Monday, March 4, 2013

6 Week Non Dairy Challenge

Last weekend I was visiting a friend of mine who lives in New Paltz, NY. Val has been a Vegetarian since she was in her mid twenties. She was telling me she decided to go Vegan as well. She has been Vegan since the first of the year and she swears by the results in both health and looks.

She mentioned that I should try to go Vegetarian or Vegan. I told her I love bacon too much and that I have a whole host of health issues that would probably make it impossible for me to do so. What, she asked, where my health issues?

I told her that I have chronic indigestion and heartburn. Intestinal and bowel issues. Chronic headaches and sinus issues. Not to mention a cholesterol tipping 400.

"Go dairy free," was her response.
"Dairy free? I love cheese and ice cream too much."

Val began to talk about various reports that showed why dairy isn't what the FDA said it was cracked up to be. She told me that milk companies add Aspartame to milk so it would be sweeter and more people would drink it, but no longer wanted to label the fact that the milk contained the carcinogen.  Right now milk companies are required to label products that contain Aspartame. Studies have linked Aspartame, sold under the brand names Equal and Splenda, to cancer. Some researchers have found that artificial sweeteners alter brain chemistry and make people crave higher calorie foods, making people more prone to obesity and diabetes. I believe artificial sweeteners are a source of health related issues so this news made me more open to a dairy free lifestyle.

Val continued to tell me that since giving up dairy she slept better, had more energy, lower cholesterol and lost twenty pounds. I told her I would think about.

Later that night I did a little research with the help of Google. I found several articles like this one on HuffingtonPost.com by Mark Hyman, MD. Another article on the well known blog Vegan.com states:
"Dairy is bad news everywhere you look. Almost half of the calories in whole milk come from fat, and nearly all of its carbohydrates come from sugar. Worse yet, the fat in dairy products is every bit as saturated as the fat in beef. On top of that, dairy has absolutely no fiber or iron. And if all that were not enough, you might contemplate why the FDA refuses to answer the question about whether there is pus in milk products."
After one night of research I was ready to start my challenge. The question was where to find reliable information to help me steer in this new world I was entering. Was there alternatives to moo juice, cheese, and my beloved ice cream? Thankfully I found GoDairyFree.org.

This website is a wealth of information on everything you need to know about living dairy free. Product reviews, dairy free grocery store lists, favored products lists, and even fast food lists so you can know what chain restaurants to frequent or what to eat at Mickey D's, Chik-Fil-A, and Subway! Tomorrow I go shop for dairy free milk (soy and rice), dairy free cheese (tofu) and dairy free ice cream (coconut).

I've decided to take this challenge because I am no longer a spring chicken and I need to pay attention to my health before it requires me to do so. I will be posting regular updates so lets go to the vitals:

  • Weight: 173 lbs
  • Very high cholesterol
  • Chronic headaches
  • Sinus issues
  • Heartburn and indigestion
  • Digestive issues

It will be interesting to see where this lifestyle challenges leads. If you like to participate and see if a non dairy lifestyle is for you, there is a 10 day challenge over here.


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