# Thinking of going Dairy-Free...



## purrtykitty (Mar 10, 2010)

As I've posted in the title, I'm thinking about going dairy-free (or mostly anyway) for health reasons.  I've noticed after I have something with dairy in it, I get really phlegm-y, sound like I have a smoker's cough, and in general just feel really sluggish.

Anyone else dairy-free?  Any thoughts on doing this?  Tips, etc...?  I'm not super worried about making sure I get enough calcium, as I like soy milk, and I don't seem to have any problems when I eat Greek yogurt.


----------



## January (Mar 11, 2010)

I'm dairy-free. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





 It started at a young age with hating milk and cheese, and just kind of branched out from there. But I've been like that all my life... so I can't really give any tips. I've turned out fine - and I don't pay that close of attention to making sure I get my calcium (I should, but I don't, just being honest). I eat healthy for the most part, so I must be getting it from other foods.

This is some good information:
MilkSucks.com: Got Osteoporosis?

Good luck!


----------



## Honey&LemonGirl (Mar 11, 2010)

I started cutting dairy from my intake about a month ago, also for health reasons (a moderate intolerance for lactose). I noticed I would get horrible stomach aches and bloating after eating pizza or anything with a lot of cheese, milk, or cream in it, so I tried abstaining from dairy for two weeks and noticed a BIG difference. Yogurt (especially nonfat, it seems) doesn't seem to bother my stomach _as much_, but milk/cream and cheese definitely do. And for my midday latte, I get it with soymilk. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 The transition to dairy-free has been surprisingly easy for me, and I'm someone who's pretty in love with dairy products.

When I'm _really_ craving some cheese or a cold glass of milk with my cookie, I take a Lactaid (OTC) pill beforehand.


----------



## Corvs Queen (Mar 11, 2010)

I am dairy free. I have switched to rice milk for my breakfast. It's okay. The vanilla is better than the plain. I decided to go dairy  free because of the health affects of Casein, which accounts for more than 80% of proteins found in cows milk. Also, cows milk causes mucus buildup in the human body. In my honest opinion dairy is toxic. Especially cheese. As for calcium, plenty of veggies contain high amounts of calcium. Such as.....cabbage, spinach, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, eggplant, kale, parsley, peas, pumpkin, turnip, dandelion and asparagus. Hope that helps a bit.


----------



## January (Mar 11, 2010)

Also, I wanted to add - I love Almond Milk, especially the vanilla one. I know you said you like Soy Milk, but give Almond Milk  a try too - it's really creamy and good


----------



## purrtykitty (Mar 11, 2010)

Glad to know I'm not the only one who has problems!  I'll definitely try Almond Milk, too.

I think, for me, dairy is going to be a once-in-awhile treat.  I may also investigate modifying desserts so that they're dairy free.


----------



## MzzRach (Mar 11, 2010)

I've been dairy-free since the middle of January - it actually has not been as hard as I thought it would be.  Good thing I like Soy milk!

One of the biggest benefits I have noticed so far is in my skin.  Much fewer breakouts, even around my time of the month.

I've found this site to be a great resource: Go Dairy Free | Your Information Resource for Dairy Free Living

Let us know how it goes for you.


----------



## laguayaca (Apr 10, 2010)

I really like this thread Ive recently gone dairy free. I have not had drinking milk in about a year but have had organic ice cream every now and then and I love cheese but for 2 weeks now Ive let go of my love affair with cheese and ice cream. its not been hard at all I cant drink almond milk I use it for baking mainly I cant say I enjoy drinking any milk substitute. I dont get sick from milk but I just know its toxic and fattening. 

If you havent tried hemp milk you might like it I know many people that really love it. I use that for my baking and cooking too.


----------



## effboysinthebut (Apr 11, 2010)

I had to greatly cut down on dairy when I was diagnosed with Diabetes, and I've lost a decent amount of weight.  I'm sure its a combination of a bunch of things.  But I notice if I have a week where I have more dairy I tend to gain a little.

Unfortunately I loooooooooove dairy.


----------



## Babylard (Apr 13, 2010)

if you plan on going dairy-free, and your diet is pretty balanced besides that, take calcium supplements and if you have long winters, also take vitamin D since they go hand in hand. too much milk gives me upset stomach so maybe you and i have an intolerence for lactose. yogurt is easier to digest because some of the lactose sugars have been broken down by the bacteria that make yogurt. i can eat ice cream and whatnot, but milk really bothers me. i love dairy products though i cant let go of it lol. they are super good for you. fortified soy milk is an okay substitute but always read the labels. not all products are created equal. for example, the asian sunrise sweet soymilk hardly contains any calcium in it besides the tiny amount they add to it. but god knows i love it!

i was thinking of trying lactaid when i want to have milk!

p.s. i dont see why milk is toxic unless you are getting it from some ghetto farm with no regulations


----------



## laguayaca (Apr 13, 2010)

^lol…i think for my body it is even if it was raw milk. I wont lie I like milk but its not as good as we think. I encourage you to watch a series on youtube called Utterly Amazing. Very eye opening, I ve read many books before watching this but I am not against you if you eat dairy lol

A cup of broccoli has as much calcium as a glass of milk. Broccoli is one of nature's most potent super foods, and has almost twice as much protein as steak: 11.2 g per 100 calories.


