My Thoughts on Dairy & Why I Went Dairy Free

We are conditioned our whole lives to believe that milk is good for us, and that it's essential to our diets. Between all the advertisements, promotions, and doctors, almost everyone is pushing milk as a healthy beverage vital for proper nutrition. We assume that all of this is true, and so most of us begin drinking cow's milk as soon as we are weaned from our mother's milk. Since becoming vegan and doing research on the meat and dairy industry, I've come to realize how wrong all of this is. Not only morally wrong, but chemically and biologically wrong.

Let's first think about how it is biologically wrong for us to be drinking milk from a cow. So we are born, and almost immediately begin drinking milk from our mother. This breastmilk is perfectly designed to have all the nutrients and calories to sustain life, and help us to develop. We drink our mother's milk, the person that gave us life. Cow's milk, on the other hand, is not from our mother; it's from a different mammal. In fact, it's milk that comes from a mammal that gives birth to a 825 lb. baby. A calf is typically weaned from its mother's milk between 7-8 months of age, as are humans. But we as humans continue to drink cow's milk. Humans are the only mammal that continues to drink milk after infancy, and we also are the only animal that consumes milk from another animal. We don't see dogs drinking milk from a cow, or cats drinking milk from a dog. It's not biologically normal.

When we are born we have an enzyme in our bodies called lactase. This enzyme is to help us digest the sugars in our mother's milk, lactose. As we age, our bodies no longer need this enzyme, due to us weaning off of breastmilk and consuming other foods. So chemically, our bodies are not made or fully capable of digesting milk our entire lives due to the decreased production of lactase. This is one of the reasons why lactose intolerance is so prevalent, people have lost the enzyme/ability to digest the sugars in milk.


"But milk is the only way you can get calcium." This is a common question that comes with an argument against drinking cow's milk. This is completely untrue; calcium can be found in hundreds of different plant-based foods. Not only that, but the calcium in milk (especially when pasteurized, which is required in many states) is barely absorbed in the body. Yes, there is nearly 300 mg of calcium in a cup of milk, but there are many studies that show that very little of it is absorbed. Aside from absorption, milk actually has been shown to cause us to LOSE bone mass. "Drink milk for strong bones" is a common phrase we all hear growing up, but because of the acidity in milk, calcium stores are depleted when we drink it.


Although dairy is an entire "food group" on the USDA MyPlate, that doesn't mean that it is good for us. The dairy industry pays big bucks for that spot on the updated Food Pyramid. The USDA includes dairy, and pushes it because they get paid by the dairy industry to do so. The government spends about $30 billion dollars in subsidies for animal products, encouraging meat and dairy farmers to produce as much as possible. Unfortunately, the government spends barely any money to subsidize farmers that grow fruits and vegetables. The government and the USDA are on board with promoting animal products because that's how they can make money; not because it's good for us.

It has become socially acceptable to drink cow's milk, and we have distanced ourselves so much from the actual process of drinking milk from a cow's nipple it almost makes me sick to think about it. We just see milk in a jug at the grocery store, we never think once about how we are drinking from a cow's udder, just like a baby calf. Cows produce milk for their babies, but in order for us to drink cow's milk it has to be taken from a baby calf, which is often killed, or pumped with hormones to "grow" big enough to then be slaughtered and used as meat.When we drink cow's milk, we are drinking milk that doesn't belong to us.


We don't think about this, because we don't have to see it, hear about it, or even process it. Really, whether you like animals or not, this is wrong on all levels. Most everyone doesn't want to look at photos of where their milk actually comes from, but at the end of the day it comes from a tortured, hormone-pumped, sick, depressed, unhappy animal. It took some research and a little common sense to make me realize how wrong I was for not only drinking cow's milk, but for financially contributing to the dairy industry. Whether or not you believe in drinking cow's milk, the way it is generally obtained is enough reason to stop buying and drinking it. I can get protein, calcium, and nutrients from other sources; there is no need for me to be drinking cow's milk and contributing to that type of cruel, money-obsessed industry.

