By Valerie Consoli
There is something lurking in your refrigerator, something that I can almost guarantee you consume at some point every single day...
This something can make you very sick, and in some cases, possibly kill you.
No, it's not the bag of chips or the box of donuts. It's not even those leftovers in that plastic container towards the back that are so old no one even knows what they actually are anymore! (Although, that might make you sick as well! Better just get that container out now and chuck it into the trash, just to be on the safe side.)
This is something that's healthy and good for you (so they say), something that makes you strong...but does it really?
A few years ago, I found myself ill time and time again. Every few weeks I would get severe bronchial infections. Roughly an average of one a month. The doctor would give me medicine and send me on my way, never taking time to find out why the infection kept returning.
As a child I suffered from bronchial problems, chronic tonsillitis, ear infections, severe skin issues (my entire back would become inflamed and raw and my mother would have to rub ointment on it every night) - in short I was a really sick little kid! Back then no one asked why or looked further into it.
Back to a few years ago. I finally decided to do some research on my own, because I was, as they say, sick and tired of being sick and tired!
So I searched for causes of chronic bronchial problems. I came across some very interesting information on dairy.
I discovered that a sensitivity to, or an allergy to dairy can really weaken your respiratory system! You know what else I found? Nearly every single issue I had as a child! Right down to the ear infections and skin problems!
Whoa!
I love dairy! Ice cream, cheeses, pizza! You name it! Did I ever think any of these things was making me sick? Not for a moment! These are some of my favorite foods... how could this be?
Oh, it be!
I researched some more... and discovered that most everything you and I eat, has some sort of dairy product in it! So, I challenged myself to cut out as much dairy from my diet as I could. What did I have to lose? Those bronchial infections kept coming back and it had been a year- a whole year- of being sick at least once a month! I was losing time from work, every area of my life was naturally suffering. No one can function like that!
The doctors weren't making me better, they were just basically masking the problem. Just putting a Band-Aid on it, but not curing it. It was going to be up to me to solve this!
So I set out to banish dairy from my diet. As much as I could, because I truly think it is nearly impossible to not have any, as there are trace amounts in most everything, even bread and some meats.
So, banish I did. A month went by. You know what? In that first month, the bronchial infection did NOT come back. I continued to banish dairy, and another month went by...
Again, the infection had not returned! I did this for a year and I DID NOT GET SICK ONCE. Not even a little head cold.
Who knew??? After that first year I began to slowly introduce some dairy back into my diet. I am now able to eat dairy, as long as I monitor the amounts, and I do not get sick. I know I have a weak respiratory system to begin with, but watching dairy and controlling the amounts has made a world of difference. I rarely get sick anymore, if at all.
First of all, it is not the dairy itself that most people are allergic or sensitive to, it is the chemicals that are put into the dairy.
Did you know that about a dozen pesticide residues are commonly found in non-organic cow's milk? (The source of these pesticides is the food that the cows were given to eat.) Also commonly found are hormonal residues from hormones that were given to the cows prior to milking, as well as antibiotics.
Today's milk contains roughly 60 hormones, a number of allergens, fat, cholesterol and some have a possible link to turning on and off cancer genes.
When I buy milk now I always spend the extra and get organic. It is well worth it because I love milk, especially with a nice slice of chocolate cake! (Who doesn't? The cake has dairy too, by the way.) Dairy allergies in children (and some adults) manifest themselves as such things as:
Hives, wheezing (I still do this from time to time), vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps, coughing, runny nose, fatigue and colic in babies. Milk allergy is the most common food allergy in early childhood.
The principal symptoms are gastrointestinal, dermatological and respiratory. Reactions can be delayed up to a couple of days in some people, and of course if you are eating a lot of dairy, they will be constant, as mine became.
Dairy is one of the most inflammatory foods in our modern diet, second only to gluten...
It causes inflammation in a large percentage of the population, resulting in digestive issues such as bloating, gas, constipation, and diarrhea, as well as other symptoms including acne, and a stronger presentation of autistic behaviors.
Dairy is acid forming...
