Healthy Village

Becoming healthy is one of the benefits of a vegan lifestyle. I get a lot of pushback when I explain that nutritious eating means giving up dairy.

Americans have been brainwashed for years by the American Dairy Association and other food lobbies into believing dairy is beneficial at any age.

Here are 3 reasons to consider ditching milk, cheese, and (horrors!) ice cream to lose weight for life and achieve vibrant health.

1. Solve Digestion Issues

It's a scientific fact that no other species drinks milk past infancy, and no other species drinks the milk of another species. Cows milk is formulated to nourish calves, who have 4 stomachs and gain hundreds of pounds in a few months. Is it surprising that many people immediately lose weight when they remove dairy from their diets?

According to the American Gastroenterological Association, cow’s milk is the number one cause of food allergies among infants and children.

Most people begin to produce less lactase, the enzyme that helps with the digestion of milk, when they are as young as 2 years old. This reduction can lead to lactose intolerance. Millions of Americans are lactose intolerant, a condition, which causes bloating, gas, cramps, vomiting, headaches, rashes, and asthma.

2. Improve Calcium Absorption

That's right - despite the bombardment of advertising to convince us "milk does a body good", overconsumption of protein from animal products including milk actually causes our bodies to excrete calcium and damages our bones.

Several studies support the harmful link between milk and osteoporosis. Although American women consume tremendous amounts of calcium, their rates of osteoporosis are among the highest in the world. Conversely, Chinese people consume half as much calcium (most of it from plant sources) and have very low incidence of the bone disease.

So how DO you get calcium? There are numerous plant sources of calcium like green vegetables, fortified whole grains, and soy foods. Check out this article and scroll down to the chart for a comprehensive list of plant-based calcium sources. www.vrg.org/journal/vj2005issue2/vj2005issue2bones.htm

3. Prevent Breast Cancer

October being breast cancer awareness month, study after study proves the link between consumption of dairy products and a high incidence of breast cancer.

The American Dietetic Association reports that breast cancer is most prevalent in countries where women consume high fat, animal based diets. In Asia, where milk consumption is extremely rare, breast cancer is almost unheard of.

But don't take my word for it. Here is an article from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine web site that discusses even more health concerns about dairy products:

www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/dairy.html

So what should you eat instead of dairy products? Come back tomorrow for a discussion of delicious substitutes for every dairy product imaginable. Yes there are even yummy vegan desserts!