Posted on :
9:06 AM
| By :
Anonymous
| In :
diet
I have an allergy to cow's milk. When I drink it, I get an itchy rash on the lower half of my face and it also makes my skin break out like I am a teenager again, and mucus builds up in my throat. It was not an intolerable allergy, and I theorized that it was the casein, although when I eat ice cream I would get stomach aches so I avoid it. I drank soy milk for years and I like the taste, although they say that it's not really that great for you either. It's hard on the system and difficult to digest, which I have witnessed... anytime I or one of the kids gets sick, soymilk just makes us feel way worse.
So I tried goat milk and I loved the flavour and it seemed like a healthy alternative, until I had horrible stomach pains not long after for about a day. I was stuck flat on my back and I know it was an intestinal issue but wasn't sure what it was. I cut out all milk, and I felt 100% better. So the day before yesterday I decided to introduce a tiny bit of milk back in, and put two big heaping spoonfuls of raw goat cheese into a cream sauce I was making out of plain yogurt. This was tossed into a pasta, just a very thin coating so I actually ate very little. But like clockwork the next day I got so sick I threw up first thing in the morning and had other terrible symptoms. Then I cut out milk immediately (while still eating normally otherwise) and today I feel absolutely fine.
So, it seems as though overnight my milk allergy became lactose intolerance. After some reading, however, this does not surprise me. Check out these statistics:
"Between 30 and 50 million Americans are lactose intolerant and certain ethnic and racial populations are more affected than others. Up to 80 percent of African Americans, 80 to 100 percent of American Indians, and 90 to 100 percent of Asian Americans are lactose intolerant. The condition is least common among people of northern European descent." (Digestive Disease Clearinghouse)
So if you look at that, most people in the world can't drink milk. Doesn't it make you question everything the American Dairy Council has been pouring into advertising? The healthiest culture in the world is Okinawa, with an average lifespan of 81. They eat seafood, tofu, oily fish, and fruit and veggies:
"The Okinawan diet might well amaze Americans. The average citizen consumes at least seven servings of vegetables daily, and an equal number of grains (in the form of noodles, bread, and rice—many of them whole grains). Add to this two to four servings of fruit, plus tofu and other forms of soy, green tea, seaweed, and fish rich in omega-3s (three times weekly). Sweet potatoes, bean sprouts, onions, and green peppers are prominent in the diet. Vegetables, grains, and fruits make up 72% of the diet by weight. Soy and seaweed provide another 14%. Meat, poultry, and eggs account for just 3% of the diet, fish about 11%. The emphasis is on dark green vegetables rich in calcium (Okinawans, like other Japanese, don't eat much dairy). Okinawans do drink alcohol, but women usually stick to one drink a day, while men average twice that. Moderation is the key." (UC Berkley Wellness Letter)
Is it any wonder that our diet is so out of whack, when the food pyramid was designed by meat and dairy councils? In fact if you go to nationaldairycouncil.org and beef.org, a large portion of both websites is 'free information' for teachers and parents that be distributed to children. They include a food pyramid that isn't even an actual pyramid, it's a list of six things that you need to eat each day (http://www.beefnutrition.com/uDocs/ncbakidsmypyramidmini.pdf). What's even worse is that it recommends 6 ounces of grains, 2.5 cups of veggies, 2 cups of fruit, 3 cups of milk, and 5.5 ounces of meat. So I should be drinking more milk than eating vegetables? And eating almost as much meat as bread? What's even scarier about this is that this flyer, although designed by the meat council is printed by the government.
This has become a long rant about milk, but pretty much I don't want to drink it anymore at all. We don't need it. Our diet is the result of advertising and if you are worried about calcium, eat kale, broccoli, collards, mustard greens and tofu. If you get seven servings of these each day, I don't think you'll have to worry.
Coming Next Year!
Hi
I beleive milk is one of those things like pork that you have to have eaten since child hood to completely avoid problems. Having said that if you start babies on milk too early then you get allergies anyway. Maybe time to just get your calcium elsehwere.
Good luck!
Good point... I'm starting to believe that maybe we just aren't designed eat something designed for a cow or a goat. :)