Our bodies like to maintain a neutral pH balance: not too much acidity, not too much alkalinity. Milk, like most animal products, is an acid forming food, meaning whenever you consume dairy, your body must compensate for the increased acidity in order to restore a neutral pH balance. It does this by pulling from the alkaline "reserves" it keeps on hand in the form of calcium, magnesium, and potassium that are stored in your bones. Pulling from these reserves weakens your bones, leaving them more susceptible to fractures and breaks, meaning milk might not be such a great preventative tool against osteoporosis as we're told.
In fact, research has shown that countries with the highest rate of dairy consumption also have the highest rate of osteoporosis.
Dairy can be fuel for cancer...
Of those 60 hormones one is a powerful GROWTH hormone called Growth Factor ONE (IGF-1). It is identical in cows and humans. Scientists consider this hormone to be a "fuel cell" for any cancer. (Even the medical establishment says IGF-1 is a key factor in the rapid growth and proliferation of breast, prostate and colon cancers, and it's possible that most likely it will be found to promote ALL cancers).
Milk has surprising bacteria...
Cow's milk is allowed to have feces in it. This is a major source for bacteria. Milk is typically pasteurized more than once before it gets to your table... each time for only 15 seconds at 162 degrees Fahrenheit.
To sanitize water one is told to boil it (212 degrees F) for several minutes. That's a big difference, isn't it!
Keep in mind that, at room temperature, the number of bacteria in milk DOUBLE around every 20 minutes. No wonder milk can spoil so quickly.
Milk is mucus-forming!
Cow's milk is notoriously the most mucus-forming food we can consume. Casein, the protein component in milk, is a very thick and coarse substance and is used to make one of the strongest glues known to man. There is 300% more casein in cow's milk than in human's milk. For my entire life, I have never been able to drink milk or eat ice cream without having my throat get totally mucus-y and having coughing fits. Sometimes even trace amounts in unexpected foods sets that off too.
The casein in cow's milk can clog and irritate the body's entire respiratory system.
Dairy products are implicated in almost all respiratory problems. Hay fever, asthma, bronchitis, sinusitis, colds, runny noses and ear infections can all be caused by the consumption of dairy products. (This was a big 'a-ha moment' for me when I was trying to solve my chronic bronchial infections!)
Don't we need milk?
The so called authorities like to tell us we "need" milk, for things such as calcium and Vitamin D, but honestly we don't. Where do you think cows get their calcium from? Green leafy plants! That's the healthiest place for us to get it too. Most of the other nutrients we get from milk can be found in leafy greens as well!
Harvard University has created a Healthy Eating Plate to replace the outdated food pyramid we have always been given as a guide. Harvard does NOT recommend dairy products on their chart. Hmm, wonder why!
Funny how Harvard can clearly see the dangers in dairy, but the USDA cannot.
"There is compelling evidence, now published in top scientific journals and some of which is decades old, showing that cows' milk is associated, possibly even causally, with a wide variety of serious human ailments including various cancers, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and an array of allergy-related diseases. And, this food contains no nutrients that cannot be better obtained from other far more nutritious and tasty foods." Dr. Colin Campbell
There are some things you can substitute, they used to say soy, but now they find that's not very healthy either (I'll save that for another time, shall I?), and things such as goat milk can give someone who is allergic to cow's milk, similar reactions. Almond milk and rice milk, used in many vegan diets is a very good substitute (there's even a hemp milk now, who knew?), vegan margarine is very good as well (grocery stores will usually hide them in a corner, as if they've been misbehaving, that's where I find mine), as is vegan sour cream. Some stores are starting to stock the coconut and rice based ice creams as well!
Nowadays, I continue to monitor my dairy intake (I still love dairy, I guess everyone has to have one or two guilty kitchen pleasures!), but my body will always tell me when I am consuming too much (My skin begins to get red and splotchy straight away and I know to cut back!), my respiratory system is not chronically infected and I am so grateful for discovering why I was so sick for so long!
If you suspect dairy is effecting you, learn to check the labels on all food, and try cutting back on the obvious for a month or two. Give a couple of the vegan suggestions a try as well.
I believe that cutting the dairy out of my diet for a year helped my body to heal and strengthen. I never guessed for a moment that it was making me so sick or that it had so many hidden dangers.
