During my early gym days, I consumed copious amounts of milk, I fuelled myself with whey protein before, during and after my workouts. I ate dairy such as low-fat cottage cheese straight out of the container and even consumed casein protein before I went to sleep.
I consumed dairy as I thought it was benefiting my strength, built muscle and strengthened my bones but occasionally I felt bloated. I also experienced days when I felt exhausted, even though I was having an adequate amount of sleep. Fitness soon became a grim chore, my enthusiasm was in a negative state and the intensity of my workouts was somewhat lagging.
It wasn’t until I became interested in nutrition, predominantly foods for protein and muscle recovery I stumbled across a study published in the British Medical Journal.
This study was unable to show any link between dairy consumption and the prevention of bone fractures. It also became apparent about the damaging amount of saturated fat, cholesterol and hormones I was consuming when drinking milk. - No wonder my energy levels were so low!
A study of more than 96,000 people found that the more milk people consumed as children, the more bone fractures they experienced as adults.
Fact is, the western world is the largest consumer of dairy, yet us westerners hold the highest percentage of osteoporosis worldwide.
After reading about a study on nutritionfacts.org I found consuming dairy products to be linked to prostate cancer and an increased risk of lung cancer, breast cancer, and ovarian cancer.
Why was I being told dairy is vital for my health when science suggests it does the complete opposite?
Just like the egg industry, dairy production is a multibillion-pound industry who fund their own studies. They can afford to manipulate the media and pay top celebrities a fortune to promote their product.
Before you read another health study, check who’s funding it!
Why do many doctors and other medical professionals promote dairy as healthy?
According to Dr Michael Greger, over the period of 4 years medical students only receive 20 hours of nutrition education and even most of that has limited clinical relevance.
30 years ago, only 37% of medical schools had a single course in nutrition. A recent survey suggests that number has since dropped to 27%.
I think this is outrageous, especially as diets high in saturated fat and cholesterol increase the risk of heart disease which remains today’s top killer!
I decided to ditch the dairy and looked for healthier sources of calcium without the added health risks of dairy. I quickly found that by eating a varied plant-based diet, I could easily get all the calcium I need.
I now ensure my diet consists of leafy green vegetables, like broccoli and kale - naturally loaded with calcium. I also drink plenty of fortified plant milks, such as oat and almond. Soy milk is also a great source of protein. I even found a delicious dairyfree protein shake by Sci-Mx that I drink after the gym.
Better yet, calcium absorption of plant foods are much greater than cow’s milk.
Perhaps that is because cows’ milk is designed for calves and not humans.
Within a few weeks of ditching the dairy I found my motivation levels rise significantly, my energy levels went through the roof. My digestion became much more consistent and I had no more bloating issues. I gained significantly more strength, my body fat dropped, and I became much more focused in the gym.
After my research on all the negative effects of dairy on my health I thought to myself…
‘Why do people consume the milk from another species anyway?’
