About Me

I started this blog to keep track of my kitchen creations. I love cooking and eating. In 2008 I was diagnosed with RA. Food started becoming a huge problem. I needed to find a better way to eat the flavors I love. All the recipes I create are driven by my desire to eat good food that won't create extra pain and inflammation in my internal ecosystem. While the recipes are wholesome, the language is not. I swear. I use the word 'fuck'. A lot! I make no apologies for that. It's just a fair warning. I'm raw and real. Happy cooking! Even happier eating! Cheers! Angie

Thursday, July 16, 2009

BERRY ACAI ANTIOXIDENT ARMY Smoothie

1 cup of hemp milk or almond milk
1 sambazon acai smoothy pack
1/4 cup each of cranberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and cherries
6 medjool dates pitted
5 apricots

Throw it an the blender and blend until smooth!

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

THE PERFECT PROTIEN Smoothie


1 cup hemp or almond milk or a combo of the two
1/2 avacado
6 medjool dates pitted
5 dried apricots
1 banana
1 tablespoon flax seeds
1 tablespoon hemp seeds
1 tablespoon chia seeds
2 tablespoons sliced almonds

You know the routine. This smoothie gets very thick so you will have to add water. If you can't finish the whole thing, you can freeze the rest and eat it later kinda like icecream.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

GREEN GODDESS Smoothie **Green Monster**

1 cup hemp milk or almond milk
1 banana
6 medjool dates pitted and chopped
1/2 of an avacado
3 large kale leaves
1 small handful of baby spinach
2 cubes of frozen wheatgrass juice
1 tablespoon of spirulina powder

Get the milk going and quickly add things, as this has a tendency to get thick fast. You can always thin it with water. It's pretty stong but the dates will sweeten it.

**The term Green Monster is a trademark of Oh She Glows

Monday, July 13, 2009

TROPICAL TREASURE Smoothie


1 cup of hemp milk or almond milk
1 banana
1/3 of a mango
1/4 of a papaya
1 kiwi
6-8 strawberries

Get the milk going then add fruit little at a time. Add ice if you like.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Lupus

This entry is going to focus on Lupus. I just found out that the wife of a friend of mine from high-school has it. Frank is a good guy and I'm sure his wife is a fabulous girl. I have asked him to consider coming over "to the other side" and look into his wife (and him) going gluten-free dairy-free.

Diet is extremely important when dealing with any auto-immune disease. Many doctors will tell you there is no correlation but I truely believe they are wrong. My main reason for this belief is because I have seen the proof in my own blood work and I have felt the difference in my body. If you have an auto-immune disease, you should try to look into getting an immunologist on your team of doctors. I have added one to my arsenal and it has made a huge difference.

Since there are many commonalities between auto-immune diseases, there are also commonalities among what you should and shouldn't eat. For example, having RA, I should avoid veggies in the nightshade family such as tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant. The same can be said fo rthose with lupus. People with lupus should also avoid alfalfa due to one of the amino acids in the plant as it can lead to flares.

Fish oils, especially from cold-water fish such as salmon and sardines, is very good for auto-immune sufferers. We are typically lower in the omegas found in these oils. If you choose to take a suppliment, make sure you choose an oil that has been molecularly distilled to remove all heavy metals and that has been extracted at low temeratures.

Frank, this is for you & your wife!
Angie

This link is the blog of a woman who has Lupus. She is also on the gfcf diet and she has seen remarkable changes in how she feels.
http://lupusandhumor.blogspot.com/


This web site is all about the gluten-free casein-free diet. Although it is centered around Autistic Spectrum Disorders, it can apply to anyone.
http://www.gfcfdiet.com/


This link has a long list of those who would benefit from a gfcf diet.
http://www.nutritional-healing.com.au/content/articles-content.php?heading=Who%20should%20trial%20a%20gluten/casein%20free%20diet


This link has some very good dietary info for people with Lupus. It also has a link to the lupus search page.
http://arthritis-symptom.com/lupus/lupus-diet.htm