There is something lurking in your refrigerator, something that I can almost guarantee you consume at some point every single day...
This something can make you very sick, and in some cases, possibly kill you.
No, it's not the bag of chips or the box of donuts. It's not even those leftovers in that plastic container towards the back that are so old no one even knows what they actually are anymore! (Although, that might make you sick as well! Better just get that container out now and chuck it into the trash, just to be on the safe side.)
This is something that's healthy and good for you (so they say), something that makes you strong...but does it really?
A few years ago, I found myself ill time and time again. Every few weeks I would get severe bronchial infections. Roughly an average of one a month. The doctor would give me medicine and send me on my way, never taking time to find out why the infection kept returning.
As a child I suffered from bronchial problems, chronic tonsillitis, ear infections, severe skin issues (my entire back would become inflamed and raw and my mother would have to rub ointment on it every night) - in short I was a really sick little kid! Back then no one asked why or looked further into it.
Back to a few years ago. I finally decided to do some research on my own, because I was, as they say, sick and tired of being sick and tired!
So I searched for causes of chronic bronchial problems. I came across some very interesting information on dairy.
I discovered that a sensitivity to, or an allergy to dairy can really weaken your respiratory system! You know what else I found? Nearly every single issue I had as a child! Right down to the ear infections and skin problems!
Whoa!
I love dairy! Ice cream, cheeses, pizza! You name it! Did I ever think any of these things was making me sick? Not for a moment! These are some of my favorite foods... how could this be?
Oh, it be!
I researched some more... and discovered that most everything you and I eat, has some sort of dairy product in it! So, I challenged myself to cut out as much dairy from my diet as I could. What did I have to lose? Those bronchial infections kept coming back and it had been a year- a whole year- of being sick at least once a month! I was losing time from work, every area of my life was naturally suffering. No one can function like that!
The doctors weren't making me better, they were just basically masking the problem. Just putting a Band-Aid on it, but not curing it. It was going to be up to me to solve this!
So I set out to banish dairy from my diet. As much as I could, because I truly think it is nearly impossible to not have any, as there are trace amounts in most everything, even bread and some meats.
So, banish I did. A month went by. You know what? In that first month, the bronchial infection did NOT come back. I continued to banish dairy, and another month went by...
Again, the infection had not returned! I did this for a year and I DID NOT GET SICK ONCE. Not even a little head cold.
Who knew??? After that first year I began to slowly introduce some dairy back into my diet. I am now able to eat dairy, as long as I monitor the amounts, and I do not get sick. I know I have a weak respiratory system to begin with, but watching dairy and controlling the amounts has made a world of difference. I rarely get sick anymore, if at all.
First of all, it is not the dairy itself that most people are allergic or sensitive to, it is the chemicals that are put into the dairy.
Did you know that about a dozen pesticide residues are commonly found in non-organic cow's milk? (The source of these pesticides is the food that the cows were given to eat.) Also commonly found are hormonal residues from hormones that were given to the cows prior to milking, as well as antibiotics.
Today's milk contains roughly 60 hormones, a number of allergens, fat, cholesterol and some have a possible link to turning on and off cancer genes.
When I buy milk now I always spend the extra and get organic. It is well worth it because I love milk, especially with a nice slice of chocolate cake! (Who doesn't? The cake has dairy too, by the way.) Dairy allergies in children (and some adults) manifest themselves as such things as:
Hives, wheezing (I still do this from time to time), vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps, coughing, runny nose, fatigue and colic in babies. Milk allergy is the most common food allergy in early childhood.
The principal symptoms are gastrointestinal, dermatological and respiratory. Reactions can be delayed up to a couple of days in some people, and of course if you are eating a lot of dairy, they will be constant, as mine became.
Dairy is one of the most inflammatory foods in our modern diet, second only to gluten...
It causes inflammation in a large percentage of the population, resulting in digestive issues such as bloating, gas, constipation, and diarrhea, as well as other symptoms including acne, and a stronger presentation of autistic behaviors.
Dairy is acid forming...
