Podcast Episode 18 – Health Concerns About Dairy

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Shonda: Hi, Patryce.
[00:00:02] Patryce: Hi, Shonda.
[00:00:04] Shonda: I know that, you know, dairy's been on our mind a while, right, to talk about? And we both pretty much given up. I've totally given up that dairy. And you're just about there, there, or
[00:00:17] Patryce: 99.5.
[00:00:19]Shonda: Okay. And so there's a reason for that. Right? We recognize that it was caused an issues in us.
[00:00:25] We recognized how it made us feel, you know, not that we had really began to have any of these Issues or conditions that it can also produce, but, you know, we just recognized it right from the beginning. So I'll just say my recognition was I had seasonal allergies, mostly in the fall. I could not be around any kind of dry grass at all.
[00:00:52] And it was really horrible. I mean, You know, a 15- minute exposure and I couldn't see out of my eyes, you know, they were so watery and I was coughing and congested. I mean, I would just have a real reaction, you know, and not just going out, sitting on a haystack, I just couldn't walk outside.
[00:01:11]You know, what I began to hear a lot of is that , your body isn't in optimal condition or like Dr. Baxter Montgomery says is you have a low functioning immune system. So that's why you can't go outdoors.
[00:01:25] I mean, people have been going outdoors for as long as we've been on this earth. Right. Now, all of these things are getting worse and worse. The pollen has been there, but you know, we're calling it out like, oh, that bad pollen, you know, the pollen, isn't the issue.
[00:01:40] The pollen has a job to do, you know, in nature. Right? So it has to happen, but , we have to make sure that our internal body systems are functioning so that we can continue to enjoy nature as Go d planned it for us . So that was the one that was my first thing. I was like, no, there's something wrong with me.
[00:02:03] You know, it's not nature, there's something wrong with me. So what do I need to do? How can I improve my immune system? I knew I already had problems with wheat because I would almost have immediate reactions with it. And I was just hearing wheat and dairy, they kind of go together, you know, you kind of want to get rid of both of these things.
[00:02:21] And so I had already let the wheat go, you know, years before that. And then, so I was like, okay, this dairy thing. Cause I grew up eating and drinking a lot of milk and cheeses and things like that. Yeah, you too, right?
[00:02:35] So really what happened was one spring, I was having issues with the pollen. I had never had issues with pollen before. And I was like, Oh no, I can't do this. Spring is my favorite time of the year. Fall, you know, it's cold I'll stay inside no problem. Spring I want to get outdoors. And that was the first time I ever had problems.
[00:02:56] And I was like, no. And so I stopped the dairy and I don't know if it was immediate or what, but I know that by that next fall, I did not have any issues. I had had this all my life.
[00:03:09] Patryce: Wow. That's awesome.
[00:03:11] Shonda: You know, this is a problem that I can remember having, and it was just getting worse and worse.
[00:03:18] That's, that's why I've given up on dairy and reading over this fact sheet. Did we say what fact sheet it was yet that we're going to discuss? .
[00:03:28] Patryce: No we sure didn't, but it's the health concerns about dairy by the physicians committee for responsible medicine. Excellent information.
[00:03:39] Shonda: Okay. Yeah. So we found this and we both looked over it and we just want to go through the points here and hopefully that you will take a look too.
[00:03:48] We're going to link it in the show notes. I didn't realize all these other benefits that were things that I could be avoiding by giving up dairy. So I've done enough talking right now.
[00:04:01]Patryce: Hey, I have to say, I, I understand and relate to so much of what you said, and, and it's great that we're talking about this. I just want to say I understand or recognize everything you're talking about because in America, a lot of people consume a lot of dairy products and like you, I grew up eating and enjoying ice cream, milk and cheese.
[00:04:28] I mean, that's like the American way it seems. But this article, really help cement for me why I have given up dairy as well.