I love this site, Everyday Health. It has lots of cool stuff. Lots of info, recipes, and sound advice. It's a free on-line health magaine.
http://www.everydayhealth.com/lupus/manage-diet-to-control-lupus.aspx


This is a link to Amaon for a book that kept popping up in my research. It sounds like it may be worth the read. There are also a lot of other reference books about lupus included.
http://www.amazon.com/Lupus-Recovery-Diet-Approach-Autoimmune/dp/0975870718


This link talks about diet and lupus.
http://www.disabled-world.com/health/autoimmunediseases/lupus/diets.php

CHUNKY MONKEY Smoothie


1 cup hemp milk or almond milk
1 banana
1 handfull of sliced almonds
8-10 pitted medjool dates pitted

Get the milk spinning in the blender and start adding the ingredients a little at a time. If it gets too thick, you can add a little bit of water. Either pour over ice or blend the ice in.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

PLUM CHERRY SHABANG Smoothie

1 cup hemp milk or almond milk
1 large red plum quartered and pitted
2 handfuls of pitted fresh cherries
6 medjool dates pitted
1 handful of sliced raw almonds

Put the hemp milk in a blender on high-speed then add the rest of the ingredients in order one at a time while the blender is still going. Blend for about 3 minutes after you add the last ingredient.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Dairy Dangers Part 4: What's REALLY In Your Milk?

What's Really In Your Milk?

Did you ever wonder what was really in that glass of milk or piece of cheese or pat of butter? Well wonder no more! Just read the next installment of Dairy Dangers.

Whole milk 49% of the calories are from fat.
"2%" milk 35% of the calories are from fat.
Cheddar cheese 74% of the calories are from fat.
Butter 100% of the calories are from fat.

Most folks suspect that butter is all fat. Most folks have no concept of the just how much fat is in the rest of milk and dairy. Perhaps the 54% of Americans who are obese need to comprehend that milk, ice cream, cheeses, yogurts, (yes yogurt!) and all the OTHER products that use milk derivatives (casein, whey, lactose, colostrum) are most likely a significant cause for their weight and health problem.

Calcium
Where do the COWS get calcium for their big bones? Yes... from plants! The calcium they consume from plants has a large amount of magnesium... necessary for the body to absorb and USE the calcium.

The calcium in cow's milk is basically useless because it has insufficient magnesium content (those nations with the highest amount of milk/dairy consumption also have the highest rates of osteoporosis. Proof? How about a controlled study of 78,000 nurses over a period of 12 years?

Cows milk has three times the calcium as does human breast milk. No matter, neither are very usable because in order to be absorbed and used their MUST be an equal quantity of MAGNESIUM (as exists in the greens that cows eat to get all the calcium they need for their big bones). Milk has only enough magnesium to absorb around 11% (33mg per cup) of calcium. If breasfeeding mothers eat their dark leafy greens, they will add more mgnesium to their breast milk.

Per the USDA, 8 ounces (one cup) of cows milk contains:

Calcium, Ca mg 291.336
Magnesium, Mg mg 32.794

The USDA recommends 1200mg of calcium per day. The USDA recommended three cups of milk a day only have 900mg of calcium. Some argue that only 1/3 of the magnesium is necessary. Mother nature seems to suggest it should be one to one. If the ratio for proper absorption were 1/3 magnesium to one calcium then no more than 300mg of that 900mg of calcium is usable. If, in fact, it is a one to one ratio... only 98.38mg of calcium is usable.

It is not a matter of how much calcium one ingests... but how much one does not lose.

PROTEIN
Milk can be thought of as "liquid meat" because of its high protein content which, in concert with other proteins, may actually LEACH calcium from the body. Countries that consume high protein diets (meat, milk and dairy) have the highest rates of osteoporosis. Hmmm. Coincidence?

THE 'WHOLESOME' PROTEIN MYTH
87% of milk is water. That makes it VERY expensive water.

