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Dairy Products I avoid most full-fat dairy products. I'm not lactose intolerant (a problem many adults have where they lack an enzyme to digest dairy products properly). Its just that there are other foods that have all the benefits of dairy without all the bad stuff. A protein found in dairy called casein is a known allergen that can cause health problems like asthma. It can also irritate your sinuses and your entire immune system. Studies have shown this protein to trigger autoimmune reactions that can destroy insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, leading to diabetes. Bottom line: milk can actually cause health problems. Luckily, I never had any problems with milk growing up, and I used to drink a lot of it, but many people aren't as lucky. You can get all of the calcium you need from soy products - like soy milk and soy cheese. I switched from regular milk to soy milk and now I love it. Yes, it takes a little while to get used to the taste, but once you do, you'll find it delicious. You can also get calcium from fortified juices (like orange juice). Plants like broccoli and spinach also contain calcium. Soy milk is a little more expensive, but I love the taste - and the extra health benefits. I'll still use fat-free milk on occasion in my cereal or protein shakes, but I love the taste of vanilla soy milk. Now, again, you don't have to totally eliminate dairy from your diet. I still love eggs and real yogurt. I get fat-free yogurt because it has less calories, and I get plenty of good fat from the rest of my diet. However if you switch from regular milk to soy milk, you'll be getting all of the calcium, less of the bad saturated fat, and none of the cholesterol and allergy-causing casein that real milk has. Sorry dairy farmers. Good v. Bad Dairy It's hard to break dairy down into "good" and "bad" varieties, so my choices here are really more based on saturated fat and calorie content. Consider these more "preferred" and "less preferred" choices:
Rick's Dairy Tips Fat free cottage cheese & yogurt a great snack. One of my favorite dairy snacks consists of half a cup of fat-free cottage cheese (80 calories), half a cup of fat-free yogurt (50 calories) and a tablespoon of sugar-free jam or jelly (10 cal). I'm partial to strawberry or raspberry myself... or you can use real fruit, just watch the calories. Don't mix it all together on your plate... instead lay them all out like a painter's palette. Enjoy the saltiness of the cottage cheese in one bite... then in your next spoonful get a little bit of the jelly with some yogurt. Mmmm. If your diet allows for a few more calories, sprinkle in some ground almonds or walnuts into your yogurt to add a great healthy unsaturated fat to your snack. Scrambled eggs or omlettes. If you're going to make eggs, and you're trying to lose weight, mix three egg whites with one whole egg. Most of the fat from the egg is in the yolk. The albumen (white part) is mostly protein. You can also buy liquid egg whites in the dairy section of your supermarket... instead of wasting egg yolks.
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