[00:04:36]I just wanted to start with the MythBuster. That the only way we can get our calcium is through dairy. That's not true. And we do need calcium and oftentimes the dairy products are advertised as being where you can find your calcium.
[00:04:55] Because calcium is an important mineral, but there are other ways to get our calcium. And I think that's what we're going to end up talking about, but just to begin with calcium is a mineral and it helps to keep bones strong. That's one thing we hear all the time and that is true. It is essential to bone health.
[00:05:17] And one thing that the article pointed out pretty early on, is that even if you're consuming calcium, you have a diminished return on how much calcium you consume. Meaning for example, you might consume a thousand milligrams of calcium, but really the body only needs 600 milligrams of calcium per day.
[00:05:41] And so we can achieve that amount of calcium in our diets without any dairy products. Or supplements if we are intentional about the other foods that we eat. And I think we'll talk a little more about foods. Well, I can talk about right now. One of the main foods are greens and we've talked a little about that or a lot about that in other podcasts about the different greens. Kale, broccoli, and other greens that are high in vitamin K as well as calcium.
[00:06:13] Shonda: Okay. So that is a great MythBuster.
[00:06:17]Yeah. Okay. So another thing it did talk about also under bone health was vitamin D.
[00:06:26] Okay. So I've found it interesting. I highlighted in 2005 review published in the journal of pediatrics shows that drinking milk does not improve bone strength in children. And also in a more recent study researchers track the diets, exercise and stress fractures rates of young girls for seven years and concluded that dairy products and calcium do not prevent stress fractures in adolescent girls. So, yeah, there's proof. I mean, they did prove that it didn't have an effect on that. So, okay. Let's go ahead and talk about vitamin D. Okay. So yeah. Vitamin D we know is necessary for bone health, and let's not forget to talk about it's also healthy for building your immune system.
[00:07:23] Patryce: It is.
[00:07:24]Shonda: In fighting against COVID-19 or certain seasons as we are in.
[00:07:29] But I found here that it says milk does not naturally contain vitamin D. And you know, I think we grow up thinking. Right.
[00:07:41] Patryce: I did, I did vitamin D I've gotta drink, my milk to get my vitamin D. That's how I used to think. It's just
[00:07:50] Shonda: It's just an added thing. And it's artificial pretty much.
[00:07:55] I mean because we're supposed to naturally get vitamin D from the sunlight.
[00:08:01] Patryce: Yeah. And did you realize, I mean, the article highlighted that too, that it's only five to 15 minutes of midday, sun exposure that we really need to meet our vitamin D needs.
[00:08:12] Shonda: Yeah. Yeah. That's why I'm committed even though it's cold here. You know, it was probably not as cold as we're some are. I do not like the cold, but I am committed to every day that there is sun. I am going on a 20 minute walk.
[00:08:27] Patryce: That's a great, that's a great goal.
[00:08:29] Shonda: Yeah. So it doesn't take much five to 15 minutes a day. And. Just get out there and get it. And it feels so good. Right?
[00:08:39] Patryce: It does it feels invigorating and it just makes you feel alive. Yeah. That's sunlight. Yep.
[00:08:48]Quickly, it did also mention right before the vitamin D that.
[00:08:53] Healthy bones need more than just calcium. For example, they also need vitamin K, which is also important to bone health, but most dairy products contain very little of this vitamin K, but guess what does contain vitamin K? Greens! Very much so. Yes. The greens like kale and broccoli are very beneficial to your bones because they have both calcium and vitamin K
[00:09:21]Shonda: Okay. So other ways to protect your bones. They talked about eating less salt. There's a reference here and we didn't go to the reference, but it is here and everyone can read it.
[00:09:34]Eating more fruits and vegetables and ensuring adequate calcium intake from plant foods. Again, such as kale, broccoli, and other leafy greens, vegetables and beans. And beans. Yeah. I know beans have a high amount of calcium also. What else was there? Oh, exercise. Well, I just kind of mentioned that, so that 20 minute walk is not only getting sun exposure, but also help being to strengthen my bones as I walk.