Broken down into its basic groups... WHOLE MILK is:
WATER-87% FAT-3.25% CASEIN-4% OTHER PROTEIN -4.75%

(note: that is 3.25% "milkfat" which includes the 87% water.)

80% of the protein in milk is casein. Casein is a powerful binder... a polymer used to make plastics... and a glue that is better used to make sturdy furniture or hold beer bottle labels in place. It is in thousands of processed foods as a binder... as "something" caseinate.

Casein is a powerful allergen... a histamine that creates lots of mucus. The only medicine in Olympic athlete Flo-Jo's body was Benedryl, a power antihistamine she took to combat her last
meal... pizza (cheese & gluten). Flo-Jo had a seizure disorder and she died from suffication while she had a seizure in her sleep.

OTHER 'STUFF'
Fat and cholesterol. Lots of it. Per the dairy influenced USDA "food pyramid" all milk, dairy and meats should represent no more than 8% of the diet. Statistically, by volume of sales in a nation of 281 million Americans, it works out to almost 40% of the diet for MILK AND DAIRY.. without the meat.

The milk of each of the over 4,700 mammals on earth is formulated specifically for that species. There are special lactoferrins and immunoglobulins (cow specific immunizing stuff) that in humans serve as allergens


Cholestrol
The cholesterol content of those three glasses of milk is equal to what one would get from 53 slices of bacon. Do you know of any doctor who recommends that much bacon per day?

OK! Now for the fun stuff!!!

BACTERIA
Cow's milk is allowed to have feces in it. Ummm, EEWWW!!! This is a major source for bacteria. Milk is typically pasteurized more than once before it gets to your table... each time for only 15 seconds at 162 degrees Fahrenheit.

To sanitize water one is told to boil it (212 degrees F) for several minutes. That is a tremendous disparity, isn't it!

Keep in mind that at room temperature the number of bacteria in milk DOUBLE around every 20 minutes. No wonder milk turns rotten very quickly.

PUS
ONE cubic centimeter (cc) of commercial cow's milk is allowed to have up to 750,000 somatic cells (common name is "PUS") and 20,000 live bacteria... before it is kept off the market.

That amounts to a whopping 20 million live squiggly bacteria and up to 750 MILLION pus cells per liter (bit more than a quart).

1 cup = 236.5882cc 177,441,150 pus cells ~ 4,731,600 bacteria
24 oz (3 glasses) = 532,323,450 pus cells ~ 14,220,000 bacteria
(the "recommended" daily intake)

The EU and the Canadians allow for a less "tasty" 400,000,000 pus cells per liter.

Typically these levels are lower... but they COULD reach these levels and still get to YOUR table.


So, do you STILL want to drink milk??? Remember, all this crap ends up in your body. It doesn't go away during pasturization and homgenization. It just gets more concentrated in the fat.

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Moooooooove Over Milk

So, you've decided to lay off the dairy. Or maybe you want to see what else is out there. What do you do? There are a lot of non-dairy alternatives to choose from. Just make sure that what you buy says rennet-free, lactose-free, whey-free, casein-free as these are all derived from milk. Also make sure that if the cheese has lactic acid in it, it specifically says "non-dairy lactic acid". Many cheeses made from soy, rice, and almond will say lactose-free but still contain casein and lactic acid derived from milk.

Lactose is milk sugar, rennet is a complex enzyme (a group of digestive enzymes) that is used to make cheese, and whey & casein are milk protiens. It is produced in mammilian stomachs. Lactic acid is milk acid and it is used in cheeses and sour cream, butter milk, and yogurt.

The products below are things that I have used in the past or use on a regular basis. Really, it's all about trial and error. Should you try and decide it's not for you and you want to continue to use dairy, I strongly reccommend switching to organic dairy as much as possible. The safety standards are held higher and there are no chemicals given to the animals and there are no pesticides in their feed.

CHEESE: Unfortunately, the vegan cheese alternatives aren't the greatest. There are 2 main brands that I have found.

