Many of us grew up believing that milk is the answer to all our problems. Whether for getting those strong bones or just staying healthy, dairy products are a one-way ticket to sound health. But is it true? What about the people who have to avoid dairy, say the lactose-intolerant people?
Are their bones weaker than the rest of the dairy-consuming population? Well, not really! Conclusion: There are numerous reasons why doctors and nutritionists recommend going dairy-free. While dairy has some benefits, here are some reasons that leaving it out may not harm your health as much. It may benefit you in more ways than one. Here are some reasons that may help you decide whether you may need dairy or not.
Cutting Dairy May Help You to Lose Weight
The answer is yes. Dairy is a large food group and includes our favorite foods such as Ice cream and milk chocolate, cottage cheese are all dairy. So, if you cut down on this kind of food, it will help you lose weight.
Cutting down on whole-milk foods and replacing them with nut milk can help you amp up the fat burning and help you lose weight. Dairy contains saturated fat, and the more you limit saturated fat, the better your health. Opt for skim milk or fat-free milk if you cannot cut out dairy completely.
Makes Your Skin Blemish-free
Many studies show that increased dairy consumption can clog up your skin and make it more acne-prone in the skin, especially in teens. The presence of growth hormones in milk, which causes insulin spikes, is why your skin starts acting up. Many people say that their skin clears up as soon as they ditch dairy.
Undiagnosed Lactose Intolerance
You may be lactose intolerant and not even know it. As per the NIH, 65% of the world’s population has problems digesting lactose after infancy. If one of them, consuming dairy may lead to multiple digestion issues such as gas, bloating, cramps, or diarrhea. But let’s first find out what lactose intolerance is?
Lactase is an enzyme in your body that helps you digest lactose, the primary sugar found in dairy. Lactose intolerance is often when you do not have enough enzyme lactase to digest dairy properly. So if you are lactose intolerant, it’s worth a shot to avoid dairy completely.
May Aid in Digestion
Many suffer from lactose intolerance, so lactose-intolerant people may want to skip dairy. But even for those who do not have the condition, dairy can greatly impact irritable bowel syndrome. Many people report stomach bloating, and cramps reduce drastically when they quit dairy.
If you can’t skip dairy, opt for products that are much lower in lactose than others, such as aged cheese. Some dairy products are even infused with the enzyme lactase to digest easily.
We should also remember that dairy is pretty low on fiber. You may have seen that eating too much cheese can often lead to constipation. It turns out that fiber is a great ally of our digestive system. So when you consume large amounts of dairy and less fiber-full foods, you may find it difficult to digest the foods, and that is why vegetables are hailed as gut-friendly foods since they are chock-a-block with fiber.
Milk Contains Growth Hormones and Antibiotics
The farmer often gives the cows growth hormones to produce more milk. They also use antibiotics on the cows. This makes their way into the milk they produce, which we consume. Unfortunately, this may often lead to many antibiotic-resistant diseases in the long run. Besides that, it has a lot of unwanted chemicals found in our food.
If you do drink milk, opt for organic. It’s free of the things that make you avoid antibiotics and growth hormones. Organic farms often stand for unfair treatment of animals, so it is a good option if you do not want to ban dairy completely.
The best part is that many dairy-free milk options can help you chart the course towards a healthier life, such as almond milk, soy milk, oat milk, coconut milk, hemp milk, and more. So, even if you can’t avoid dairy completely, you can always opt for these options most of the time and include dairy sometimes if you do not plan to go completely cold turkey on it.