[00:10:01] Patryce: That's a very good point to make. And not only we as the adults, but let's make sure we get our children out there as well as, especially these days. So many of the kids, and I understand they're on electronics and oftentimes it's a requirement almost now with schoolwork, but they too need to be out for the vitamin D.
[00:10:23]From the sunlight, but also for their bones, just being out there and exercising.
[00:10:29] Shonda: Yeah. Let them turn some cartwheels. They'll get their arms in the action too. True. And so, yeah, , I'm thinking about like what we used to do when we were kids. I know it's really different now, but we just need to instill some of those things, like you say, back into our children these days.
[00:10:46] Patryce: For sure.
[00:10:47] Shonda: Yeah. Okay, so let's move on.
[00:10:49] Let's talk about the fat content and heart disease.
[00:10:53] Patryce: Wow. This was one of the reasons why I was deciding not to do dairy among other things. I really liked ice cream and the more indulgent, the Ben and Jerry's, the more flavor, the more nuts and stuff in it, the better tasting, but it wasn't better for me.
[00:11:11] But yeah, I did not realize not just the fat. Which there was a lot of it, but there's a lot of sugar in it, too, where I'm going a little off course here, but definitely a lot of fat and not just in the ice cream I liked, but like they listed in the article cheese, milk, butter, and a lot of these yogurts, they have fat, you can get some low fat ones, but those again, have a lot of the sugar in there.
[00:11:35] Yeah, definitely. And let's not forget that when they're animal based it contains cholesterol, which is you know, and these things can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. So that's something to consider,
[00:11:50]That is so true. And then on the flip side, the low fat plant-based diet, which eliminates dairy products in combination with exercise smoking and not smoking and managing our stress can help prevent heart disease and may even reverse it.
[00:12:09]Shonda: Yeah. And so, but we're not asking you to give up, you know, desserts there's plant-based desserts that of course you can buy if you're just starting in here and I like to make a banana ice cream and just put a frozen banana in a blender with, you know, even some little sweetener or a date or something and you have a nice treat, just like ice cream.
[00:12:36] Patryce: That's a great idea. And you're, you're right about those dates. I just I was sharing with my cousin. She's only nine years old, but I was seeing this grain-free granola made with dates and nuts and it has some chocolate and I said, Oh, you want to try it? She said, sure. And she kept asking for more. Can I have more chocolate?
[00:12:55] Never told her it was dates in there.
[00:12:58] Shonda: Well, that's good.
[00:12:59] Patryce: Yeah. Really enjoyed it.
[00:13:01] Shonda: Yeah. That's great. Okay. So you want to move on to next section?
[00:13:07]Patryce: Yeah, cancer. It said that the consumption of dairy products has also been linked to higher risk for various cancers, especially those cancers related to the reproductive system.
[00:13:19] So that's another reason to just take it off your list. Just don't eat it.
[00:13:25] Shonda: And we were talking about prostate cancer, which we know is rising even more and then there's breast cancer, ovarian cancer. You know, these are all the reproductive system cancers and dairy is contributing to that.
[00:13:41]You know, I saw how some of the yogurts have like the Susan Komen thing on there.
[00:13:48] Patryce: That that's almost misleading.
[00:13:51] Right. Yeah. A lot of it is, but, you know
[00:13:55] But is it any more misleading than growing up thinking that the only way I can get my vitamin D for my strong bones is to drink some milk. It's just the same kind of irresponsibility.
[00:14:09] Shonda: Yeah, I agree. Okay. So, was there anything else we wanted to mention about the cancers?
[00:14:18] Patryce: Oh yeah. About the studies. Remember the studies, there was one with over 1800 ladies. 1,893. Women were diagnosed with early stage breast cancer and it revealed that they had been eating more high fat dairy products. And that's a very telling fact there. Yeah. Wow. And then a second large study of 1,941 women found that women who consumed the highest amounts of cheddar,.
