Why becoming Dairy Free is a Popular Trend?
What foods are considered dairy?
Dairy products play a vital role in building and maintaining strong human bones. Foods that contain dairy contents give us important nutrients, such as vitamin D, calcium, potassium, and protein, which make the human body healthy and fit. Wondering what foods are considered dairy? Animal milk, yogurt, cream, cheese, whey, kefir, butter, ghee, milk powder are all the amazing food groups belonging to dairy.
Why dairy is unhealthy for some of us?
Dairy is either good or bad depending on the body. Every person reacts to things differently. Some people can easily digest food and it could be difficult to digest food. Dairy contains saturated fat and is rich in calories. Consuming dairy is not good for a low-calorie diet. Dairy is unhealthy for some people, because it causes inflammation (acne or eczema), raises estrogen, increases weight and the production of mucus.
How to eliminate dairy and what are some great substitutes?
It is extremely crucial to eliminate dairy from your diet if you’re a dairy allergy or have any symptoms of lactose intolerance. A few other signs to eliminate diary are, bloating, sinus infection, or fatigue because of diary sensitivity. If you’ve decided to cut out dairy completely, here are the steps to follow:
- Familiarize yourself with a vegan diet.
- Use non-dairy substitutes that are healthy and less processed.
- Get used to non-dairy products taste. It will take about 4-5 days to up to a week.
- Get rid of all the dairy products.
- Make sure to collect dairy-free recipes from YouTube and vegan books.
Fortified soy milk and yogurt are great non-dairy substitutes that are amazing sources of vitamin D, vitamin A, and calcium.
Lactose-free vs. Dairy-free
You must have seen lactose-free OR dairy-free written on several products and foods. Some may think that this is the same and does not have any difference. But there is a huge difference.
In lactose-free products, the dairy product does not contain lactose while in dairy-free products, there is no dairy contained at all. Dairy-free products are made from plants and nuts.
Lactose-free products are for people who are lactose intolerant, and it is difficult for them to digest such foods as they feel bloated, nauseous, and may experience stomach aches. Consuming lactose-free products helps them with digestion.
Homemade non-dairy staple
With nut milk and vegan sauces, you can have your own homemade non-dairy staple.
What if I’m allergic to nuts?
If you’re allergic to nuts or peanuts and still want to consume dairy products, the best substitutes are beans, tofu, potato, and even pea proteins.
Signs of dairy-free life is for you or not.
If you don’t consume dairy products and you feel reduced anxiety, better sleep, less mucus, less prone to cold and flu, and reduced migraine attacks then dairy-free life is suitable for you.
Why I’m dairy-free?
References:
https://www.myplate.gov/eat-healthy/dairy
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/326269