If you’re wondering why you you shouldn’t eat dairy, here are the top reasons to avoid dairy and milk products altogether.
When I removed dairy from my diet and decided to go vegan instead, it made the biggest difference in how I felt. At twenty my joints hurt, and my knees, in particular, were so stiff some days that it hurt to sit and stand.
My digestion was sluggish, and my body felt ‘slow’. In my twenties. That’s pretty darn young to feel slow and uncomfortable.
When I got dairy out of my diet, I felt profoundly better.
It didn’t happen overnight for me, because some things were hard to ‘ditch’ (like cheese). As you will soon see, I later learned that was because of the highly addictive quality of cheese. But, once the dairy products were gone for good… my body felt renewed.
13 Reasons to Avoid Dairy and Milk Products
I talk about dairy far more than any other animal ‘food’. We consume so much of it without even realizing, and unlike meat products which we know we should reduce or eliminate… most of us truly believe that dairy is good for us. I want to change that.
I created these list of reasons to avoid dairy to show you that it’s more than just a personal preference. There are very concerning reasons that affect your overall health.
13. Dairy Alternatives
There have never been better dairy alternatives on the market.
I became vegan almost 20 years ago. Our alternatives for non-dairy milk were: bad-tasting soy milk and bad-tasting rice milk. That was it.
Vegan cheeses? Forget it! Vegan ice creams?
Uh, if you want to call a rice-based icy concoction with a weird oily aftertaste ‘ice cream’, I guess it counts – I just never ate it.
And, that was a big deal for this ice-cream-loving vegan!
Now?
You are spoiled, people! 😉 Have a look at just some of the dairy-free options available:
Milk: Coconut milk from So Delicious and Silk, almond milk from So Delicious and Almond Breeze, soy milk, rice milk, hemp milk, flax milk, oat milk, and blended milk like almond coconut.
Really—there isn’t ONE option in all of these that is at least as good as—or better than—cow milk?
Cheeses: Daiya shreds and Daiya wedges probably earn top spot here for commercial cheeses. But, there are many more recipes available too.
Try my two vegan parmesan alternatives, my ‘Truffled Cashew Cheese’ (pictured below, from LTEV, and recipe coming soon). And, have you seen Miyoko Schinner’s new Artisan Vegan Cheese cookbook? WOW!
Yogurts: Coconut yogurts and greek yogurts, Organic Soy, Almond.
Ice Creams: Oh, you guys are lucky! Coconut ice creams from Coconut Bliss (my FAVE!) and So Delicious, Rice ice creams by Good Karma, soy ice creams, and then many nut and seed based ice creams like almond creams, hemp, and cashew. Or, make your own with my “Dreena Dazs” recipes!
Seriously, I haven’t even exhausted all the brands and options here – we are lucky to have so many delicious options – no excuses.
12. Cancer Prevention
Prostate, breast, and ovarian cancers have been linked to dairy consumption. And, if you’ve read The China Study, you’re aware of the link between casein (the main protein in milk) and cancer. If not, READ it!
Dr. T. Colin Campbell, professor emeritus of nutritional biochemistry at Cornell University and author of The China Study, says casein is one of the most significant cancer promoters ever discovered.
Think about how often children are pushed to eat milk, yogurt, and cheese. Childhood diets rich in dairy products are associated with cancer in adulthood.
For more, watch this video from Dr. Colin Campbell.
11. Cheese is addictive
That’s why it’s so darn hard to stop eating the stuff. But, as you’ll learn in Julieanna’s brief video (and through this list), it’s best to kick the cheese (and dairy) habit.
10. Osteoporosis
Seems counterintuitive. We’re supposed to drink milk to protect against osteoporosis, right? So why do the countries that guzzle the most dairy have the highest osteoporosis rates? We now know that it’s not just calcium intake, but absorption and loss.
When we eat diets high in animal protein (milk included), our bodies become acidic and calcium is drawn from our bones to neutralize that acidic environment – cheese is particularly acidic.
Ditch the dairy (and the meat) to help maintain a more alkaline state in your body.
9. Plant-Based Calcium
Last year, the “Healthy Eating Plate” food guide pushed dairy off the plate, based on Harvard’s assessment that high intake can increase the risk of prostate cancer and possibly ovarian cancer, and also suggesting that foods like collards, bok choy, and baked beans are safer choices than dairy for obtaining calcium.
