Dairy Free, the Way to Be?

juliegin
juliegin Posts: 77 Member
edited December 22 in Food and Nutrition
Let me preface this by saying I do NOT believe everything I read on the Internet, but I recently read an article on Yahoo's Shine about how a lady went dairy free and it really improved her skin, not just acne, but also inflammation and pores, etc. I've always had trouble with my skin, so this peaked my interest and am considering, as something of an experiment, of adopting a dairy free life style to see if this could make a difference. I also have been to a dermatologist all of my life, use RX face wash, Retin-A, take doxcyclin all for acne, and it mostly keeps it in check but not all the time, nor 100%. I still suffer from moderate acne and I'm turning 30 this year! When I was younger it was very severe and I even went on Accutane twice.

I don't actually consume a ton of dairy currently, but do eat yogurt daily, and I'm sure I get enough here and there to have to make a conscious effort to avoid it.

To make a long question short...Has anyone else made the commitment to go dairy free, and if so, what if any benefits did you see as a result? Not just skin related.

The article is here:
http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/took-10-years-off-face-one-tweak-diet-144300805.html;_ylt=AgVBf_gmCmi_hijca7jeNDNqbqU5;_ylu=X3oDMTNxN2ljYmFpBG1pdANIZWFsdGggSnVtYm90cm9uBHBrZwNkMzkyNDU3Yi0wOWFlLTM2OGMtYTkwYi1kZTBjOGVhODg4NzcEcG9zAzIEc2VjA2p1bWJvdHJvbgR2ZXIDNmZhMzJlZTEtYjQwZi0xMWUxLWI3ZjctN2IzNGUxYTE3ZmE3;_ylg=X3oDMTFlamZvM2ZlBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdAMEcHQDc2VjdGlvbnM-;_ylv=3

Replies

  • peace_pigeon
    peace_pigeon Posts: 120 Member
    Why not do a 30 day trial, just to see if it makes a difference? I have gone dairy free for long periods of time- mostly because I have a lot of issues with inflamation. It does seem to help, and my tummy always feels better without dairy, When I eat really cleanly, my skin is fantastic. It makes a big difference in my energy levels as well. Worth a try- it certianly wont hurt, right?
  • LeenaRuns
    LeenaRuns Posts: 1,309 Member
    I switched from dairy milk to soy and almond, but it's my understanding that because of how it's processed, you can still have dairy yogurt and get great skin. I had terrible skin growing up and it completely cleared when I dropped milk. Check out the book The Clear Skin Diet.
  • VeganPanda
    VeganPanda Posts: 582 Member
    If it's any help, I am vegan and have almost perfect skin. I have a bit of discoloration but that is all.

    Though, there was a time when I had a bit of acne while vegan, but I was still a teen then, so of course I had some. And now I also eat healthier than I did before so I'm not sure whether that has anything to do with it.
  • impyimpyaj
    impyimpyaj Posts: 1,073 Member
    Dietary changes like this are heavily dependent on your own personal reaction. Some people have absolutely no negative reaction to dairy. Some people have a mild one, not enough to consider it an allergy, but enough that they can tell a difference by cutting it out of their diet. Some people have a severe reaction and really shouldn't have it at all.

    I agree with the suggestion to try it for 30 days. You can't know how your body will react until you try it yourself.
  • cominupmilhouse
    cominupmilhouse Posts: 257 Member
    I went vegan for about two years, didn't notice any skin changes. I found it slightly easier to lose weight when I was exercising, but when I wasn't I was still overweight. I actually didn't notice a change in my energy levels either, good nor bad, despite everyone telling me that I needed more iron/protein/other nutrients that you can apparently ONLY get from meat!

    The absolute worst part of being dairy free is the silly people!
  • lewench
    lewench Posts: 4 Member
    It couldn't hurt to try. I have been off Dairy for the last few weeks because I switched to Almond Milk in my protein shakes. I haven't noticed much of a difference in my skin but I also take Nutrilite Hair Skin & Nails along with Double X and a few other supplements. Almond milk is a great substitute (unless you have an allergy to almonds) for milk in things like cereal and there are many different ones. It also has a great calorie/carb count and a lot of calcium in it. The one thing I'd caution you on is to make sure you are getting enough calcium since milk is where a lot of people get it.

    Good luck!!
  • juliegin
    juliegin Posts: 77 Member
    Thanks for all of the good input everyone. I will give it a try for 30 days at least. Giving up chocolate and ice cream is going to be a challenge!

    Any good dairy free chocolate subs?

    I already only buy organic soy milk for my "milk" simply because it lasts so much longer than cow's milk. So with a few other tweaks I should be dairy free.

    Does protein shake powder typically have dairy in it?

    What if something has "Lactose" in the ingredients list, does that mean they snuck dairy into it?
  • ahamm002
    ahamm002 Posts: 1,690 Member
    If you're concerned about your skin,supposedly eating lots of veggies and fruits can improve your skin tone. So there's another dietary option.
  • peace_pigeon
    peace_pigeon Posts: 120 Member
    There are different kinds of protein powder. Most folks use whey protein, which is dairy based but is lactose free, so it might still work for you. There are other types though- pea, hemp, soy... I try to stay away from too much soy, and I have heard that the pea protein is not very tasty. Hemp seems to be a good option for a lot of people though. A lot of health food stores offer single serving packets of protein powder, so you might want to check that all and sample a bunch to see what works best for you.
  • cheesy_blasters
    cheesy_blasters Posts: 283 Member
    For chocolate you can either get dark chocolate or try to find chocolate made with rice milk (I haven't tried this but I have seen it around).

    Daiya is AWESOME if you want a non-dairy cheese.

    Dairy is a really common allergy so it's actually really easy to live without it once you start reading labels (milk is used in a lot of products)

    If you're a baker you could check out the book Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World (there's a similar book for cookies and pies, I believe too).
  • vndonates
    vndonates Posts: 22
    Whenever I drop dairy and grains from my diet, my complexion always clears up.
  • Pedal_Pusher
    Pedal_Pusher Posts: 1,166 Member
    I eat yogurt, cheese, etc.........and my skin is great.
  • juliegin
    juliegin Posts: 77 Member
    I do eat a ton of fruits and veg, and drink water in addition to all the Dermo stuff, but thanks for the advice!


    This is all great to know, I can't wait to see! Thanks for the tips on the dairy free cheese especially!
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