Maybe all of this is a little graphic, or a little disturbing to think about, but it's all true. Often times vegans get a bad reputation for forcing our opinions on others, or being hateful, or judgmental, but most of us just want to inform people about why we are vegan. Sometimes it takes some daunting photos, or images to make us really think about things, and open our eyes to the truth. Being educated and informed on what we're putting into our bodies is something we should all be concerned with.

Dairy is something I cut out of my diet nearly a year ago, and I am so happy that I did. I feel so much better, both physically and mentally, because I'm not putting something into my body that I'm not supposed to. Giving up dairy is easy, and definitely worth it! Do your body a favor and go dairy free!

For more information about the dairy industry, check out this link!
For some dairy substitutes check out these websites: http://dairyfreecooking.about.com/od/techniquessubstitutions/tp/Cooking-Substitutions.htm
http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/080112p38.shtml
http://www.eatingwithfoodallergies.com/dairysubstitutes.html

How to Make Your Thanksgiving a Little Healthier

Who doesn't love Thanksgiving? It's the time of year that we get to celebrate food, as well as spend time with friends and family being thankful for all the many gifts that we have been given. To many people, Thanksgiving can also be a downward spiral into unhealthy eating that will carry on throughout the holiday season. I thought I would share some of my healthy Thanksgiving tips to hopefully make your Thanksgiving a time to celebrate and respect the food that you put in your body.


Remember, food doesn't define the holiday

After becoming vegetarian, and committing myself to eating a healthy/clean diet, it was difficult for me to let go of the typical "food traditions" and the general thought that certain foods define a holiday or special occasion/event. Even though Thanksgiving has a lot to do with food, it also has a lot to do with being with family and being thankful. Don't go into Thanksgiving with the mindset that food is the only thing that matters, and that if you don't eat this, or that it won't be Thanksgiving.

If you don't like it, don't eat it

There is usually so much food at a Thanksgiving lunch, or dinner that people tend to eat things only because it's there, and not because they actually enjoy it. Be conscious of what you're putting on your plate, choose foods that you actually enjoy eating rather than foods that are "traditional Thanksgiving foods" that you may only eat because you feel you should.


Eat your vegetables!

Load up your plate with vegetables (try to fill at least half your plate with vegetables), and eat those first! This way you leave only a little space on your plate, and in your stomach for the less nutritious food. Vegetables will provide you with fiber, and help to fill your stomach with good things, and cause you to not be as hungry for the less nutritious food.

Stick with unprocessed foods

Foods that come out of a can, or box are foods that are highly processed, filled with preservatives and have lost a lot of their nutrients. Instead of canned green beans, stick with fresh. Or instead of mashed potatoes from a box (which shouldn't even exist), make potatoes fresh.


Don't overcook your vegetables!

This is fairly common mistake that can happen very easily. The vegetables often get steamed too long, roasted until almost burnt, or reheated so many times they turn into rubber. Not only does overcook vegetables not taste as good, but they lose a lot of their nutrients the longer they are cooked. To avoid overcooking your veggies, save cooking them for last, and try to stop the cooking process as soon as possible!


Revamp your mashed potatoes

Mashed potatoes are super healthy, but can often get unhealthy by adding butter, salt, milk, or cream. Stick to just pure potatoes, or throw in some extra nutrients add in cauliflower! Just steam or boil half potatoes half cauliflower, and mash! Also, if you feel it's missing out on flavor, roast or mash up some garlic to give it a burst of flavor!



Know where to spend your money

Although, I don't eat meat I know that this is the time of year when meat (turkey in particular) is essential to some people. If you just can't do without the turkey, at least splurge on this part of the meal. Get a turkey that is free of hormones (organic), and raised locally if you choose to eat meat.



Respect the sweet potatoes

Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite foods, so when people make a sweet potato casserole and pile on the marshmallows, and sugar it makes me really sad. Sweet potatoes are sweet enough on their own, so avoid all the extras and don't downgrade their nutrient potential. Instead of a sugar-filled topping on a casserole, use just a combination of raw chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, or almonds), a little applesauce, and a little flour to create a yummy crumble. Or even top it with a homemade granola!



