4 Reasons To Consider Cutting Down On Dairy

From childhood, we are sold the idea that dairy is an essential part of a balanced diet because it's bursting with health benefits and makes you strong. However, there's now sufficient research out there that says otherwise. 

Despite this research, dairy remains to be a controversial subject in the world of nutrition. Some individuals swear by it and continue to get in their glass of milk each day, yet others would much rather consume dairy alternatives instead. 

Nonetheless, if you aren't quite sold on the idea that you should be cutting down on dairy, I have listed a few reasons that might convince you.

Approximately 65% of the world's population have a reduced ability to digest lactose after infancy. If you have ever experienced symptoms such as bloating, cramps, nausea, or diarrhoea after consuming dairy products, then you might just be intolerant!

Regardless of intolerance, there are also many other ways that dairy can negatively impact your body. Doctors often recommend acne sufferers to cut it from their diets as it's a pro-inflammatory that can show up on the skin. Dairy can also aggravate conditions such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

The global market for dairy alternatives was valued at $13,021 million in 2018 and is growing each year exponentially. You can now walk into almost any supermarket in the UK and buy some form of dairy-free alternative, from milk to yoghurt. It's an exciting time for animal-free food right now as there's so much variety, and more products are launched each day. 

Cutting down on dairy can be as simple as replacing your usual milk with one of the many plant milks available. Oat milk is one of the most popular choices as it's creamy, and because it's a whole grain that's filled with nutrients.

Try to be open-minded when trying new foods, and remember, just because you dislike one brand of dairy-free cheese, that doesn't mean you'll dislike them all!

Your body needs some fat as a source of energy, but there are good fats, and there are bad fats. Dairy is notoriously high in saturated fats, which means a diet rich in dairy can be bad news for your cholesterol levels. Most nutrition experts recommend limiting saturated fat to under 10% of calories a day as high cholesterol has been linked to a higher risk of heart disease and certain cancers.

Unsaturated fat is also high in calories, so reducing the amount in your diet should hopefully aid weight loss, too!

The dairy industry is thought to be more inhumane than even the meat industry. Female cows are artificially inseminated, calves are removed from mothers within 36 hours of being born, and suffer a cycle of forced impregnation and providing milk to the industry until they die. The fate of calves ultimately depends on their sex; males will be slaughtered and sold as veal, whereas, females will suffer the same cycle as their mother.

The world has become obsessed with buying everything as cheap as possible; this always tends to come at a price. The mass production of dairy has turned the industry into an evil monster that treats living beings like commodities.