----------



## laguayaca (Apr 13, 2010)

Babylard I love your avatar so cute =)


----------



## purrtykitty (Apr 13, 2010)

Yeah, I'm not a huge fan of milk, but other dairy I do love, especially cheese!  For me, I find that if I don't keep it in the house, I won't eat it...and I usually won't go out searching for it, either.

I've been doing OK with not eating a lot of dairy.  It's tough when I eat out, though.

Fortunately, I loooove broccoli, so we eat that fairly often.  I also already take a Vitamin-D supplement, but I probably will have to look into calcium, as well.  I drink soy/almond milk, but usually only a couple times a week.  I buy the smart pastas and breads, which are fortified with calcium, but I doubt it's enough.  I really just need to eat more yogurt.


----------



## laguayaca (Apr 13, 2010)

^^^I love cheeese! have you ever had raw cheese its better than eating reg cheese you can find it in the organic section. A better choice. Hemp milk is full of omegas. You can also get the best form of vitamin D from the sun since youre fair skinned 15 mins a day is enough. Almonds are also a good source of calcium. I have a thread called Reclaiming Myself under health section if you wanna check it out.


----------



## Corvs Queen (Apr 13, 2010)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *laguayaca* 

 
_^lol…i think for my body it is even if it was raw milk. I wont lie I like milk but its not as good as we think. I encourage you to watch a series on youtube called Utterly Amazing. Very eye opening, I ve read many books before watching this but I am not against you if you eat dairy lol

A cup of broccoli has as much calcium as a glass of milk. Broccoli is one of nature's most potent super foods, and has almost twice as much protein as steak: 11.2 g per 100 calories._

 
I really wish that I could thank you twice for this post. Also, Rice Milk is a good option too. The vanilla flavor is best I think but yeah, I drink it and like it. It's not an animal biproduct and it's really easy to digest.


----------



## laguayaca (Apr 13, 2010)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *Corvs Queen* 

 
_I really wish that I could thank you twice for this post. Also, Rice Milk is a good option too. The vanilla flavor is best I think but yeah, I drink it and like it. It's not an animal biproduct and it's really easy to digest._

 
Yes rice, hemp, almond, oat, hazelnut all those are great alternatives to milk theres lots of options!


----------



## purrtykitty (Apr 14, 2010)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *laguayaca* 

 
_^^^I love cheeese! have you ever had raw cheese its better than eating reg cheese you can find it in the organic section. A better choice. Hemp milk is full of omegas. You can also get the best form of vitamin D from the sun since youre fair skinned 15 mins a day is enough. Almonds are also a good source of calcium. I have a thread called Reclaiming Myself under health section if you wanna check it out._

 
I think I'm just going to have to take a day and explore Whole Foods.

Oh, and I did check out your thread, and you've made some amazing progress...I'll make a post over there, too!


----------



## heavenllyhash (Apr 15, 2010)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *laguayaca* 

 
_A cup of broccoli has as much calcium as a glass of milk. Broccoli is one of nature's most potent super foods, and has almost twice as much protein as steak: 11.2 g per 100 calories._

 
Would you mind explaining how broccoli has more protein than steak and as much as 1 cup of milk?

DH is on a high protein diet and he records all his meals with daily protein totals.
These are the numbers he uses:
1 cup broccoli 2.5 grams protein vs. 1 cup milk 8 grams vs 6oz steak 42 grams


----------



## bis (Apr 17, 2010)

Thanks for all the info, girls. I am also thinking of skipping dairy products from my diet. ATM I nearly constantly have a runny red nose and someone told me it is because of dairy products. A bit confused, as I do not eat a lot of them and all the milk I drink is a bit in my coffee.
After all you wrote I will definitely try it to see if it makes any difference.

Too bad I hate Soy Milk...


----------



## purrtykitty (Apr 18, 2010)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *heavenllyhash* 

 
_Would you mind explaining how broccoli has more protein than steak and as much as 1 cup of milk?