The first brand, which is a mozzerella alternative, is called Veganrella. I do have to warn that it has gluten in it so if you are gluten-free you may not want to eat this. It's not so great plain but I used it on a pizza and it was OK melted. It does melt pretty good but it's gooey so youdon't need a lot.

The second brand of vegan cheese is called The Vegan Gourmet. They have 3 flavors, cheddar, monteray jack, and jalepeno. The texture of all 3 is very similar to tofu. The package says it melts. It does, but not that good. Quite honestly, I did not like the cheddar. The flavor was not cheddar-like in any way. The other 2 are ok. The jalepeno is really good melted for nachos.

MILK: There are a lot of milk options out there. You can choose from soy, rice, almond, hemp and combos of some of these. There are many brands of each. They come sweetened, unsweetened, vanilla flavored, and chocolate flavored. They all can be used in place of regular milk in cooking and baking.

My personal favorite is hemp milk. I get a lot of odd looks and comments when I mention that I drink hemp milk and eat hemp seeds. Yes, it is in the same family as marajuanna but it is a different plant. It's missing the THC which is what produces the "high" you get from smoking or eating marajuanna. I use the brand called Living Harvest. It is the less-grassiest tasting. Hemp milk is probably the healthiest of the lot of milk alternatives. It is chock full of Omegas which are very good for your heart.

YOGURT: The main non-dairy yogurt is soy yogurt. Turtle Hill makes one called Soy Delicious. There are several different flavors and they contain yogurt bacterias. Turtle Hill also makes a coconut milk yogurt called So Delicious that is really good.

SOUR CREAM & CREAM CHEESE: Both of these have a vegan alternative. Tofutti makes them. They aren't too bad. I've made dips, beef stroganoff and many other things with the sour cream and no one has been able to tell the difference. The cream cheese is an aquired taste. I chop up onions, celery, and red bell peppers and mix them in and it makes it taste a lot better. There is also another brand of vegan sour cream called Follow Your Heart which is pretty good.

ICE CREAM: Ice cream is a favorite treat for many. There are a lot of different vegan ice creams. My current fav is the So Delicious coconut milk ice cream made by Turtle Hill. Turtle Hill also makes other vegan ice creams that are not coconut milk based that are delish! There are several flavors and they are all pretty tastey. Temptation makes a fabulous vegan ice cream and they have a mix that you can make at home.

I think I've covered all the main milk products. Should you choose to try any of them, I hope you enjoy!

Friday, July 3, 2009

Food Allergy Queen

I found a great new blog managed by a girl who has multiple food allergies. She has great info and recipes on her site. Check it out!

http://foodallergyqueen.blogspot.com

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Bread: The Staff of Life

“If thou tastest a crust of bread, thou tastest all the stars and all the heavens.”
Robert Browning

I love that quote. And I love bread. It has been difficult to give up some of the tastier bread products I ate but as I've said before.....Nothing tastes as good as pain-free feels.

Below are the web sites of 3 great products that I want to share. Both are not only gluten free but they are dairy free as well.

https://www.namastefoods.com/shopping/storefront/cgi-bin/news.cgi?Category=Home

http://www.legardenbakery.com/

http://www.bobsredmill.com/ (please not that not all of Bob's products are gf/df so you have to click on the gluten free link on the left side of the page.

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Dairy Dangers Part 3: Disease and Dairy

Dangers Of Milk And Dairy Products - The FactsBy Dave Rietz


Disease And Dairy

LEUKEMIA
According to Hoards Dairyman (Volume 147, number 4)... 89% of America's dairy herds have the leukemia virus. (more at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/notmilk/message/835)

DIABETES
The protein lactalbumin, has been identified as a key factor in diabetes (and a major reason for NOT giving cows milk to infants).