Speaking of calcium sources and absorption, did you know that kale contains more calcium per calorie than milk (90 grams per serving) and is also better absorbed by the body than dairy?
And that’s just ONE plant food you can eat. Other plant-foods boosting calcium include: beans, nuts like almonds and seeds like sesame, broccoli, collards, whole-grains, and tofu. (And if you think eating leafy greens is hard, I have a leafy-greens post coming up, stay tuned!)
8. Heart Disease
All that cheese and milk (and other dairy products) pack a wallop of cholesterol and saturated fat to one’s diet. A low-fat plant-based diet has been shown not only to prevent heart disease, but also reverse it.
And, before you think low-fat dairy is okay, it has been linked not only to increases in allergies, but also type 1 (childhood-onset) diabetes.
7. Constipation
Milk and cheese have no fiber. Neither does meat.
Dairy is constipating for children. Our children have never been constipated, yet I have heard parents talk about poo problems over and over.
And, grownups, if the kiddos get constipated from dairy, you will too (maybe you are right now).
There’s no need for laxatives. Eat a plant-based diet (rich in whole foods), and you’ll poop easy. There, I said it.
6. Milk Stinks
Okay, there is nothing scientifically or even ethically sound about this argument. But, have you ever just smelled milk? Put aside the fact that you’ve been drinking it since your wee years.
Take a glass and smell it. It has a stink.
I guarantee that if you grew up drinking almond or coconut milk and you tasted COW milk, you would immediately say “peeU”!
It is what we are conditioned to drink, and cow milk is – well – stinky… and, that’s even before it goes sour.
5. Antibiotics and Hormones
The mass production of milk requires cows being stressed to unnatural levels. This stress results in mastitis in the cows, which requires antibiotics, which make their way into the milk in our markets.
Do you want to drink growth hormones and antibiotics? Do you want your children to? You may bypass this one point by choosing organic milk products – but that doesn’t change the composition of milk…
4. Saturated Fats, Cholesterol, and Hormones
Skim milk is marketed for lower fat content, yet a 2011 Harvard study of 12,829 children showed that the milk sugar in skim milk may make you fatter than whole milk.
And, all milk products (as with ALL animal products) contain cholesterol. And, we have been sold the line that “organic” milk is the solution.
But as explained in The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition
“Just because you pay more for the ‘organic’ label doesn’t mean you’re getting a safe, toin-free product. Milk products are inundated with steroids and hormones (both naturally occurring and production-induced… and microbiological contaminants (think bacteria, viruses, parasites and mycotoxins) can also find their way into your dairy products.“
3. Animal cruelty
Dairy production might be the most offensive and heinous of all animal farming. Baby calves are pulled from their mothers at birth. Mother cows will bellow and search after being separated from their young. While female calves are slaughtered or kept alive to produce milk, male calves are taken, chained in tiny stalls and raised for veal.
And, since is unprofitable to keep dairy cows alive once their milk production declines, they are usually killed at 5 to 6 years of age (though their normal life span exceeds 20).
2. Lactose Intolerance
I would guess that if any of us were tested, we would be deemed ‘lactose intolerant. It is estimated that about 75 percent of the world’s population are ‘lactose intolerant’, and those that aren’t (primarily Caucasians) tolerate milk sugar because of an inherited genetic mutation. That’s because the milk is meant for cows, not people…
1. Dairy Products Come from Cows
Why are we all drinking milk from a cow when we wouldn’t drink the milk from our lactating dog or cat… or milk from a horse, pig, or raccoon?!
We are the ONLY species that drinks the milk of another species, consuming it long after weaning. Would you go out into a field and suckle from a cow?! I don’t think so. Think about that connection. Just think about it.
As you can see, there are many health reasons to avoid dairy. I know it’s not easy to make a lifestyle change like this but I promise you that it’s worth it!
Have you already given up dairy? If so, what have you noticed? What were your reasons to avoid dairy?
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Daisy says
I realized about a decade ago I have a sensitivity to dairy and very possibly a dairy protein allergy. (Interestingly enough, things with lactose and no other dairy ingredient don’t seem to affect me.) With each passing year, things got worse and worse, but all I seemed to do was just figure out ways to cut back or eliminate temporarily.
