Thinking of going Dairy-Free...

[elegant-one]

I've been dairy free for years now. I think it really helps in keeping extra weight off too. Big lover of broccoli & all the good foods. We've been using soy & almond milk as well.

 

[kpenn]

I've been vegan for almost a year now and I cannot tell you how much of a difference it has made in my health. I have suffered from IBS since I was very little, and found through an elimination diet that dairy and meat were the two biggest causes of my intestinal problems (that and alcohol, booooo!). I also suffered with acne all though my teenage years, and eliminating meat and dairy has completely cleared my skin up.

If you do any research into factory farming, you will find that animals are full of antibiotics, and these can have all sorts of effects on us when we eat them or their byproducts. This is particularly true for women.

There are some things that you will miss initially. Cheese was a big one for me, and ice cream remains a challenge. You will find alternatives (usually that are much healthier - maybe yogurt and fruit instead of ice cream, for example) and quite quickly find that you don't miss them at all. As a girl who was raised surrounded by cheese and meat, I would've thought that becoming vegan would be impossible for me, but it has actually been exciting and fun to completely change the way I eat (not to mention more humane and eco-friendly!).

 

[GLAMORandGORE]

i've been vegan for almost two years now, and there's an absolute plethora of information on the internet...but, in general, most people benefit from dairy free living if done correctly.

 

[GLAMORandGORE]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kpenn I've been vegan for almost a year now and I cannot tell you how much of a difference it has made in my health. I have suffered from IBS since I was very little, and found through an elimination diet that dairy and meat were the two biggest causes of my intestinal problems (that and alcohol, booooo!). I also suffered with acne all though my teenage years, and eliminating meat and dairy has completely cleared my skin up. If you do any research into factory farming, you will find that animals are full of antibiotics, and these can have all sorts of effects on us when we eat them or their byproducts. This is particularly true for women. There are some things that you will miss initially. Cheese was a big one for me, and ice cream remains a challenge. You will find alternatives (usually that are much healthier - maybe yogurt and fruit instead of ice cream, for example) and quite quickly find that you don't miss them at all. As a girl who was raised surrounded by cheese and meat, I would've thought that becoming vegan would be impossible for me, but it has actually been exciting and fun to completely change the way I eat (not to mention more humane and eco-friendly!).

yogurt has dairy in it...

 

[LittleMaryJane]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MzzRach One of the biggest benefits I have noticed so far is in my skin. Much fewer breakouts, even around my time of the month.

How long after going dairy free did you notice a difference? Anyone? I have been thinking about going dairy free for my skin's sake and see if it helps at all but ohhh saying good bye to cheese... And I love cereal but I assume soy milk would be fine with cereal.

 

[kpenn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GLAMORandGORE yogurt has dairy in it...

Soy yogurt doesn't!

 

[Flaminbird]

I kinda have to be dairy free given I'm lactose intolerant

. I'm highly intolerant as margarine bothers me! I can always tell if something has the eeniest bit of milk it it when the stomach starts hurting 30 minutes after eating. Even the little of milk that's in Lime Tortilla chips I cant have

. The "non-dairy" creamers actually have milk in them as they contain Sodium Cassienate (sp). However I still eat some dairy as I just cant deal without creamer in my coffee and like cheese. Weirdly the non dairy creamer I just got says "No milk" yet in the ingredients listing underneath it says "contains milk and soy"

Soy is something I was using instead of milk/creamer but found out recently it can cause a lot of problems with people who have thyroid issues as the isoflavones found in soy depressed the thyroid causing memory loss. My mother has thyroid problems and I suspect I do but have not been able to go to an endo doctor to get it thoroughly checked since I am not working.

Here's the article.....

Soy Alert: Soy: The Dark Side of America's Favorite "Health Food"

 

[coachkitten]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LittleMaryJane How long after going dairy free did you notice a difference? Anyone? I have been thinking about going dairy free for my skin's sake and see if it helps at all but ohhh saying good bye to cheese... And I love cereal but I assume soy milk would be fine with cereal.

I am interested in knowing the answer to this as well.