CROHN'S DISEASE
Mycobacterium paratuberculosis causes a bovine disease called "Johne's."
Cows diagnosed with Johne's Disease have diarrhea, and heavy fecal shedding of bacteria. This bacteria becomes cultured in milk, and is not destroyed by pasteurization. Occasionally, the milk-borne bacteria will begin to grow in the human host, and the results are irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn's Disease.

MAD COW DISEASE
There may also be prions (pronounced PREons) in the milk and meat. This is crystalline substance that acts like a virus... with an "incubation" period of from 5 to 30 years. The end result is MAD COW DISEASE!


OTHER HEATH-TRASHING SUBSTANCES IN COW'S MILK
Whey: Blood proteins. Bovine serum lactalbumin has been identified as a trigger for diabetes and other autoimmune diseases.

Lactose: Two sugars. Glucose and galactose. Galactose has been indentified as a trigger for glaucoma. There are several columns that cover lactose (covering galactose and galactosemia):

http://www.notmilk.com/deb/090599.txt Dr. Gordon: Heart Disease
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/notmilk/message/629 Lactose is dangerous
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/notmilk/message/453 Ben's heart
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/notmilk/message/396 Female Cancers
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/notmilk/message/378 Lactose intolerance

Colostrum (cow's first milk): Loaded with hormones, particularly IGF-I, along with loads of immunizing agents for COW DISEASES.

Answers courtesy of the NOTMILKMAN. (notmilkman@notmilk.com)

MILK...What a surprise!

Read what a NOTMILK guest book respondent said:
http://www.notmilk.com/gbooktalk.txt

For more of the WHOLE truth... visit:

For all past newsletters visit with a wealth of information:
http://www.notmilk.com/deb/column.html

and for the Daily Squirts of NOTMILK wisdom...
http://www.notmilk.com/deb/squirts.html

Diabetics please read http://www.notmilk.com/deb/011099.html

Read up on "mad cow disease"? Visit
http://www.milkgate.com for what may well be mankind's NEXT plague.

http://www.notmilk.com/milkinfo.txt my 2400 word overview (this file)
http://www.notmilk.com/wholemilk.txt USDA facts, and what they omitted
http://www.notmilk.com/52reasons.txt A reason for every week of the year

Perhaps the BEST single reference:
http://www.notmilk.com/a-z.txt
Extensive reasons by ailment/topic


THE MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS/MILK CONNECTION
The April 1, 2001 issue of the Journal of Immunology contained a study linking MS to milk consumption.

Michael Dosch, M.D., and his team of researchers determined that multiple sclerosis and type I (juvenile) diabetes mellitus are far more closely linked than previously thought. Dosch attributes exposure to cow milk protein as a risk factor in the development of both diseases for people who are genetically susceptible. According to Dosch:

"We found that immunologically, type I diabetes and multiple sclerosis are almost the same - in a test tube you can barely tell the two diseases apart. We found that the autoimmunity was not specific to the organ system affected by the disease. Previously it was thought that in MS autoimmunity would develop in the central nervous system, and in diabetes it would only be found in the pancreas. We found that both tissues are targeted in each disease."

MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS
Multiple sclerosis affects approximately 300,000 Americans. Two-thirds of those diagnosed with MS are women. Most researchers believe that MS is an autoimmune disease. Auto means "self."

WHO DOES NOT GET MS?
It is interesting to note that Eskimos and Bantus (50 million individuals living in East Africa) rarely get MS. Neither do those native North and South American Indian or Asian populations who consume no cow's milk or dairy products.

WHO GETS MS?
The British medical journal Lancet reported that dairy-rich diets filled have been closely linked to the development of MS. (The Lancet 1974;2:1061)

A study published in the journal Neuroepidemiology revealed an association between eating dairy foods and an increased prevalence of MS. (Neuroepidemiology 1992;11:304Â-12.)

MS researcher, Luther Lindner, M.D., a pathologist at Texas A & M University College of Medicine, wrote:

"It might be prudent to limit the intake of milk and milk products."