[00:14:47] American and cream cheeses had a 53% higher risk for breast cancer. That blew me away. Yeah. That's I know so many women like myself before I did away with dairy. I ate cheddar cheese all the time and I liked cream cheese. What do you call it? That dessert? Cheese cake. Oh, wow. I really enjoyed myself some cheesecake, but yeah, reading this I'm like, wow, that was not good.
[00:15:18] And then the grilled cheese sandwiches too, I was just all about the cheddar, all about the cheese and all about the dairy.
[00:15:25] Shonda: Oh well, but it's a good thing that you've learned now, what you've learned, you know, and. So I'm proud of you because, you know, I mean, I know you told me you had a little bit of like, maybe some mucus formation sometimes when you would eat dairy, but you know, it wasn't obvious and you really had to make the decision that I'm going to stop this because I'm learning these things and I want to better my health. So.
[00:15:53] Patryce: That is so true. And I have to put in that plug or just for women out there the dairy products, if you're having monthly cramps that seem especially uncomfortable, you may want to experiment with no dairy, at least that time of the month.
[00:16:11] I've noticed a great reduction in menstrual cramps.
[00:16:15]Shonda: Well, it talks about how it promotes, you know, things going wrong and possibly cancer with the reproductive system. So that's definitely a factor. Okay. So yeah, reminder, we will link this document. It's about a four page document, I believe, and five with the extra notes or so.
[00:16:37]But for now, we'll just carry on and talk about what else is in there. So let's move on to lactose intolerance.
[00:16:44] Patryce: Yeah. A lot of people are lactose intolerant, aren't they? Yeah. They broke it down according to ethnicities 95% of the Asian American 74% of the native Americans and 70% of African-Americans 53% of of Mexican-Americans and 15% of Caucasians are lactose intolerant.
[00:17:06] I found this very interesting having lived in Asia for just a little while, but until recent times, I mean, back in even the nineties, you were hard pressed to find pizza places and ice cream places. They just didn't have a lot of dairy in their diet.
[00:17:22] Shonda: Yes. Yeah. I think, you know, that's something to talk about here is that most cultures did not have a lot of dairy, you know, or were more plant-based than we are, you know, animal-based these days. And it's just because we're producing them too much. And, you know, just because everyone wants it. But naturally you know, naturally no one ate this much of animal-based products and naturally is just not sustainable.
[00:17:57]Okay. So, yeah, but I mean, that is very interesting lactose intolerance. But you know, the part that gets me upset and I have to say it really does get me upset is that the dairy industry said, well, Hey. you have lactose intolerance? We'll just remove the lactose. You can still drink your milk without any problems. So you don't have that trigger that's saying, Oh, I have an upset stomach. I can't drink the milk, but it's just kind of going down more smoothly because they added a lactase enzyme in order to help digest it . And so, yeah, I'm angry about that because that's just so misleading. It's like, well, let's just take away this little part that everyone notices and they'll just continue to drink the milk. That's deceiving.
[00:18:46]Patryce: It's like masking the symptoms and not getting to the root cause that dairy in itself is just not what we're made to really take a lot of in, if any. I think we may be the only mammals that persist on having milk after the weaning period.
[00:19:04] Shonda: Yeah. And it says that children, nursing children make the enzymes to break down the lactose, but as we grow up, we lose it. I mean, it's only meant for that purpose because you cannot eat solid foods. So let's replace it with the solid food, right?
[00:19:21] Patryce: Yeah. That's a good point. I do think that what you just brought up about the, the advertising again, that's a very big issue throughout the food industry. False or misleading advertising.
[00:19:35]Shonda: So next, it talks about all the other additional contaminants in milk that most people don't even know about because, you know, I think some people, if they do take the time to read the label and it's not listed on there, they believe it doesn't exist. I've never seen antibiotics listed on the milk, but undeniably it is in the milk.