Put down that salt shaker

Excess salt can lead to water retention, increased pressure in your body, inflammation, and many more health problems so put down the salt shaker, and use other spices and herbs to flavor your dishes. Using pepper, fresh herbs, garlic, or onion you can still flavor your dishes, but avoid excess salt.


Don't drink water

You're probably really confused as to why not drinking water would be a good thing, but in fact drinking water WITH a meal isn't good for our digestion. Help out your digestive system by not drinking anything during your meal, this will allow your body's natural enzymes and acids to break food down more easily. Water or other beverages can often dilute the necessary chemistry needed to digest food properly, so drink water thirty minutes before, and wait thirty minutes after enjoying your meal to hydrate yourself.

Rethink your dessert

Desserts can often be the demise of all positive efforts to eat a healthy Thanksgiving meal. Desserts typically provide no nutritional benefits, so there is no need to eat them. Hopefully after eating a filling lunch or dinner there will be no need for dessert. If you are craving something sweet, go for fruit (raw or dry), and try to bake with whole grains. So if you're preparing desserts for Thanksgiving find recipes that use beneficial ingredients (nuts,coconut, dates, pumpkin, and applesauce) rather than not-so-beneficial ingredients (butter, milk, refined sugar, refined grains). And again, using moderation when it comes to dessert is key.


Don't even think about using canned cranberry sauce!

There is nothing more sketchy than cranberry sauce from a can. It looks, feels, and tastes weird as well as it being filled with preservatives, refined sugars, food dyes, and highly processed ingredients. Make your own cranberry sauce with just a few simple ingredients: fresh (or frozen) cranberries, orange juice, and ginger! That's it, just three simple ingredients simmered in a pot for only ten to fifteen minutes. Not only does it taste delicious, but it's filled with anti-oxidants, vitamins, and nutrients from the fresh, natural ingredients.



Don't disrespect the food, treat it properly so it can help you (not hurt you)

Food should be appreciated, and respected especially during a holiday that celebrates food. Let food help and benefit you, rather than harm you. Cook your food with love and respect, by doing this it will provide you with the health benefits that nature meant for it to provide you with.

Beware of High Fructose Corn Syrup

There are lots of ingredients in processed foods that I try to avoid, but the number one ingredient is high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). HFCS can be found in almost anything; from canned tomatoes to children's apple juice. Because corn is one of the most subsidized products in America, you can find this highly sweetened, processed product in just about everything. 


 In Mark Hyman's article "5 Reasons High Fructose Corn Syrup Will Kill You"(http://drhyman.com/blog/2011/05/13/5-reasons-high-fructose-corn-syrup-will-kill-you/) he shares, "the average American increased their consumption of HFCS (mostly from sugar sweetened drinks and processed food) from zero to over 60 pounds per person per year."This statistic is incredibly scary, because not only is HFCS highly processed but it is being put in just about anything, even in products that aren't necessarily supposed to be sweet.

     As I said earlier, HFCS can be found in so many packaged products because corn is highly subsidized by the government. This means that farmers get paid by the government (with our tax dollars) to grow corn, most of which is genetically modified. Because there is so much corn being grown, it needs a place to go. So that is when it gets stuck in almost all food products. In fact corn can be found in around 70% of products in an average grocery store.


HFCS is a cheap, highly processed form of sugar (fructose). It is also highly concentrated which can cause your blood sugar to spike. Our bodies digest/absorb fructose differently than we do other natural sugars. So when we eat too much of it in concentrated forms it can cause problems in our bodies. Just like any type of added sugar, it should be limited in our diets but limiting added sugars can be difficult to do when HFCS is in just about every packaged product. 

    
     Avoiding HFCS can be easy, as long as you ALWAYS check the ingredient list. Even if you don't think a product would have HFCS in it, check, because it's surprising the things that they can put it in. I would highly encourage you to avoid HFCS at all costs, not only because it's harmful to your body but because the more we avoid it, the quicker companies will stop trying to sneak it into our food. So take a step to improving your health, and back away from the high fructose corn syrup, it will be worth it!