Women are targeted by dairy industry scare tactics that offer misinformation regarding osteoporosis. Two-thirds of MS victims are women. As milk and cheese consumption increase along population lines, so too does an epidemic number of MS cases. The numbers add up. The clues add up. The science supports epidemiological studies. Got diabetes? Got MS? The milk connection has been established.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Dairy Dangers Part 2: Cancer, IGF-1, rbGH, & Monsanto

The next segment from The Dangers of Milk and Dairy by Dave Rietz:


CANCER FUEL
Of those 59 hormones one is a powerful GROWTH hormone called Insulin- like Growth Factor ONE (IGF-1). By a freak of nature it is identical in cows and humans. Consider this hormone to be a "fuel cell" for any cancer... (the medical world says IGF-1 is a key factor in the rapid growth and proliferation of breast, prostate and colon cancers, and we suspect that most likely it will be found to promote ALL cancers).

IGF-1 is a normal part of ALL milk... the newborn is SUPPOSED to grow quickly! What makes the 50% of obese American consumers think they need MORE growth? Consumers don't think anything about it because they do not have a clue to the problem... nor do most of our doctors.

(See http://www.notmilk.com/igf1time.txt for a time line)


IGF-1 INCREASES
This study involved two groups. One group consuming 12 ounces of milk a day and the other consuming the USDA recommended allowance of 24 ounces (three cups). This report notes that the participants consuming 12 ounces more milk per day... HAD A 10% RISE IN IGF-1 IN THEIR BLOOD SERUM! Now, consider that PER DAY, from ALL sources, the typical milk/dairy consumer ingests approximately 39% of daily diet from dairy... and that 10% increase becomes the "tip of the iceberg". We have NO idea of the non-dairy versus full-dairy difference but considering cancer rates... it has to be significant.


MONSANTO AND rbGH (Posilac)
Monsanto Chemical Co., maker of fine poisons such as DDT, agent orange, Roundup and more... spent around half a billion dollars inventing a shot to inject into cows... to force a cow to produce MORE milk (for an already glutted taxpayer subsidized market).

Unfortunately, they created *FIVE* errors in their Frankenstein Posilac (rbGH) shot that direly affected all test animals... but that important report (Richard, Odaglia & Deslex, 1989) has been hidden from everyone under Clinton's Trade Secrets act. The Canadians read enough of this report (before it was stolen) to reject rbGH for their country.

Monsanto's Posilac creates additional IGF-1 in milk: up to 80% more.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) insists that IGF-1 is destroyed in the stomach. If that were true, the FDA has proven that breast feeding cannot work. Common sense says their "finding" is ridiculous because this growth factor DOES make the baby calf grow (rapidly, as mother natured intended). Visit the Dairy Education Board at http://www.notmilk.com/deb/100399.html to review a DAIRY study that confirms what the FDA has lied about this for years.


THE QUANTITY IN YOUR DAIRY
Each bite of hard cheese has TEN TIMES whatever was in that sip of milk... because it takes ten pounds of milk to make one pound of cheese. Each bite of ice cream has 12 times ... and every swipe of butter 21 times whatever is contained in the fat molecules in a sip of milk.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Dairy Dangers-Introduction

I found a really cool article but it's pretty long. I'm going to put it up in sections so I don't overwhelm you. Hope you like it! Angie

The Dangers Of Milk And Dairy Products - The FactsBy Dave RietzWebmaster
Yes... milk is Mother Nature's "perfect food" ...for a calf... until it is weaned.

Everything you know about cow's milk and dairy is probably part of a Dairy industry MYTH.
Cow's milk is an unhealthy fluid from diseased animals that contains a wide range of dangerous and disease-causing substances that have a cumulative negative effect on all who consume it.

