I cut 100% of my dairy intake out of my diet in 2010. I wish I had done it sooner. Why?
Let’s think about this. Mothers’ bodies – regardless of our leg count – are designed to bring babies into this world with the intention of providing for that baby’s health and nutritional needs to grow that child into a healthy, full-sized version of the mommy. That makes sense. The female body is truly miraculous in its ability to grow a brand new body inside her own and upon its arrival, the mother’s body can produce all the nutrients needed to jump start the baby’s growth until the baby can sustain itself without the aid of the mother’s milk. Amazing, right?
Since we are so culturally focused on the benefits of a diet teeming with dairy, consider cows for a moment with me.
At birth, calves can weigh between 50-100 pounds. Look at the other end of that scale: full-grown dairy cows weigh between 800-1000 pounds!!! Hello. I only weigh 112 pounds now at full size human! If mommy cows are producing milk that is intended to grow a baby cow into another mommy cow, then that milk is chock-full of the nutritional intake for an animal that already weighs what I currently weigh, and has the potential to infuse my system with everything I need to blossom into a portly bovine beauty pageant winner. (This does not, of course, even begin to take into account all the crazy “extras” those dairy cows, whose milk is being consumed, are being given that subsequently flows downstream into your bowl of Cheerios.)
Yet the American Dietetic Association promotes the benefits of a dairy-rich diet as if the human population as we know it would shrivel up and die without more milk. I disagree. The following list in boldface is straight off their website, and I’ll provide alternative sources for each of these necessaries:
1. Calcium
Available in:
spring greens, broccoli, kale, parsley, almonds, oranges, figs, black molasses
2. High-quality protein
Available in:
peas, beans, lentils, nuts, peanuts, oats, wheat, quinoa, buckwheat
3. Potassium
Available in:
Chick peas, Brazil nuts, whole grains, pumpkin seeds, yeast extract and potatoes.
4. Vitamin A
Available in:
Carrots, dried fruit, red and orange peppers, broccoli, green leafy vegetables, tomatoes, mangoes, sweet potatoes and squash.
5. Vitamin D
Available in:
“The most significant supply of vitamin D (for omnivores as well as vegans) comes from the action of ultra-violet B light on sterols in the skin. Most people, including infants require little or no extra from food when regularly exposed to sunlight when the sun is high in the sky. Bright sunlight is not necessary; even the sky shine on a cloudy summer day will stimulate formation of some D in the skin, while a short summer holiday in the open air will increase blood levels of the vitamin by two or three times the amount.” (Source Vegan Society)
6. Carbohydrates
Available in:
wholemeal bread, wholegrain pasta, brown rice, fruit and vegetables
7. B vitamins
Available in:
Pumpkin seeds, broccoli, wholemeal bread, mushrooms, bananas, peas, nuts, beansprouts, millet, soya, figs, yeast extract and prunes.
8. Phosphorus
Available in:
Chick peas, Brazil nuts, whole grains, pumpkin seeds, yeast extract and potatoes.
9. Water for hydration
Have you considered drinking water?
Source: learnstuff.com via Arminda on Pinterest
My sources for this post: VegaCommunity, Vegan Society, Food for Life, The American Dietetic Association, and Jill Clarey
I love this! BTW, at the tail end of Laurie’s mission, she got deathly sick and needed to come home about 6 weeks early – net/net, she is now eating mainly VEGAN and is doing well. She cannot tolerate the PROTEINS in milk, meats, etc. It is certainly a much better way to eat. You go girl!
I am so glad she is doing better and finding solutions that work for her body. That’s ultimately what it’s about – learning how to listen to your body and provide it with what it needs.
Love it Arminda! Science with a sprinkle of common sense! Never been a “tag” before in someones blog!