DH is on a high protein diet and he records all his meals with daily protein totals.
These are the numbers he uses:
1 cup broccoli 2.5 grams protein vs. 1 cup milk 8 grams vs 6oz steak 42 grams_

 
I'm guessing it has to do with a volume thing.  1 gram of broccoli is probably more voluminous than 1 gram of beef, therefore since you can fit more broccoli in a gram, the protein count is higher.  I didn't do the calculations, but that is the analysis I would use to justify the numbers.


----------



## elegant-one (Apr 18, 2010)

I've been dairy free for years now. I think it really helps in keeping extra weight off too. Big lover of broccoli & all the good foods. We've been using soy & almond milk as well.


----------



## kpenn (May 14, 2010)

I've been vegan for almost a year now and I cannot tell you how much of a difference it has made in my health.  I have suffered from IBS since I was very little, and found through an elimination diet that dairy and meat were the two biggest causes of my intestinal problems (that and alcohol, booooo!).  I also suffered with acne all though my teenage years, and eliminating meat and dairy has completely cleared my skin up.  

If you do any research into factory farming, you will find that animals are full of antibiotics, and these can have all sorts of effects on us when we eat them or their byproducts.  This is particularly true for women.

There are some things that you will miss initially.  Cheese was a big one for me, and ice cream remains a challenge.  You will find alternatives (usually that are much healthier - maybe yogurt and fruit instead of ice cream, for example) and quite quickly find that you don't miss them at all.  As a girl who was raised surrounded by cheese and meat, I would've thought that becoming vegan would be impossible for me, but it has actually been exciting and fun to completely change the way I eat (not to mention more humane and eco-friendly!).


----------



## GLAMORandGORE (Jun 13, 2010)

i've been vegan for almost two years now, and there's an absolute plethora of information on the internet...but, in general, most people benefit from dairy free living if done correctly.


----------



## GLAMORandGORE (Jun 13, 2010)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *kpenn* 

 
_I've been vegan for almost a year now and I cannot tell you how much of a difference it has made in my health.  I have suffered from IBS since I was very little, and found through an elimination diet that dairy and meat were the two biggest causes of my intestinal problems (that and alcohol, booooo!).  I also suffered with acne all though my teenage years, and eliminating meat and dairy has completely cleared my skin up.  

If you do any research into factory farming, you will find that animals are full of antibiotics, and these can have all sorts of effects on us when we eat them or their byproducts.  This is particularly true for women.

There are some things that you will miss initially.  Cheese was a big one for me, and ice cream remains a challenge.  You will find alternatives (usually that are much healthier - maybe yogurt and fruit instead of ice cream, for example) and quite quickly find that you don't miss them at all.  As a girl who was raised surrounded by cheese and meat, I would've thought that becoming vegan would be impossible for me, but it has actually been exciting and fun to completely change the way I eat (not to mention more humane and eco-friendly!)._

 
yogurt has dairy in it...


----------



## LittleMaryJane (Jun 13, 2010)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *MzzRach* 

 
_One of the biggest benefits I have noticed so far is in my skin.  Much fewer breakouts, even around my time of the month._

 
How long after going dairy free did you notice a difference? Anyone? I have been thinking about going dairy free for my skin's sake and see if it helps at all but ohhh saying good bye to cheese... And I love cereal but I assume soy milk would be fine with cereal.


----------



## kpenn (Jun 13, 2010)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *GLAMORandGORE* 

 
_yogurt has dairy in it..._

 
Soy yogurt doesn't!


----------



## Flaminbird (Jun 13, 2010)

I kinda have to be dairy free given I'm lactose intolerant 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





. I'm highly intolerant as margarine bothers me! I can always tell if something has the eeniest bit of milk it it when the stomach starts hurting 30 minutes after eating. Even the little of milk that's in Lime Tortilla chips I cant have 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




. The "non-dairy" creamers actually have milk in them as they contain Sodium Cassienate (sp). However I still eat some dairy as I just cant deal without creamer in my coffee and like cheese. Weirdly the non dairy creamer I  just got says "No milk" yet in the ingredients listing underneath it says "contains milk and soy"

Soy is something I was using instead of milk/creamer but found out recently it can cause a lot of problems with people who have thyroid issues as the isoflavones found in soy depressed the thyroid causing memory loss. My mother has thyroid problems and I suspect I do but have not been able to go to an endo doctor to get it thoroughly checked since I am not working.

Here's the article.....

Soy Alert: Soy: The Dark Side of America's Favorite "Health Food"


----------



## coachkitten (Jun 13, 2010)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *LittleMaryJane* 

 
_How long after going dairy free did you notice a difference? Anyone? I have been thinking about going dairy free for my skin's sake and see if it helps at all but ohhh saying good bye to cheese... And I love cereal but I assume soy milk would be fine with cereal._

 
I am interested in knowing the answer to this as well.


----------

