It starts when you're born, milk is shoved in your face, quite literally. If you were lucky you started with breast milk, which is the only milk that is designed for human consumption without being engineered or modified. As we grow we are given large amounts of milk, we are told how wonderful it is, that it will help you grow big and strong, but does it really?
I now know that I cannot have milk or any dairy product due to an allergy. At first I thought this was the end of my world, how could I live without chocolate milk and cheese?! I used to chug chocolate milk by the glass full. I never understood how one could make a glass and sip on it for an hour, no way, I had to down it all at once and maybe make another glass and do it again. Of course it never failed that after I chugged that glass of chocolaty, silky goodness I felt a bit sick afterward. I would feel bloated and tired and regret the few minutes of chocolate heaven I gulped down. And cheese, oh cheese...I had a love affair with cheese. It was my go to snack, my make any dish better topping, my comfort food, but it also made my tummy hurt after eating it. I often thought it was the way I was consuming these products that made me feel nasty, but know differently now. Now I am thankful that I no longer ingest dairy products after reading the long list of side effects, and would like to think even if I did not have this food allergy I would have quit dairy anyway.
Yes, maybe I have read more into my topic because of my allergy, I find it interesting to see how/why these foods were affecting my body. Who knows if I would have looked this deep into this subject if I had no allergy, but since I have I would like to share my findings with you dairy allergy or not.
First of all, I would like to make you aware of dairy allergy symptoms infant - adult. I will say that I believe dairy allergy symptoms are too often overlooked (i know from experience). This allergy should be considered just as important as the numerous cases of peanut allergies. After I list those I will do my best to make you understand that even with no dairy allergy that you should terminate your relationship with milk!
Milk allergy symptoms in infants:
- vomiting - beyond typical regurgitation
- reflux symptoms
- skin rashes
- extreme fussiness - Colic is often caused by gastrointestinal pain resulting from allergy to proteins found in milk.
- low/no weight gain
- gassiness
- respiratory problems - wheezing, excess mucus in nose and throat.
- failure to thrive - lack proper nutrition, dehydration, loss of appetite, lack of energy.
- diarrhea (2-4x day for more than 5-7 days), may contain blood.
- hives
- wheezing
- vomiting
- gag or refuse dairy product
- watery stools -may contain blood
- diarrhea
- abdominal cramps
- coughing
- itchy skin
- skin rash - around mouth is common
- abnormal irritability
- chronic ear infections - causing too many ear tube surgeries. 50% improve of ear infections improve when milk consumption is stopped (I recall when I was young I had ear infections all the time!)
Milk allergy in adults:
- vomiting
- chronic diarrhea
- abdominal pain/cramps
- poor absorption of nutrients
- eczema
- hives
- coughing
- wheezing
- runny nose
- asthma
- constipation
- flatulence
- headaches/migraines
- heartburn
- chronic nasal stuffiness
- sinusitis
Now I would like to list some diseases that milk consumption is linked to:
- Crohn's Disease, asthma, early sexual maturation, early breast growth, breast cancer, colon cancer, leukemia, ADD, ADHD, prostate cancer, heart disease, kidney stones, ovarian/uterine cancer, osteoporosis, arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, sinus issues, autoimmune disease, lung cancer, childhood anemia, cardiovascular disease, acne, autism, Alzheimer's disease, bed wetting, tuberculosis, multiple sclerosis, stroke, Diabetes (both diabetes mellitus and juvenile diabetes.
Why:
- Cows milk is designed for calves (not humans)! - "it contains 3x's the amount of protein than human milk, which creates metabolic disturbances in humans that have detrimental bone health consequences."
- It is a PROCESSED food
- Cows are being injected with the genetically engineered growth hormone BGH (Bovine Growth Hormone) which causes an increase in an insulin growth factor(IGF-1) and It is directly absorbed into the human bloodstream. "it's highly likely IGF-1 promotes transformation of cells to cancerous forms."
- Milk is homogenized. The butterfat is removed. The butterfat is actually needed to help utilize the vitamins and minerals.
Ok so you may or may not believe this. Many people are do not want to change or believe in anything that will make them have to change even if its for the better. But I hope this at very least will make you more aware and look more deeply into how milk can be dangerous. Sure, you say milk has been around a long time and it doesn't seem to be hurting anyone. Well I beg to differ, look at the increased number of cancers, heart disease, and ear tube surgeries! Do you have chronic sinus problems, acne, gastrointestinal problems?? I challenge you to avoid milk and dairy products for a couple of weeks and see if you do not notice a change in your health! It will be difficult, but the changes you notice will make it worth it.
Recommended food products:
-So Delicious coconut milk beverage, coffee creamer, yogurt, ice cream (btw, coconut milk is so very good for you, much more nutritious than cow's milk, look it up, or maybe I will blog about it soon)-Daiya cheese (it is dairy free and great for grilled cheese, pizza, etc)
-coconut milk is tasty in smoothies!
Recommended books:
"Milk A-Z" by Robert Cohen
"Milk, the Deadly Poison" by Robert Cohen
"Don't Drink Your Milk" by Frank A Oski
sites used:
notmilk.com
allergy-and-diabetic-health.com/milk-allergysymptoms.html
livestrong.com/article/40985-symptoms-toddler-dairy-allergies/
babiesonline.com/articles/baby/eightsignsmilkallergy.asp
naturalnews.com/031255_milk_health.html
saveourbones.com/osteoporsis-milk-myth/
