Over the past few years
dairy has gotten an extremely bad reputation. I have people coming in my office
almost on a daily basis who say they want to avoid dairy, and I often question
their motive. Many fad diets attack dairy and say it is the cause of obesity,
cancer, early puberty, among a million other things. However, the research
backing these claims is lacking. Many populations have been eating dairy for
centuries and are very healthy with low rates of chronic disease (the
Mediterranean diet is touted for its health benefits, and that includes yogurt,
milk, and even cheese). Furthermore, some studies show great benefit for
individuals who consume three servings of real dairy per day in terms of weight
loss, muscle growth, blood pressure, and bone health.
I agree that there are many
dairy products that are not healthful and can definitely contribute to obesity
and diseases, such as ice cream, lots of cheese, heavy cream, and other fatty
and sugary types of dairy products- which is the form the majority of Americans are
consuming. I am known to tell people to try to really limit their cheese
intake. My rationale for limiting your cheese is that it is an easy way to tack
on hundreds of calories, sodium, and saturated fat to any meal or snack (1
slice of cheese, on average, is about 100 calories). However, more healthful
varieties of dairy, such as yogurt, kefir, and organic milk are definitely an
important way to get in many important vitamins, minerals, and healthful
probiotics.
I oftentimes do recommend
people consume dairy alternatives such as soymilk or almond milks, but these
are to get in different nutrients and flavors than regular dairy milk can
provide. I recommend soymilk due to the soy isoflavones which have shown to be
beneficial for lowering cholesterol and blood pressure, and for reducing the risk of certain cancers. I
recommend almond milk due to the fact that it can be very low in calories (if
unsweetened) and it most varieties are an excellent source of Vitamin E. However, the reason
almond milk is low in calories is because it’s lacking protein (each gram of
protein contributes 4 calories- 1 cup almond milk= 1 g protein, skim milk= 8 g
(=36 more calories)). Milk alternatives do tend to be much more processed than
dairy milk, which is definitely one of the drawbacks. While they may be
fortified with calcium and vitamin D, they are not natural sources, and are
also lacking other important nutrients that regular dairy milk provides such as
thiamin, riboflavin, phosphorus, folate, niacin, Vitamin C, magnesium, Vitamin
B12 and potassium. Additionally, I rarely ever
recommend dairy-free alternatives for cheeses or yogurts unless someone has a
dairy allergy. This is because these products are highly processed and have a
ton of junk added to them to give them the right texture and flavor (even
though the flavor is usually lacking too…). They also typically do not have as
much (or any) calcium and protein as real dairy, especially if they are made
with rice.
I can almost guarantee the
health problems of our society are not due to individuals consuming too much
skim milk, kefir, or low fat plain yogurt. I always encourage people who have
no trouble consuming real yogurt to do so instead of finding almond milk or
soymilk alternatives. Do not be afraid
of dairy. For most people, there are many more aspects of their diet that are
contributing to their inability to lose weight or for their health problems.
If you do want to test
whether going dairy-free will make you feel better, you should first make sure
your diet is full of vegetables, fruit, whole grains, nuts, beans and legumes,
fish, and other lean proteins before you begin. Likewise, before participating
in any fad diet that eliminates food types/groups (e.g. Paleo), you should make
sure you are eating the healthier foods within each food group. Chances are,
once you start eating a more well-balanced diet overall you will see the
benefits. You will most likely also find that incorporating a glass of skim
milk in the morning, a yogurt as a snack, and cottage cheese with fruit for
dessert will help you in whatever your goals are- losing weight, building lean
muscle, preventing osteoporosis, etc. I always encourage people to buy organic
milk because eating purer foods is always better… and I personally think
organic milk does taste better.
People and companies like to
place blame on one food or food category, when really, it is a multitude of factors that are contributing to chronic disease. Dairy has been blamed for
many health problems, just like grains (or gluten) have. However, most people
are not eating only eating healthy whole grains like oats, quinoa, and barley
nor are they eating the healthy sources of dairy like low-fat yogurt and kefir.
Of course you will feel better by cutting out pizza, pretzels, heavy cream, and
ice cream- they are not good for you; plain and simple. It’s not the name of
the food group that is to blame; the unhealthy food choices within those groups
are the bane of modern society. Make healthy food choices and you will feel
better, guaranteed; you do not need to eliminate an entire food group.
References:
Louie JC, Flood VM, Hector DJ, Rangan AM, Gill TP. Dairy consumption and overweight and obesity: a systematic review of prospective cohort studies. Obes Rev. 2011;12:e582–e592
http://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatmentsandsideeffects/complementaryandalternativemedicine/dietandnutrition/soybean
Jones KW, Eller LK, Parnell JA, Doyle-Baker PK, Edwards AL, Reimer RA. Effect of a dairy- and calcium-rich diet on weight loss and appetite during energy restriction in overweight and obese adults: a randomized trial. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2013;67:371–376
Rideout TC, Marinangeli CP, Martin H, Browne RW, Rempel CB. Consumption of low-fat dairy foods for 6 months improves insulin resistance without adversely affecting lipids or bodyweight in healthy adults: a randomized free-living cross-over study. Nutr J. 2013;12:56
Ralston RA, Lee JH, Truby H, Palermo CE, Walker KZ. A systematic review and meta-analysis of elevated blood pressure and consumption of dairy foods. J Hum Hypertens. [Epub ahead of print]. 2011 Feb 10.
http://sites.usdairy.com/DairyResearchInstitute/Pages/InsiteAprilMainPage.aspx#Nutrition2
J Acad Nutr Diet. 2013 Dec;113(12):1669-74. doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2013.05.019. Epub 2013 Aug 1.
Picture Source: http://www.eatright.org/public/slideshow.aspx?id=6442470873#6
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