dairy?

CosmicBella

I eat a wide variety of food (veggies, fruits, nuts, beans, grains, seeds) and I don't miss dairy at all, nor do I feel as though I'm missing out on anything because I don't consume it. My calcium levels are great... I get it tested every few months.

daffodilsoup

The biggest reason, for me, to stop buying dairy products is the direct connection between the dairy and veal industries. Male calves who are born from dairy cows are generally sent directly for slaughter, and considering that veal was something that disgusted me long before I gave up animal products, it essentially made me quit dairy cold turkey.

kittenmitton

It's not bad at all. If you like cheese, keep eating it as your snack. I personally don't eat a lot of dairy because it makes me sick. The only thing I can eat is fat-free yogurt or fat-free frozen yogurt. Something about the fat content of dairy products really upsets my stomach. Even if I have low fat yogurt instead of fat-free, I get incredibly sick =/

Gt3ch

Yep. No benefits to it (esp. if you look at it long-term) aside from taste and the fact that dairy is in almost everything. Going dairy-free is a major PITA.

Not really. There's a huge market out there for alternative milks, etc., and if you follow a diet rich in whole foods, you don't really have to worry about this. It's a little more label-reading, but ultimately it's better for the animals and your body.

I AM 100% dairy free. Happy that I did it and now it is much easier and more second nature. But it wasn't an easy transition for me (mostly because of deserts and hidden milk sources) and I find I have to be very vigilant with prepared foods and when eating out.

Fat2PhatRT

I like cheese for the protein and it also seems to satisfy a certain texture craving. Completely excluding a food has never worked for me, instead I try to become more aware of what I'm eating and try to intentional about it-ex. if I order a sandwich I will probably skip the cheese because I generally don't miss it.

CoderGal

here we go again lol

in MY opinion dairy, milk and milk products, is baby food not needed by healthy adults.. i am not vegan, i just believe that

There's a reason all other animals on the planet stop drinking dairy. Calcium is important, dairy naturally or unnaturally pumped with hormones you can do without. Feel free to eat your cheese (I know I do) just remember what a real portion size is. Many don't realize a serving size of cheese is a few dominos or a few dice big (one ounce).

serving sizes = http://web.mit.edu/athletics/sportsmedicine/wcrservings.html

Be careful if you decide to change from dairy to soy not to overdose on it, it's in everything, you probably don't need to drink it too.

Reasie26

So, there are multiple reasons to limit or cut dairy out all together:

1) cut calories - make room for more nutritious foods
2) cut fat
3) animal cruelty - sucks big time for dairy cows and the infants they are forced to carry, deliver, and give up to the veal industry/slaughter, and lots of cheese is made with rennin which comes from the stomach lining of a baby cow
4) intolerance/allergy
5) healthier bones - yes, there are multiple studies that show dairy actually leaches calcium from our bones. a correlation is shown with countries that consume less dairy and having less osteoporosis. I'm sure other variables are present. But, bio-chemistry supports the theory.

And there is really one reason to keep eating it*:
1) you like to eat it


*Notice that "best source of protein, calcium, etc" or "nutritional requirement" is not listed

My personal reasons were #'s 3 and 4. First is was about the animals, then after being "clean" for a few months, I "cheated" and had a milk chocolate candy bar. I thought I was going to DIE!!!!! I didn't realize that the constant state of GI distress wasn't normal. I remember thinking I had that irritable bowel syndrome or something, but never did anything about it. Now, when I have something that has a little milk in it, my stomach gets achy like it used to always be. But if I eat something like milk chocolate with a lot of milk compared to what I'm used to - I just want to rip my insides out, it hurts so bad!!! I have only done that twice since eliminating dairy two years ago. I don't plan on doing it ever again!!

Obviously, not everyone is going to have these reactions, but I agree with an above statement - I think a lot of people (again, not EVERYONE) have these intolerances and just don't realize how much better they could feel.