[00:20:01] Patryce: I haven't seen it listed either, but I'm sure it is because they are given to the cows that the milk is taken from.
[00:20:08] Shonda: Yeah. So that is passed into their body fluids and it's comes right out into the milk. Right. So antibiotics is something that we want to avoid consuming through our food.
[00:20:26]So antibiotics is a reason to avoid milk.
[00:20:31]Patryce: About the hormones. Did we already mention that?
[00:20:34] Shonda: No, we haven't. There's a lot in the, in the contaminant section.
[00:20:37] Patryce: Oh, yes. The hormones that they give to the animals, then get transferred to the milk that we eventually start drinking. And especially for the kids drinking it.I have known for years now about children going into adolescence at a much earlier rate. And at first I only learned from our friends and relatives about the young ladies, you know, now starting their cycles as young as nine . 10 being very common .
[00:21:07] Shonda: We know that's not natural.
[00:21:10] Patryce: Yeah, but even the young men, even the boys, I had a friend whose son, he was just some of these signs and she was just trying to figure out what's going on. He was only nine or 10, a young young boy, and it turned out the doctor said it was puberty coming on early. And I do recall that from that day on, she started getting the organic milk because if you're persisting on drinking milk, at least you're getting milk that should not have these hormones included.
[00:21:39] Shonda: Yeah. That growth hormone
[00:21:41]Patryce: I think that's a real issue though.
[00:21:43] Shonda: That is so true. And , you know, even if you take a vaccine, there's a little warning that comes along with that. I think there should be a little warning that comes along with milk drinking too. I've never thought about it like that Shonda. But I think that could be a good point.
[00:21:59] Patryce: And, and I don't know how far reaching I'm going with the hormones, but there are a lot of people Getting pregnant is a challenge in fertility or just fertility issues. And now I'm thinking, could this have played into it to a certain degree too? I just don't know what all these hormones can do.
[00:22:16] Shonda: I would think so, but it's not just hormones. Look, look further. There's pesticides. And, and the PCBs, you know, the things from the plastics, the things that the milk is stored in, there are just so many contaminants which are really toxins that build up in our body over time.
[00:22:35] Patryce: And it can't be good.
[00:22:36] Shonda: Yeah, and it does say here eventually this can harm immune, reproductive and nervous systems.
[00:22:43] Patryce: Wow I missed that part, but not just the reproductive and immune, but the nervous systems. And I'm not a doctor at all, but this leads me to wonder if it could even be related to some of our mental health.
[00:22:55] Shonda: Oh, for sure. Because, you know, cholesterol and fat blocks our arteries and that's known now to be a big factor in mental health. But yeah, toxins, brain fog, messing with your brain, you know. And that's why we want to bring this to our audiences attention is this there's just so much out there. And we want to make sure that we eat as clean of foods as we can. And even if we cannot buy organic, we can avoid a lot of things by avoiding certain foods that are more likely to have toxins and things in them.
[00:23:34]Patryce: So true is Shonda. And should we not? shouldn't we mentioned. There are a lot of alternatives. We understand that you may miss your milk and I did too. And definitely for making smoothies, I use milk substitutes and I know you did too Shonda, like almond milk or quinoa milk. There are so many. Now I use pea milk made from pea protein.
[00:23:56]But there are so many different alternatives I'd say to your cows milk. These are I would say healthier choices to make, to drink instead of the cows milk. And even with the cheese, I know we still like to eat our nachos. And I have found more and more plant-based nachos.
[00:24:15] I think I had some made from fava beans recently, which was good. And then you have a wonderful recipe. For . Oat, cheese. And then there's also the cashew cheese that I remember your daughter really likes every time I would make that one. She liked that one too. So I really, I need her to taste it, this other one and do a comparison test and let me know which one she likes or prefers.
[00:24:39] I'm sure she'd be glad to do that one day.