MILK'S BASIC CONTENTS

*ALL* cow's milk (regular and 'organic') has 59 active hormones, scores of allergens, fat and cholesterol. Most cow's milk has measurable quantities of herbicides, pesticides, dioxins (up to 200 times the safe levels), up to 52 powerful antibiotics (perhaps 53, with LS-50), blood, pus, feces, bacteria and viruses. (Cow's milk can have traces of anything the cow ate... including such things as radioactive fallout from nuke testing ... (the 50's strontium-90 problem).
LEADING CAUSES OF DEATH IN AMERICA
http://webapp.cdc.gov/sasweb/ncipc/leadcaus.html (1998)

Rank & Total Description

1. 724,859 Heart Disease (think fats/cholesterol: meat/dairy)
2. 541,532 Malignant Neoplasms (cancer: think toxins/milk/dairy)
2a. 250,000 Medical system (drugs/etc. think ignorance/incompetence)
3. 158,448 Cerebro-vascular (think meat milk and dairy)
4. 112,584 Bronchitis Emphysema Asthma (think toxins/milk/dairy)
5. 97,835 Unintentional Injuries and Adverse Effects
6. 91,871 Pneumonia & Influenza (think weak immune systems and mucus)
7. 64,751 Diabetes (think milk/dairy)
7a. 40,000+ Highway slaughter (men, women and children)
8. 30,575 Suicide (think behavioral problems)
9. 26,182 Nephritis (Bright's disease: inflammation of the kidneys)
10. 25,192 Liver Disease (think alcohol and other toxins)

(2a and 7a were added for completeness)

(note: Number 13 on the CDC list is -18,272 Homicide & Legal Intervention-. It is curious that the CDC would readily list law enforcement and homicides... and not the 250,000 deaths caused by the medical system!)
More to come!

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Milk.....It Does A Body Bad

So you drink milk. I know. It's good. Thick and creamy. Great in a milkshake. And who doesn't love ice cream? Oh! Don't forget the cheese! I'm a former milk-drinker myself. My favorite.....ice cold milk and chocolate cake! I love ice cream and cheese (not together tho). As you read in my intro, I was recently diagnosed with RA. I have found over the past few months that eliminating all dairy from my diet has eliminated much of my pain and swelling. I have also noticed that I have no more bloating. My allergies seem to have disappeared. My complextion is better. I don't feel so "heavy" all the time. For me this is a life style change. There can be no exceptions. I don't like pain.

So we agree that milk tastes good. So does cheese, ice cream, yogurt. But is all that good for you? I have my opinion. I'll let you read on and come up with your own.

The consumption of milk has two distinct types: 1. a natural source of nutrition for all new-born mammals 2. a food-product for humans derived from animals

As human infants we are supposed to be nursed by our mothers, just as all other mammal babies are nursed by thier mothers.

But now listen. Zebras don't drink goat milk. Goats don't drink cow milk. Cows don't drink cat milk. Get it? Bottom line.....animals don't drink the milk of other animal species. So why do humans? Humans consume the milk from not only cows but also goat, sheep, water buffalo, horses, camels, and yaks. Humans are the only mammals that consume the milk of other mammals.

So lets look at the non-vitamin additives first. Most dairy is saturated with chemicals. rBGH (a genetically engineered bovine growth hormone that is banned in Canada and Europe) and antibiotics that are given to the cows travel thru their bodies and ends up in the milk that is produced, similar to when a nursing mother takes medication. When the cows are milked the chemicals come out with the milk. When milk is pasturized (quickly heated then quickly cooled to slow pathogenic micro-organism growth) and homogenized (forced at high pressure through tiny holes to prevent the natural separation of the cream and whey) the chemicals survive the processes. They do not go away!

And think about what is done to the cows! The are inseminated (constantly being pregnant causes a constant flow of milk), bred (btw...un-needed calves head off to the veal farm), fed (possible diseased food saturated with pesticides), medicated (antibiotics to treat mastitis* and rBGH to produce even more milk), and basically manipulated for the sole purpose of providing people with dairy. The things that cows go thru cause them to produce 7X more milk than they are naturally capable of doing. And don't forget that all those ingested chemicals end up in your glass. *Mastitis is an inflammatory disease fo the udders. It is caused by over-milking. But guess what? The dairy farmes don't stop milking for a little disease. Nope. Just give the cow a "pill" and keep on a-milkin'. Technically the cows aren't supposed to be milked for at least 48 hours after they get a dose but that means money is lost and who wants to lose money? Ever wonder why antibiotics, like penicillin don't work on people sometimes? Well, that's one reason.