Symptoms I discovered were related to my consumption of dairy:
*water retention/weight gain
*dry skin
*skin breakouts
*rashes
*bloating (non-water bloating)
*headaches
*stomach upset
*at my worst, serious digestive issues causing me to wonder if I had colon cancer
*increased sinus problems
*immediate mucous with the consumption of anything with butter
My final straw was when I was violently ill from having had a couple of pieces of pizza the previous night (I had previously been able to have just 2 pieces with only a mild aftermath). I felt so horrendous, I stopped letting myself “cheat” here and there after that, although I’m realizing now that there are still some symptoms that are lingering and some that pop up here and there and I suspect the “may contain” products are at fault (or another food sensitivity) and I’ll need to pay more attention to that.
In any case, I spent years in self-torture because it seemed easier to not change. But you know what? I just made muffins this morning and used rice milk instead of cow’s milk. They were delicious! We make pancakes fairly often and I use a non-dairy milk. Made some just last Sunday for extended family and people thought I had made a separate batch of pancakes for myself and used “regular” milk for them. Nope. They had no clue. I use non-dairy milk on cereal, in baking, in Cream of Wheat… It really is that easy to switch milks in many cases.
It’s been 3.5 years that I’ve been completely dairy-free and I do wonder now what the big deal was for me to finally say, “I’m done with dairy.” (I say that, and yet I still have the veg*n hurdle to cross! I manage to do a week here and there but haven’t made the commitment. 😐 Yet. 😉 )
http://preppypinkcrocodile.blogspot.com says
My goal for this year is to give up dairy. I have found it SOOOO much harder to do than giving up gluten. Milk isn’t my issue as I don’t drink much and do like the alternatives (though don’t like that many are sweet- gross). But cheese and ice cream are my big weakness. And actually, I could manage the cheese with only a slip now and then but ice cream in the summer…it’s hard.
Jamie says
There’s a LOT of good DIY ice cream recipes online such as (http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/two-ingredient-banana-peanut-butter-ice-cream/) and (http://dairyfreecooking.about.com/od/icecream/DairyFree_Ice_Cream_Frozen_Desserts.htm). And there’s a great dairy free milk that I always buy. It’s “Silk Almond Milk Original”. It does not taste gross or sweet, but cool, refreshing almond tasting. 🙂 (And if you want to know what the enzyme in cheese is that makes it cheese, look up rennet. That’ll get ya to stop eating cheese.) Good luck! 🙂
Gigi says
I landed accidentally on your blog while researching
Vegan recipe. I was born in a country where cheese, French baguette
and wine are staples in our diet. I have been living in Vancouver
for 12 years and since then my migraines, sinus infection, bloating
Etc have become worse. I’m fed up taking medication. I’m already
On a gluten free diet but I do love cheese and yogurt;)
Because I’m peri-menopausal @42 years old, my doctor has suggested
I should try to be dairy/sugar/wheat free. The more I read about vegan diet, the more
I think it would definately benefit my health. Thus, it would not be easy. I’m in bed
Right now nursing a migraine and I’m browsing through your website. I want to try
Your recipe. Thanks for inspiring me today. I thought vegan diet was boring and difficult to do, but
Your lovely blog shows that vegan is interesting and inspiring.
Dreena says
Gigi, I really encourage you to cut the dairy. You will likely feel MUCH better, and it’s easier than cutting out gluten (if that hasn’t been the connection of trouble for you). Also, a lot of people need to cut out wheat, but can still eat other gluten-grains like barley, spelt, and kamut… so you might also have that experience, which offers more options. Wishing you the best, and hoping you take the good health plunge towards dairy-free living!! 😀
Gigi says
Hi Dreena
Thanks for the reply. I’m intolerant to wheat as it causes migraines after a while. I’m allergic to eggs as well (10 years ago). I was so inspired by your blog that I bought your book on Monday.
My migraines are also hormonal related so I have been reading books about peri-menopausal symptoms and how food consumption ( especially sugar) is not good for us esp. women who are
Estrogen dominant.
Your book is very inspiring and I made already the chickpea /sweet potatoes recipe. I wish there was more photos of your recipes in your book;) my daughter loved the food. Now it’s time to convince the Frenchman 🙂
Thank you again.
