Update on the Dairy-less Diet

I’d like to start out by stating that I’m pretty disappointed in how poorly written this blog is, generally. I was perusing through old posts today and realized I often just ramble on, sometimes with coherence, though not much. Diarys are for free flowing thoughts, but this is the internet. Other people read this thing. I should have a little more respect for my own education. So, I am going to try to pay a bit more attention to my writing style from here on out. No one is a perfect writer. There simply is no such thing. Writing, with all its rules, is more of an art than a science. However, my blog could use some cleaning up.

The Diet

The “diet” is more of an eating adjustment than any strict sort of plan. It was inspired by a paleo-eating friend, but I'm not claiming to be following any prescribed diet plan. I simply know that while I’m working out quite a bit, I’m not loosing any weight, though I’ve got plenty of pounds to spare. It follows that my problem lies within my eating habits, as opposed to being too sedentary.

I am trying to make efforts to eat more whole, unprocessed foods. However, the big change has come in cutting out dairy. It’s not gone completely. Chocolate still happens, so does butter on occasion, and once last week I did put cheese on my wrap (I bought it prior to this resolution and felt really guilty just throwing it away.)  However, with less dairy (cheese was the main contributor) I am also eating less “crap” overall. No cheese means no pizza, or lasagna etc. No cream cheese means I’ve laid off the bagel consumption, etc.

Why cut out dairy? Well, dairy is highly processed. Humans are the only animals to continue to consume milk after weaning, indicating that it’s probably not necessary. Additionally, cow’s milk is not human milk, the proteins are different - things just don’t match up. I’ve posted previously about how I’d pretty much given up on drinking milk as it makes my stomach upset. I’ve also noticed that a strange, undiagnosed stabbing stomach pain seems to occur more frequently with heavy dairy intake. Also, diary makes my mucus production skyrocket, which is SUPER annoying when running. The biggest reason, though, is that there are so many hormones added to dairy cows that are then ingested by humans.

**Sorry, gentlemen readers, this is about to get real “female”**

The hormones are the real problem here. I have a very wide ranging hormone reaction that accompanies my monthly cycle. Honestly, virtually all women experience some emotional reaction; however, I find my hormonal reaction to be more severe than most of the women I've talked to. It is very frustrating to be infuriated by nothing, know you’re being irrational, and not know what to do to make yourself feel better. I am able to keep the verbal outbursts to a minimum. But the anger. The anger is still there. I could eat a pint of ice cream, or go for a run, or drink a bottle of wine, or lift weights. That will help, temporarily. Then I’ll just be angry at the sun for rising again. It’s ridiculous, exhausting, and I’m sick of it. I’ve yet to find a doctor who can (or is willing to) help. So, I’ve taken to my own on this one.

I’ve all but cut out dairy to eliminate excess hormones. I’ve also started taking a supplement of Evening Primrose Oil (1300mg a day). EPO is high in omega 6 fatty acids. From what I’ve read, omega 6s are supposed to help regulate hormone fluctuations associated with PMS. I think it’s working. I don’t know if it’s the dairy, or the EPO, but this month I threatened to murder no one. I didn’t break out into a sobbing disaster. I was kind of grouchy, and tired, but being a woman (and all its joy) isn’t going to go away. I’ve also lost 3.5 lbs in two weeks.

Cutting back on dairy is a win. Less bloat, less pain, less stuffiness, less grumpiness. I’m not proclaiming to know it all here, but the first few weeks of this indicate that this trend is here to stay, for me at least. I’m sure there will be times where a slice of pizza is had, or ice cream sneaks into my freezer. However, overall this is a track I think I want to try to stay on.