What Is Gluten and Should You Be Eating It?

You could easily say that a "gluten-free" diet has become a trendy thing to do, but is it really a diet that people should follow? Is it something that should be adopted by everyone? Should you really spend ten dollars for a little loaf of gluten free bread? And what even is gluten, and why is it so "bad"?

Many people that are on a gluten-free diet don't even know what gluten is, and why it is supposedly bad for you. This Jimmy Kimmel video sums up most people's idea of what gluten is...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdJFE1sp4Fw

Unfortunately, this video is quite accurate of the general knowledge gluten. Most people don't understand why they are not eating it, and this can be dangerous for people to cut something out of their diet without full research and understanding.

    So what is gluten, and is it really necessary to eliminate it from your diet?




Gluten is a protein that is found in some grains (primarily wheat) which provides stretch and binding in the product the grain is in. Unfortunately, gluten can often get added to almost anything to provide texture and consistency so it can be difficult to identify what contains gluten.



    Now that you know what gluten is, should you give it up?

The main reason people should eliminate gluten from their diet is not because it is "bad" or unhealthy but because of how their body reacts to it. Many people have a sensitivity or intolerance to gluten, which can result in many different ailments (digestive problems, fatigue, hormone imbalances, migraines, poor skin health, inflammation, mood swings). If you are having any sort of health problem, like the ones I mentioned, then you may have a problem digesting gluten. There are lots of people that once they eliminate gluten from their diet, feel much better and realize that their bodies perform much better without gluten. There are a few different tests that you can get done to see if your body is sensitive to gluten, or you can just completely eliminate it for a few months, then introduce it back into your diet to see how your body reacts.

    Is a gluten-free diet healthier?

There are so many gluten-free products that are marketed as being healthy, or better for you. While the actual product may possibly contain "good for you" ingredients, it isn't the "gluten-free" aspect that makes it healthy. For some people, gluten-free products may digest better and help them feel better but for most people gluten doesn't have a large impact on their overall health. Many gluten-free products are assumed to be healthy, resulting in people overeating them. So just because a product is gluten-free it doesn't mean that you can eat limitless amounts of it. A gluten-free cookie is still a cookie.

Gluten-free products often times contain ingredients that are more nutritious than a product containing gluten. Most of these products replace gluten with healthy ingredients. For example, the gluten may be replaced with flax, or chia seeds causing the product to have added health benefits. But at the same time, a gluten-free product may contain ingredients that are just as unhealthy as the glutenous version. That is why it is very important to look at the ingredients!

    How do you know if a gluten-free product is actually free of gluten?

Companies that market a product as gluten-free must actually be completely free of gluten. These products are carefully regulated to ensure that it doesn't contain gluten. There are some products that are naturally gluten-free, but through processing gluten is introduced. Oats are a great example of this. Naturally, oats are gluten-free but because of the processing, gluten is introduced and the oats become glutenous. This is when buying oats that are packaged saying they are gluten-free is necessary if you're following a gluten-free diet.

    Final thoughts on gluten...

For most people gluten does not have a large impact on their overall health. But for some people, avoiding gluten may be helpful. If you're considering giving up gluten, do some research and make sure that you fully understand what it is and how if effects you. When it comes to buying gluten-free be aware of marketing ploys that may take advantage of the "gluten-free trend" to make a product seem healthier when it really may not be. Always check the ingredient list before believing anything you may see on the front of a product.

I personally avoid gluten because I am slightly sensitive to it, and I feel my best when I avoid it. But for some people this may not be true. Like most all things, it varies for each person. Just remember that gluten itself is not unhealthy, it is a person's digestion of gluten that may be the cause of a person's bad overall health.

But also, like any "diet" if you're making a conscious effort to read labels, think before you eat, and be cautious of the food you're putting in your body that is all that really matters. Fruits and vegetables are all gluten-free, so if following a gluten-free diet means you're eating more fruits and vegetables then keep it up!



**Celiac disease is quite different than an intolerance or sensitivity to gluten and can be very serious. It is a completely different subject, so if you think that you may have celiac disease, definitely go talk to your doctor!