So, where to begin? Lets start with the rBGH. Ever notice how little girls are becoming big girls a lot sooner? Needing bras in 3rd grade? Geting thier first periods at 7 or 8 years old? This is all thanks to rBGH. Gone are the days when a girl can start experiencing puberty at 13 or 14.

That being said, I know that you can choose to avoid all of that and buy organic. I used organic dairy for years. But the added chemicals aren't the only problem with dairy. Read on.

Allergies: Low-fat dairy products have a high protien content. It's more allergenic than dairy products with a high fat content. Dairy products are one of the leading causes of most food allergies. 1 in 7 babies have a dairy allergy. Some of the over-looked symptoms of a dairy allergy are: irritability, hyperactiveness, depression, headache, bad breath, lack of energy, poor appetite, abdominal issues (such as bloating, cramps, constipation, & diarrhea), poor absortion of nutrients, resperatory issues (such as runny nose, sinusitis, asthma, & shortness of breath), rashes, and eczema.

Bones: The USA has the highest dairy consumption of any other country. We also have the highest occurance of osteoperosis in the world. Something to be proud of? I think not. Dairy ads say for us to drink our milk and eat our cheese and yogurt so we can make our bones strong and healthy with all the calcium that we are ingesting. The fact that seems to be lost is that it doesn't matter how much calcium you take it. What matters is how much calcium your bones absorb and retain. The large amounts of animal protiens that are taken in from our diets make it very difficult to retain calcium. Animal protien makes our bodies acidic. Calcium is robbed from the bones to neutralize the acid. This will make bones weak and brittle later in life.

Iron: Cow's milk can cause an iron deficiancy in infants. Now that can't be good for the baby! Remember ladies.....breast milk is best!

Ovarian Cancer/Female Specifics: Oh gi-i-i-i-irls! Did you know that ingesting lactose (milk sugar) can make you susceptable to this nasty cancer? But did you also know that stopping dairy intake can also prevent the following: menstrual cramps, endometriosis pain, recurrent vaginitis, benign breast lumps, chronic vaginal discharge, acne, and fibroids. I know I don't want to deal with any of that. Do you?

Autism: Did you know that there is a link between autism and milk? Don't belive me? You can ask any one of the 5 people I know who have kids on the autistic spectrum.

Auto-immune diseases: There are about 40 different auto-immune diseases. Basically the immune system attacks the body. RA, MS, diabetes are just a few. People with a high consumptionof milk products are at a greater risk for autoimmune diseases. Hmmmm. Maybe all that milk I drank for the first 30 years of my life didn't help me grow big and strong.

And what about the fat? Sure, you can buy skim milk but just remember.....it has to go thru more processing to ge the fat out. By nature, cow's milk was designed to turn a 60 pound calf into a 600 pound cow in one year's time. Don't be fooled by that label! One glass of skim milk still has 56% fat!

So now that you've read all of this, how do feel about milk? Still the same as you did before? Maybe you're saying to yourself that none of this bothers you. OK. But all I know is that no matter how much I miss cheese and ice cold milk and ice cream and cheese, nothing tastes as good as pain-free feels.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Pleased To Meet You

My name is Angie. In August 2008 I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. I have another blog about that entitled www.raandme@blogspot.com. Over the past few months, I have drastically changed my diet and cut out all dairy products in an effort to manage this disease. So far, so good. I guess you can say I'm on "The Diet", the GFCF diet (Gluten-Free Casin-Free).

This blog will serve as an informational blog. I'll include products, recipes, articles, and anything else I may come across.

Hope you like it!

Angie