Did you know it’s healthy to go dairy-free?
Although dairy does have some of its own health benefits, we don’t necessarily need it in our diets. This is because many of the health benefits found in dairy foods are also available in other foods and drinks on the market today in ways that our bodies can more readily digest.
Milk is produced by mammals to feed their young. It is a great source of protein and growth hormones that help a baby develop from infancy.
When we consider these statements, we think of breastfeeding, not in terms of humans consuming animal milk meant for their babies, not ours. We are also the only mammals who consume dairy through adulthood.
What is Dairy-Free?
Dairy products include milk and anything made from it. Going dairy-free means cutting out milk, cream, half and half, yogurt, ice cream, butter, sour cream, cheese, and kefir.
A dairy-free diet also means cutting out milk and milk products from other animals, too, now just cows. So, say good-bye to goat or sheep milk, also.
Because many baked-goods contain butter or cream, it’s essential to make sure you check the ingredients for hidden dairy products there as well.
6 Truths About Dairy
For the longest time, we have been told dairy is good for us and that it should be an essential part of our daily diet — remember the “Got Milk?” campaign?
The USDA food pyramid is outdated. No matter your stance on dairy — the food pyramid that many of us grew up with was retired in 2011 and replaced with MyPlate.
MyPlate was introduced by Michelle Obama and the USDA. It was designed to provide a much more realistic and accurate representation of what we should eat while also being much easier for people to understand.
And if the information being outdated wasn’t enough, here are 6 truths about dairy that you should consider for a dairy-free diet.
1. Conventional mass-produced dairy is not natural.
If you know America’s “Got Milk?” campaign, then you know that this was the conventional dairy industry’s way to convince Americans that milk was healthy for everyone. Sure, we do need some of the vitamins and minerals found in milk, but we don’t need to be exposed to the added hormones and antibiotics injected by factory farmers.
2. Dairy products can raise insulin levels.
An insulin-like growth factor is in milk to help fatten babies. Human consumption of dairy raises our insulin levels. For this reason, those with diabetes, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS,) and other metabolic disorders should go dairy-free to avoid excess insulin exposure.
3. Dairy products can be estrogenic.
Dairy consumption can promote excess estrogen due to it containing the estrogen from female cows. This is not ideal, since estrogen from any source has been linked to an increase in female cancers. If you want to find balance in your hormones, go dairy-free.
4. Dairy can cause digestive upset.
Approximately 65% of humans are lactose intolerant, meaning they’ve reduced the ability to digest lactose after infancy. Common issues from those who consume dairy include bloating, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS,) gas, nausea, constipation, or diarrhea.
5. Dairy products can cause other medical issues.
Dairy products cause excess mucus production in the respiratory tract. For many, this becomes an asthma trigger. Avoiding dairy could benefit those who suffer from asthma or who have upper respiratory infections.
6. Dairy can cause increased inflammation.
As if the previous 5 truths weren’t enough, consuming dairy can increase inflammation in the body. Chronic inflammation is not healthy and can cause joint pain, headaches, and more.
5 Benefits of Going Dairy-Free
After reading some of the truths about dairy, you may be scratching your head, wondering if there are benefits of going dairy-free. After reading the truths, you may not be too worried, or none of the mentioned health problems apply to you. After drinking milk, you feel just fine. That’s great! But if that’s not enough to convince you to go dairy-free, here are a few benefits that might just change your mind.
1. Digestion
We touched a little bit on the digestive upset, but it’s worth the repeat. When you’re bloating, when you’ve got a cranky gut, when your body can’t break down the lactose, it’s time to seek change. You owe it to your body to feed it the good stuff. When you go dairy-free, you can say bye-bye to inflamed intestines and diarrhea.
2. Acne
Acne is an inflammatory condition. Oil gets trapped in pores, which causes bacteria to grow in the follicles. Those follicles become inflamed, which turns into acne. Dairy causes oil in the body and helps inflammation grow. Going dairy-free can reduce or eliminate acne at any age.
3. Thyroid
We touched on the fact that dairy products create excess mucus and that dairy has been shown to cause an increase in inflammation throughout the body. Dairy also causes inflammation in vital places like the thyroid gland and digestive tract. Cutting dairy can level out metabolisms and increase energy levels.
4. Weight Loss
When your metabolism isn’t working at it’s best, weight loss can happen. Going dairy-free can help with weight loss. Yogurt, milk, and other unsweetened dairy products contain lactose, which is a natural sugar. If you’re someone who has stubborn belly fat, eliminating sugar can help.
5. Candida
If you’re at risk for Candida overgrowth, dairy is among the foods you should avoid. Since dairy is known to cause inflammation, it may promote unhealthy gut bacteria’s growth linked to some chronic diseases like leaky gut.
Because milk is pasteurized and homogenized, with synthetic vitamins added, these unnatural additives can cause yeast overgrowth. Ditch the dairy, resolve the yeast.
Ditching dairy is right for your health, and while it may seem a bit overwhelming to go dairy-free, it doesn’t have to be.
At Outrageous Baking, we’ve taken the guesswork out of some of the dairy and gluten recipes and products you’re used to. We’re here to support you!
- If you’re a baker — you will love using our Outrageous Baking Gluten-Free flour mix in our recipes.
- Not much of a baker? We’ve got you covered. Check out our gluten and dairy-free baked goods.