Our bodies like to maintain a neutral pH balance: not too much acidity, not too much alkalinity. Milk, like most animal products, is an acid forming food, meaning whenever you consume dairy, your body must compensate for the increased acidity in order to restore a neutral pH balance. It does this by pulling from the alkaline "reserves" it keeps on hand in the form of calcium, magnesium, and potassium that are stored in your bones. Pulling from these reserves weakens your bones, leaving them more susceptible to fractures and breaks, meaning milk might not be such a great preventative tool against osteoporosis as we're told.
In fact, research has shown that countries with the highest rate of dairy consumption also have the highest rate of osteoporosis.
Dairy can be fuel for cancer...
Of those 60 hormones one is a powerful GROWTH hormone called Growth Factor ONE (IGF-1). It is identical in cows and humans. Scientists consider this hormone to be a "fuel cell" for any cancer. (Even the medical establishment says IGF-1 is a key factor in the rapid growth and proliferation of breast, prostate and colon cancers, and it's possible that most likely it will be found to promote ALL cancers).
Milk has surprising bacteria...
Cow's milk is allowed to have feces in it. This is a major source for bacteria. Milk is typically pasteurized more than once before it gets to your table... each time for only 15 seconds at 162 degrees Fahrenheit.
To sanitize water one is told to boil it (212 degrees F) for several minutes. That's a big difference, isn't it!
Keep in mind that, at room temperature, the number of bacteria in milk DOUBLE around every 20 minutes. No wonder milk can spoil so quickly.
Milk is mucus-forming!
Cow's milk is notoriously the most mucus-forming food we can consume. Casein, the protein component in milk, is a very thick and coarse substance and is used to make one of the strongest glues known to man. There is 300% more casein in cow's milk than in human's milk. For my entire life, I have never been able to drink milk or eat ice cream without having my throat get totally mucus-y and having coughing fits. Sometimes even trace amounts in unexpected foods sets that off too.
The casein in cow's milk can clog and irritate the body's entire respiratory system.
Dairy products are implicated in almost all respiratory problems. Hay fever, asthma, bronchitis, sinusitis, colds, runny noses and ear infections can all be caused by the consumption of dairy products. (This was a big 'a-ha moment' for me when I was trying to solve my chronic bronchial infections!)
Don't we need milk?
The so called authorities like to tell us we "need" milk, for things such as calcium and Vitamin D, but honestly we don't. Where do you think cows get their calcium from? Green leafy plants! That's the healthiest place for us to get it too. Most of the other nutrients we get from milk can be found in leafy greens as well!
Harvard University has created a Healthy Eating Plate to replace the outdated food pyramid we have always been given as a guide. Harvard does NOT recommend dairy products on their chart. Hmm, wonder why!
Funny how Harvard can clearly see the dangers in dairy, but the USDA cannot.
"There is compelling evidence, now published in top scientific journals and some of which is decades old, showing that cows' milk is associated, possibly even causally, with a wide variety of serious human ailments including various cancers, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and an array of allergy-related diseases. And, this food contains no nutrients that cannot be better obtained from other far more nutritious and tasty foods." Dr. Colin Campbell
There are some things you can substitute, they used to say soy, but now they find that's not very healthy either (I'll save that for another time, shall I?), and things such as goat milk can give someone who is allergic to cow's milk, similar reactions. Almond milk and rice milk, used in many vegan diets is a very good substitute (there's even a hemp milk now, who knew?), vegan margarine is very good as well (grocery stores will usually hide them in a corner, as if they've been misbehaving, that's where I find mine), as is vegan sour cream. Some stores are starting to stock the coconut and rice based ice creams as well!
Nowadays, I continue to monitor my dairy intake (I still love dairy, I guess everyone has to have one or two guilty kitchen pleasures!), but my body will always tell me when I am consuming too much (My skin begins to get red and splotchy straight away and I know to cut back!), my respiratory system is not chronically infected and I am so grateful for discovering why I was so sick for so long!
If you suspect dairy is effecting you, learn to check the labels on all food, and try cutting back on the obvious for a month or two. Give a couple of the vegan suggestions a try as well.
I believe that cutting the dairy out of my diet for a year helped my body to heal and strengthen. I never guessed for a moment that it was making me so sick or that it had so many hidden dangers.