Norna says
My doctor highly recommends a vegan diet. I haven’t had dairy in my diet for two to three years now and I feel much better than I have in a long time, but still not where I want to be. I have even had an easier time losing weight although it has been slow to go. I am working on that issue. I also eat a gluten free diet, but very little bread. I am slowly changing to vegan totally. My doctor only changed two years ago and said he has never felt so good. For the first time in a long time, I feel comfortable taking the advice of a medical doctor. 🙂
suzanne says
Love this post as my hubby and I were just talking about this. I have been vegetarian for 25+ yrs and my boyz are as well – hubby will eat meat when we are out or if we have friends visit he’ll have bacon for breakfast.
He just read, “what makes us fat” and is all about more protein etc, very low carb and of course, he recognizes he needs to eat more veg/fruit – though he does have a fair amt of that. It makes me crazy(the low carb, hi protien thinking). This is a good compiled list of reasons for less dairy. I read the china study and watch forks over knives which helped and I have been mostly vegan for 1-2 yrs- played with it for a few yrs prior as well. (regular ice cream still gets me once in awhile when there are no nondairy options!)
My question is though – what do you think of the processed nature of some of these foods? I try to make almond milk at home but it is hard to keep up with the demand. I am not crazy about the cheeses (ingredient list) and I do have soy yogurt, but would like to stop as that is somewhat processed as well. I avoid carageenen as much as possible. Any thoughts on this? I know it is best to do everything I can from scratch, but I work, have busy boys etc – that makes it hard to keep up. I wish I could just be home and cook (I recognize this is a full time job and wonder whoever thought women should work outside of the home! – just kidding – sort of 😉
I would love my family to consume less dairy (hubby and one son LOVE cheese!) they are picky and do not eat many different veggies 🙁
Just discovered your sight and LOVE it!
Dreena says
Thanks Suzanne, as a family we eat a largely whole foods diet. I have 3 young children, though, so I also need some convenience in the way of prepared non-dairy milks, yogurts, and things like whole-grain breads, etc. I think it’s important to choose ones that are low (or have no) sweeteners, because children become accustomed to sweet things very quickly and then it’s tricky to go back. As for carrageenan, I am not too concerned about it. I have consulted with a nutritional expert in the vegan field and they have indicated that the dosage in milks is quite low. Of course, we can always be aware and preventative, and so if you are very cautious about it, try brands that do not contain it. Busy moms will find it IMPOSSIBLE to prepare everything from scratch. You would be doing food prep morning, noon, and night – and then some! Better to enjoy healthy vegan eating with a wide variety of whole foods from greens, beans, grains, nuts, seeds, veg and fruit and give yourself the flexibility with these added convenience items. Hope that helps! 🙂
faye says
Hi Suzanne,
If your husband is thinking of taking on the Atkin’s diet, low carb and lots of protein, then he should think again. My husband has just gone for 2 surgeries and one more coming. For years he has avoided vegetables and ate lots of bacon, sausages, steaks, roast chickens, cheeses, and he gets kidney stones. About every other year he passes a stone or more. Some are sharp as barnacles, black and shiny, some are rounded like a small pebble. Anyway, sometimes the stones get blocked up in the urethra and the urine are trapped and backed up to the kidney and also causes Urinary Tract Infection.
Some people are able to tolerate cheeses, meat, but excess is a no no, vegetables are great, especially the green ones. And never forget about exercise and being active, it does help with digestion as well as your well being.
Young men who are very active do need meat for muscle, not just vegetables. Everything should be balanced.
However, I would avoid eating any milk products and meat from USA, unless they are from reliable small farms who cares about what they feed their animals, etc. Really they add bovine hormones to speed up the milk production, so that they can conquer the market share of their products. My friends told me that large eggs and butter sold for only 99cts at the Canadian border crossing, and I wondered why and did the searching. I also avoid cheeses sold in Walmart. Once in a while, I would go for Brie cheese (fermented) and usually one from Europe. Still I wouldn’t eat it everyday, it is just really for the babies of the animals.
Dreena says
Hi Faye, thanks for sharing your experience with your husband. Sounds like a very difficult time he’s had. I want to note that it is a myth that young men need meat for muscle. Some young women are more active than their male peers, and they also don’t need meat for muscle. Protein is ample in plant foods such as beans, greens, nuts and seeds, and also in vegetables. Most people consume more protein than their body needs, and especially animal proteins – which cause a lot of health problems (as you unfortunately know). Here is a very good article from a registered dietitian, that details more about the myths surrounding protein in our culture: http://vegnews.com/articles/page.do?catId=7&pageId=4753 I hope that helps, thanks for connecting and commenting. 🙂