfortunately the paleo diet would be one of the healthiest diets in the world if not for their drastic, flawed views of cutting out carbohydrates and dairy. You'll find the truth about low carb diets is pretty scary too. The brain only relies on carbs for fuel and the body needs a lot of them because it burns mainly carbs. The healthiest paleo dieters are the ones who eat a well balanced meal plan.

But some do it with a false belief that ancient peoples had neither milk or grains, which isn't the case. Ancient peoples had a very high fibrous diet with loads of carbohydrates and root vegetables and grains have been around for a long time even if they weren't farmed, and this has been proved. We've actually proved that milk has been around for a lot longer than originally thought and even long before the consumption of milk, people were still eating dairy products and even tribal peoples farmed dairy animals.

Unfortunately some people get it in their minds that ancient people only ate berries, nuts and meat. The fact is, they also ate bones, internal organs, raw meat, tree barks, and then even indulged in cannibalism - but of course paleo dieters today do not take it to those extremes, so they aren't getting the vital nutrients the same as our ancestors did.

JojoEffeckt164 · September 2014

If you are not lactose-intolerant dairy is pretty awesome for you and your body.... there is that new trend telling you that dairy is bad for you and so is red meat or meat in general (depending on the study) but I don´t believe on those studies. most of the time they are pretty crappy designed (to less participants, no real correlation etc.)

bambishealth · September 2014

It' highly controversial. One side of the debate says it's nutritious, macro-friendly, and delicious. The other side says stupid stuff.

^^^^^^This^^^^^^^

HeidiCooksSupper · September 2014

Here's the straight skinny on dairy from Harvard's School of Public Health:

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/calcium-and-milk/

apacheta · September 2014

It's totally unnatural (not to mention kind of gross) for adult mammals to consume dairy - especially from another species. Concerns around its health effects include:

- it contains active hormones that can alter our own. For example, the bovine milk hormone IGF-1 has been linked to risk of breast, colorectal and prostate cancer. (Referenced in the Harvard article someone cited above.)
- it contains protease inhibitors which lead to a leaky gut (and therefore autoimmune problems and inflammation). Researchers now speculate that dairy is actually designed to create a leaky gut because elements of mother's milk (e.g. antibodies) need to be able enter the baby's bloodstream through this mechanism.
- it increases mucus production. The body generally does this when it's trying to defend itself. So it can aggravate conditions like asthma and gastrointestinal problems.
- it causes an insulin spike.
- we all know about lactose intolerance, but many people are intolerant to the proteins in dairy.
- it contains proteins that are gluten cross-reactors. This means that people who have a gluten intolerance produce antibodies that not only react to gluten but also to dairy. If you are gluten-sensitive you should avoid dairy.

Basically, there are a lot of healthier things you can put in your body.

slvrsrfr · September 2014

If you're interested in reviewing the science:
http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/

There is so much wrong with dairy that MFP doesn't have the space or bandwidth
to contain it all

CyberEd312 · September 2014

Absolutely nothing wrong with consuming milk unless you are lactose intolerant. I have drank no less than 2 gallons (usually on my 3rd gallon before weeks end) and have lost a couple pounds.....

zyxst · September 2014

It's totally unnatural (not to mention kind of gross) for adult mammals to consume dairy - especially from another species. Concerns around its health effects include:

- it contains active hormones that can alter our own. For example, the bovine milk hormone IGF-1 has been linked to risk of breast, colorectal and prostate cancer. (Referenced in the Harvard article someone cited above.)
- it contains protease inhibitors which lead to a leaky gut (and therefore autoimmune problems and inflammation). Researchers now speculate that dairy is actually designed to create a leaky gut because elements of mother's milk (e.g. antibodies) need to be able enter the baby's bloodstream through this mechanism.
- it increases mucus production. The body generally does this when it's trying to defend itself. So it can aggravate conditions like asthma and gastrointestinal problems.
- it causes an insulin spike.
- we all know about lactose intolerance, but many people are intolerant to the proteins in dairy.
- it contains proteins that are gluten cross-reactors. This means that people who have a gluten intolerance produce antibodies that not only react to gluten but also to dairy. If you are gluten-sensitive you should avoid dairy.

Basically, there are a lot of healthier things you can put in your body.

OP, if you don't have any medical issues with dairy, like lactose intolerance, eat your dairy. Your trainer is full of something and it isn't a degree in nutrition.

SunofaBeach14 · September 2014

another one. Too many of these tonight

northbanu · September 2014

It' highly controversial. One side of the debate says it's nutritious, macro-friendly, and delicious. The other side says stupid stuff.

Ha! This.

123Allyxox · September 2014

Personally, dairy upsets my stomach and causes my skin to break out. I don't think there is anything wrong with it, just doesn't agree with me.. If you can eat it go for it!

dancedivine · September 2014

Unfortunately for me, dairy and gluten both cause me acne. (I can't tell you how much I miss my Fage Greek yogurt!!!) But, I gave up dairy as a part of a 30-day detox program back in January & my skin miraculously cleared up within a matter of weeks. And, then every time I "cheated" after that (ice cream, yogurt, etc), I paid for it the next day. My skin reacts the same way to gluten... So, now my diet is boring - but my skin is clear! Anyways.... I do believe it causes an inflammatory response in some people. And, unfortunately, I'm one of those people.

ukaryote · September 2014

I was working out with a trainer awhile ago (which since has become too expensive) and he kept telling me to eliminate all dairy from my diet. ..He told me that dairy is really highly inflammatory and causes your body to hang onto weight light crazy.

Some people follow a particular diet for their own ethical or religious reasons. Barring that, unless you have an allergy to the food, or diagnosed with a disease exacerbated by a food (gluten for celiac disease, salt for congestive heart failure, alcohol as an addiction), ANYONE that tells you to entirely eliminate any comestible food is a self-important idiot.

"Inflammatory" is one of the magic buzz words. Inflammation - "A localized physical condition in which part of the body becomes reddened, swollen, hot, and often painful, especially as a reaction to injury or infection." So this yutz trainer who can lift weights can now see inside a body with his x-ray eyes and tell that an organ is swollen and hot. Run away from that person. Run fast.

northbanu · September 2014

RaspberryKeytoneBoondoggle · September 2014

:laugh:

anna_jewel · September 2014

Interesting! I am lactose intolerant but I can still eat dairy and I love it! I cant have milk or icecream, but I get lactose milk, cheese, cottage cheese and yogurt. Everybody is different, you should do whatever works best for you and your weight loss journey.