BY AYOUB OUBARKA
I avoid most dairy products. I'm not lactose intolerant (a problem many adults have where they lack an
enzyme to digest dairy products properly). Its just that there are other foods that have all the benefits of
dairy without all the bad stuff.
A protein found in dairy called casein is a known allergen that can cause health problems like asthma. It
can also irritate your sinuses and your entire immune system. Studies have shown this protein to trigger
autoimmune reactions that can destroy insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, leading to diabetes. Bottom
line: milk can actually cause health problems. Luckily, I never had any problems with milk growing up,
and I used to drink a lot of it, but many people aren't as lucky.
You can get all of the calcium you need from soy products - like soy milk and soy cheese. I switched from
regular milk to soy milk and now I love it. Yes, it takes a little while to get used to the taste, but once you
do, you'll find it delicious. You can also get calcium from fortified juices (like orange juice). Plants like
broccoli and spinach also contain calcium.
Now, again, you don't have to totally eliminate dairy from your diet. I still love eggs and real yogurt. I get
fat-free yogurt because it has less calories, and I get plenty of good fat from the rest of my diet. However if
you switch from regular milk to soy milk, you'll be getting all of the calcium, less of the bad saturated fat,
and none of the cholesterol and allergy-causing casein that real milk has.
It's hard to break dairy down into "good" and "bad" varieties, so my choices here are really more based on
saturated fat and calorie content. Consider these more "preferred" and "less preferred" choices:
•
Preferred Dairy: soy milk, skim milk, 1% milk, fat-free yogurt, soy yogurt,
feta cheese, mozarella cheese, fat-free cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, soy
cheeses, fat free frozen yogurt.
•
Less Preferred Dairy: 2% milk, whole milk, full-fat yogurt, american cheese,
cheddar cheese, full-fat cottage cheese, provolone cheese, ricotta cheese, swiss
cheese, iced cream, condensed milk.
I avoid most dairy products. I'm not lactose intolerant (a problem many adults have where they lack anenzyme to digest dairy products properly). Its just that there are other foods that have all the benefits of
dairy without all the bad stuff.
A protein found in dairy called casein is a known allergen that can cause health problems like asthma. It
can also irritate your sinuses and your entire immune system. Studies have shown this protein to trigger
autoimmune reactions that can destroy insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, leading to diabetes. Bottom
line: milk can actually cause health problems. Luckily, I never had any problems with milk growing up,
and I used to drink a lot of it, but many people aren't as lucky.
You can get all of the calcium you need from soy products - like soy milk and soy cheese. I switched from
regular milk to soy milk and now I love it. Yes, it takes a little while to get used to the taste, but once you
do, you'll find it delicious. You can also get calcium from fortified juices (like orange juice). Plants like
broccoli and spinach also contain calcium.
Now, again, you don't have to totally eliminate dairy from your diet. I still love eggs and real yogurt. I get
fat-free yogurt because it has less calories, and I get plenty of good fat from the rest of my diet. However if
you switch from regular milk to soy milk, you'll be getting all of the calcium, less of the bad saturated fat,
and none of the cholesterol and allergy-causing casein that real milk has.
It's hard to break dairy down into "good" and "bad" varieties, so my choices here are really more based on
saturated fat and calorie content. Consider these more "preferred" and "less preferred" choices:
•
Preferred Dairy: soy milk, skim milk, 1% milk, fat-free yogurt, soy yogurt,
feta cheese, mozarella cheese, fat-free cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, soy
cheeses, fat free frozen yogurt.
•
Less Preferred Dairy: 2% milk, whole milk, full-fat yogurt, american cheese,
cheddar cheese, full-fat cottage cheese, provolone cheese, ricotta cheese, swiss
cheese, iced cream, condensed milk.
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