I hope the title grabbed you in for the ride below.
Proviso: This only applies to humans who are fully grown, usually age 18 or greater and are no longer seeing a pediatrician.
Dairy is Evil! I truly loved writing that. A subscriber requested that I opine on dairy – and this thought quickly made itself clear and present to me.
What are the benefits of eating dairy? There are a few, including it’s a good source of calcium and vit d and other nutrients and protein.
But at what cost?
First, let’s tackle the Whole milk vs. Skim milk issue.
Here are some interesting factoids:
Calories: skim milk has One Half the calories of whole milk, BUT,
Carbohydrates: skim milk has 10% MORE carbs than whole milk!
Calcium: skim milk as 20% more than whole milk
Factoid: Vit D
The FDA allows manufacturers to add Vit D (84 IU per 3.5 ounces).
Unfortified whole milk has more Vit D than reduced fat milk, but still has less than 1% of your daily recommended Vit D.
Regardless of the type of milk, it is fortified with Vit D to about 100-125 IU per cup.
Even without delving into lactose intolerance (humans started to have dairy products – cows – available to them about 10,000 years ago) and the progress, or lack of progress we have made in our ability to digest dairy – it is easy to conclude that dairy is evil if you are focusing on maintaining good long term health.
On the mineral and vitamin front, there is nothing that dairy provides you that you cannot get [better/healthier] in a tablet.
On the protein side, there is nothing dairy provides you that you cannot get elsewhere at a far lower price in terms of carbs. Remember, our goal is to limit our carbs to 60 grams total per day.
All that said, I am a HUGE fan of cheese. Drunken Goat, Brie, Guoda, etc. You will frequently find me on a Saturday afternoon sitting at the table usually, but not always, with others enjoying a cheese plate. Next to that cheese plate will be, if I am lucky, a good bottle of Pinot Noir or Chardonnay or Moscato di ‘Asti. And if you look really closely, there will be some honey that I let crystallize, and maybe even some other accoutrements (all of them carb rich). Those are special moments for me.
Our goal is to have an amazing journey in life, bringing a smile to ourselves and others. And for me, that involves cheese and wine – which I find much more enjoyable when others are sharing it with me. So dairy is evil, except on Saturday afternoons 😊
That said, I will “pre-game” for those Saturdays. In the morning, add an extra few miles on the Peloton or add some extra time elsewhere burning off carbs/calories/weight in order to free up room for the wine and cheese heading my way that afternoon.
It is not easy being human, but it far surpasses all other options.
Wishes for a great and smile filled dairy free day to all,
Hugs too,
David/
