NO.

At least, this house does not….

So I was asked recently, “Why no dairy?”

First off, have your read The China Study? Watched Forks Over Knives?

If you want to step up your nutrition game,  read The China Study. Or if you flat out hate reading, watch Forks Over Knives. Or do both. These two sources are incredibly informative and will provide a much better responses to the “Why no dairy?” question than I can.

Although I’ll try….

My opinion is tough to simplify in just one post. I personally do not like to read super long blog posts or articles when I am browsing the web, so I’ll try to get to the point.

Why No Dairy?

3 reasons…

1. In a nut shell: Casein. Casein is a protein found in cow’s milk. Check your cheese package. It’s there. Dr. T. Colin Campbell, author of The China Study, found casein to be a cancer promoter after decades of laboratory research.  Here is the deal: He was able to turn cancer tumors on and off simply by increasing the amount of casein fed to rats. Yup. casein. Again, look at your package. It’s there.
2. Milk is designed for baby cows, not humans. It is hormonally balanced for calves and when humans drink cow milk, we promote IGF-1 growth hormone, the very hormone that causes cancer cells to proliferate.
3. Calcium, schmalcium.  Mass media teaches us that cow’s milk is good for bones because of its high calcium, yeah, yeah, yeah…. HOWEVER, the US is among the highest dairy consumers in the world and we have the highest rates of osteoporosis. There are better, more absorbable ways to consume calcium. A few ideas here.

So what does the My-Foodie-Call family do when it comes to milk, cheese, ice cream, chocolate milk, yogurts, etc?

I treat it like junk food.

Meaning: occasionally, but not regularly.

Like oreo’s, french fries, cotton candy, and pizza….

A few more details below:

For milk:

I NEVER buy cow’s milk. If a recipe calls for cow’s milk, I sub out a plant-based milk. If the recipe has to have cow milk and can not be substituted?

I do not make it. That simple.

I buy almond milk, soy milk, coconut milk, rice milk, oat milk. I mix it up.

For cheese:

I still buy it, but will go long stretches where our fridge will not have it and when the kids ask, we will be “all out”. I do at times buy string cheese, block cheese, or sliced cheese, but it is never part of the regular grocery list and I try to stock pile vegan cheeses when they are on sale at Whole Foods. Especially Daiya brand. That one stretches, melts and generally tastes the best. Some of the other cheeses are questionable. Sad to say. :(.  What about pizza, you ask? We will still order pizza, but when the pizza is gone  we’ll cut out cheese again for a while. It’s all about balance. I can’t completely deprive my kids or they’ll stage a protest or sit in or something. Wouldn’t want that.

For ice cream:

I buy it, but on occasion. As I mentioned before, we do have dairy, but not as a regular thing. I might buy ice cream sandwiches one week and then not again for another month. We may do a Menchies run on a Saturday afternoon, and then that will be it for a few weeks.

Striving for our best, but not perfection. I am the worst offender on making a fro-yo Menchies run.

No apologies.