THE DAIRY DILEMMA

Here are specific points to consider when choosing to consume dairy:
1. Individuality – your genetic capability to breakdown dairy
2. Low-quality dairy
3. Lactose (milk sugars) and fermented dairy
4. Dairy Proteins – Casein and Whey

Individuality – Can you break down dairy?

• Healthy individuals genetically can digest dairy more often than unhealthy individuals.
• Symptoms of dairy sensitivity: headaches, skin rashes, nausea, brain fog, etc.

The Test:

• Write down any symptoms or problems you have, even if you don’t think they are related to dairy = skin or hair problems, fatigue, body aches, digestive issues.
• Stay off dairy products for two weeks.
• After 2 weeks, look at the list and re-evaluate if any symptoms have changed. If there are less problems, then dairy more than likely is a stress on your body.
• If there isn’t much of a change, add the same amount of dairy you were eating 2 weeks ago and see if any signs or symptoms get worse. If they get worse, dairy is not a good choice for you.

Low Quality Dairy

• Most dairy products in our stores come from unhealthy animals.
• Most dairy livestock is not in humane environments-they usually are treated with antibiotics, hormones, and chemicals to produce more milk.
• Most products of these animals do not pass with a grade A, but with a grade C. Grade C is still sold in stores as dried/powdered milk, which is used in many packaged products containing milk or cheese.
• Choose dairy from organic, grass fed sources – especially from humane farms where animals are well cared for and less stressed. I usually suggest finding farms that seek products at their farm or farmer’s market.