[00:24:41]Shonda: So the last thing I wanted to talk about were , there are actually two things here. But, one, it talks about milk proteins and diabetes.
[00:24:51] Patryce: Oh, I missed that.
[00:24:52] Shonda: Yeah. So there's not much here, but it does say that in 2001, there was a Finnish study of nearly 3000 infants with genetically increased risk for developing diabetes showed that early introduction of cow's milk, increased susceptibility to type one diabetes. Wow. And though recently, for the first time they have recommendations that children under one should not drink cow's milk. I'll make sure to list it below.
[00:25:30]Patryce: That's a good thing. That's a good thing.
[00:25:33] Shonda: So are y'all hearing that out there? Hey, if you're not any longer breastfeeding time to introduce some fresh juices and smoothies, and get a real punch of nutrition.
[00:25:44]Patryce: Wouldn't that be amazing to introduce your young child to fresh green juice?
[00:25:49]Shonda: Oh, that would be so great. I wish I could do it all over again.
[00:25:54]Patryce: Oh, I can't believe they've actually done something good.
[00:25:57]Shonda: So. But this is in relation to babies it says that colic is an additional concern with milk consumption. So it says pediatricians learned long ago that cows milk was often the reason.
[00:26:12]Patryce: For colic?
[00:26:14] Yes. That's what this document says. And it has some references here, right?
[00:26:20]Shonda: So even cow's milk proteins can pass through the mother's bloodstream into her breast milk and into the baby causing symptoms and some infants. And I'm sure that was my children's problem right there, because they had a really hard time. So there we go.
[00:26:39]The conclusions are: Milk and dairy products are not necessary in the diet . It's best to consume a healthful diet of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, peas, and lentils, and replace cows milk with non-dairy milks, like almond, soy, or cashew milk. These nutrient dense foods can help you meet your nutritional requirements with ease and without the health risks associated with dairy products.
[00:27:06]Patryce: I'm glad we've taken this opportunity to talk about dairy, because I know in previous podcasts we probably have said here and there, we don't do dairy. Or we've said things that may sound like we're villainized, we're demonizing dairy, or what have you, but this is our opportunity to take time and share why.
[00:27:25] Shonda: Yeah. And, you know, there was another reason that I forgot to mention that dairy products have carrageenan in it and it causes issues for some people and my daughter would have lots of respiratory issues.
[00:27:41] But when she would have the dairy without the carrageenan it wasn't a problem. It was so bad. She was on a nebulizer, from about age two to four.
[00:27:52] Patryce: Wow. That's something else. But also a lot of children have like rashes. I don't know if it's eczema or skin challenges or conditions. And I think sometimes when they've removed them from dairy,
[00:28:06] Shonda: Right. I'm surprised is that it's not listed here, but I'm sure that there's just so many things that it contributes to, that they just couldn't go over everything.
[00:28:16] Patryce: But that was one reason why I went dairy free too, is I just felt like my skin was more congested whenever I had dairy
[00:28:23] Shonda: So, yeah. Well, when we took milk out Leslie and Janelle, had eczema and it went away.
[00:28:30]Patryce: Oh, wow. That's a good, that's a big plug though, because there are a lot of people with eczema and yes, I think there are some natural creams and so forth, but so often when you go to the doctor, the first thing, even for children, they want to prescribe are steroids, which is definitely not natural.
[00:28:48] So if you could just take away the dairy so that there is not the eczema to treat to start with. Yay.
[00:28:55] Shonda: Yes, we need to learn these things so that we can help our children grow healthy, happy, and strong, and not have to deal with all these things like allergies and eczema and, and things.
[00:29:09] So we just invite you all to learn more and you know, continue to meet us back here on This podcast. And we definitely try to put as much notes as we can in the show notes for you. To help you get through all of this information that you may feel that's coming at you
[00:29:30] Patryce: and we're also here. Anytime you have any questions or, or anything you'd like to share, please contact us.