Many years ago when I was a teenager I visited naturopathic doctor, James D’Adamo. If the last name sounds familiar, you might recall Peter D’Adamo who is the author of the blood type diet books. James, Peter’s father, recounted to me his theory after observing thousands of patients, that we should be eating according to our blood type. After assessing my blood type he put me on a strict diet free of any dairy products. At that time, there was no coconut ice cream, almond milk, cashew yogurt or any vegan cheeses other than ones that more closely resembled the texture of tires, so I resigned myself to the notion that I was going to feel deprived.
And, occasionally I did feel deprived, but within a few weeks I noticed some major health changes that more than made up for any sacrifice I felt I was making. First, I began to notice that when I awoke in the morning, my eyes were clear and brighter. Then, I began to notice that I no longer had the chronic earaches I had become accustomed to. And, soon afterward I noticed that sinus congestion reduced. Over time, I observed that I felt less abdominal bloating and my gut began to feel lighter.
I was so impressed with the results that I decided to give up dairy for good. While I occasionally ate the stuff as a so-called “treat” I soon realized that the discomfort I experienced afterward was not the reward I wanted, so I permanently left dairy behind.
When I met my husband, Curtis, 21 years ago, he had chronic post-nasal drip, severe seasonal allergies and chronic headaches. By then, I had trained as a holistic nutritionist and knew from my clinical experience that the people who stuck with my recommendation of giving up dairy for at least a month, saw huge health improvements. So, I recommended the same for him. Having been brought up with the “milk does the body good” and the belief that we need to get our calcium from dairy products, I’m not sure he was convinced, but being the good-natured and supportive man he is, he decided to give it a try.
He was getting close to the end of his one-month dairy-free trial when he suddenly realized that his chronic knee pain had mostly subsided. Then, he stopped suffering from post-nasal drip, sinus congestion and earaches. By then it was April so he fully expected to experience the nasty seasonal allergies he had experienced most of his life. But, this year was different. He barely noticed any symptoms. He stopped experiencing itchy and watery eyes and even noticed that the daily headaches that plagued him were far less frequent.
Like me, he felt that the health improvements he experienced were so significant that it warranted a nearly dairy-free life afterward. He says “nearly” because he still loves pizza every now and then.
I’ve been dairy-free for many years and I wouldn’t go back to eating it. I feel lighter, healthier and so much better since I gave up dairy many years ago. And, since I developed my recipes for World’s Easiest Yogurt, Macadamia Cream Cheese, Blackberry Cheesecake and other delicious dairy-free recipes that are not only devoid of dairy but packed with health-promoting probiotics, I no longer crave the stuff made from cow’s milk.
Whenever I see the “got milk?” ads, I can’t help but think that in addition to not having milk, I also don’t have the long list of health symptoms I once had since I broke free from cow’s milk and the dairy products made from it. Instead, I think, “got health?”
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Dr. Michelle Schoffro Cook, PhD, DNM shares her food growing, cooking, and other food self-sufficiency adventures at FoodHouseProject.com. She is the publisher of the free e-newsletter World’s Healthiest News, founder of Scentsational Wellness, and an international best-selling and 20-time published book author whose works include: The Cultured Cook: Delicious Fermented Foods with Probiotics to Knock Out Inflammation, Boost Gut Health, Lose Weight & Extend Your Life. Follow her work.
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