Does Dairy Have You in the Dumps?

What’s the Deal with Dairy?

Do you sometimes find yourself feeling depressed or unmotivated?  How about running to the bathroom at the most inconvenient times or multiple times a day? Have you ever wondered why in the heck you have a pimple past the age of 18?

It’s highly likely that dairy has you in the dumps if you answered yes to any of these questions.

Logically if you think about it, why are humans the ONLY mammals that continue to consume milk (and it’s products) past our infant years.  Even calves stop drinking milk after a few months.

Granted mammals, including us, are born to drink milk but only up until a certain point.  When we are born our bodies produce an enzyme called lactase that is specifically designed to break down the lactose that is found in milk.  

Everyone has heard of “lactose intolerance” and here is the big reason why it’s so prevalent and why everyone has it…

Humans stop producing the enzyme lactase usually after weaning off their mother’s breast milk and indefinitely around the age of 5-7.  So to some degree we are all “lactose intolerant” if we don’t have this enzyme anymore.

Another reason why dairy might have you in the dumps is because of a protein found in it called Casein.  This protein is at the top of the food allergy and sensitivities list.  The most casein rich foods are Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, protein powders, and most cheeses.

Because of lactose and casein, digesting dairy products is extremely harsh on the gut.  During the digestive process it damages the intestinal lining, causes leaky gut and allowing toxins into the bloodstream.  

This is why you might find yourself feeling depressed, unmotivated, running to the bathroom and popping zits still after the age of 18.  Food reactions show up in all different kinds of ways, not just digestive, and can present themselves up to 8 DAYS after consumption.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my cheese and a little wine with it too.  So how do I keep dairy from giving me the dumps?

Go For Goats.
The level of casein in goat’s milk it about 90% less than cow’s milk making it more digestible and less harmful to the digestive system.  There are a wide variety of goat milk products and cheeses at most grocery stores.

The Cream Is In The Coconut. 
This is my #1 favorite alternative to any milk or cream product.  Coconut milk is loaded with nutrients and natural anti-bacterials, more than almond milk.  Replace your coffee creamer with canned full fat coconut milk and you’ll hardly know the difference.  I’m also a big fan of coconut butter!

Abide By The 90/10 Rule. 
Of course there will be special occasions to dip into the milky way but if you only do it 10% of the time then you are naturally reducing the damage it can have on your gut.  When you do it all the time or every day, the damage compiles and your gut can’t heal.

If you’ve been a chronic dairy consumer for years then you may need some deeper healing therapies than just minimizing dairy intake.  Remember that digestive dysfunction can present itself in many ways (anxiety, depression, skin breakouts/rashes, low energy, allergies etc.) and the deeper the damage the more symptoms will appear.

Don’t let dairy get you in the dumps, leave the milk to the cows 😉

In Health – 
Jenn