Dairy - Yes or No or Maybe

[talonraid]

NickW wrote:Watched Forks

Watched Forks over Knives Talon. Wow, makes me really think about how I eat and what I can change... Or more I guess how much I can change...

Yep, the video was thought provoking. I encourage you to do some more independent research on the topic though. I read quite a number of articles, on paleo diets, plant based diets, etc. All of which made me consider reducing the amount of red meat (specifically beef) that I eat. Coming from a native Texican, this is big news. I probably will continue to eat some lean meats like venison, chicken, squirrel, etc., but I have recently experimented with reducing the quantity of meat overall and replacing that with foods like quinoa, green vegetables, etc.. I've also removed dairy and breads from my diet in the past month. I don't know if it's any one item or a combination, but I do feel quite a bit better recently.

My wife (who is a lot smarter than me) reads a lot of medical journals and scientific studies and adopted a very paleo style diet several months ago, even though she still won't call it paleo for some damned reason. Anyway, she has dropped quite a bit of weight without changing her exercise routine. She even took the extreme action of eliminating all processed sugars and coffee (crazy talk). I really like coffee and having gone through caffeine withdrawals a few times due to government funded vacations to the sandbox, I don't care to give up coffee on purpose again.

Individual results may vary.

 

[NickW]

I understand the coffee thing

I understand the coffee thing completely. I am really addicted to it myself, although now I only allow myself 2-3 cups a day. I used to drink 2-3 pots a day. When I was in Afghanistan I used to run around to everyone asking if I could have their coffee packets out of their MRE's. That's pretty pathetic I know. We only got 1 MRE (our only food for awhile) a day for about 6 months and let me tell you, that does not provide someone who is addicted to coffee enough, especially considering that not every MRE has coffee.

I am descended directly from Texans and I understand completely about meat as I was raised to big a meat eater. I've actually made big fusses in restauraunts when I first moved out here in Oregon becuase what they call a steak is not very good quality and is super expensive and tiny. My first birthday out here my wife and my buddy took me to a steakhouse. Big mistake because I embarressed them about the steak and then also complained about the foofooey asparagus sprigs sticking up out of my mashed potatoes. My wife still refuses to go back to the place 6 years later because she is afraid they will recognize us. Lol!

My wife has gotten me to cut down my meat consumption tremendously, but I am wondering if I should cut it down even more. I want to add more veggies, but I really don't like a lot of vegetables and I really don't know how I would sustain myself on a high fruits and vegetables intake. I've been trying to learn a lot more recently about food because I've been plateaued (sp?) on my weight for quite a while despite running longer distances and need to improve my diet. Anyhow this got quite long, thanks again for the great recomendation for that movie.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Watch the B-word fellas.  The

Watch the B-word fellas. The constant use of it is disturbing some of the ladies here, as I am hearing.

 

[talonraid]

Which B word?  Beer or

Which B word? Beer or Birthdays?

 

[Skyalmian]

I avoid dairy as much as

I avoid dairy as much as possible, especially the heavier types of cheese. Anyone who's scrubbed dried cheddar for example out of a bowl knows how hard and stuck it can get, and no doubt it does the same to the insides of the intestines if one gets a little dehydrated.

If one wants to keep what calcium they have, stay off sugar as that peels it from the bones.

 

[NickW]

So Talon, changed my diet

So Talon, changed my diet considerably the other day. So far I've lost 2 pounds in two days. I only eat fruits and veggies for breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, and then for dinner I'll allow myself a small chicken breast, fillet of fish, or lean meat along with my veggies. Trying to stay away from all cheese and most other dairy products. Also trying to stay away from all the processed crap out there and stick to whole foods, this means no 7up which is really tough normally, but for some reason I'm strangely doing well with (I stopped drinking the soda a couple weeks ago). Will see how it goes. So far I've been shocked at how unhungry I've been. Usually I am always starving when I've done similar diets only allowing myself more animal products.

***Edit*** Did a 3.5 mile session of hill repeats today while pushing my son in his stroller. Was amazed at the energy level difference. I was actually getting faster with each repeat and felt super strong and good. 1/2 mile up, 1/2 mile down and repeat. I'm pretty sure it's the diet that's giving me this unbelievable amount of new energy.

 

[talonraid]

Cool Nick!  I hope you

Cool Nick! I hope you continue to make progress towards your goals.

I have been slowly eliminating various items from my diet. I haven't had a "coke" (Texican for any carbonated beverage) in months. I don't miss them at all now. I don't eat processed sugars anymore and it's funny how after a few weeks of wanting a piece of cake, donut or whatever if I saw it, I have essentially lost interest in that crap. Other things I've cut out of my diet include sauces, pasta, fried food, bread and any food that doesn't spoil in a relatively short time. Beer is an exception. I don't know if I'll ever give up beer.

I'm still trying to eliminate all dairy and I find it tougher than I had imagined. I haven't been a big milk drinker since I was a kid (prehistoric times) but eliminating cheese was a little tough. I have always been a pizza fan but now I just don't eat pizza. If someone showed up at my house with a piping hot pie, though I might tear it up. I also had another "I'm a dumb-ass" moment when I realized I tend to put dairy creamer in coffee. I quit using creamer this morning and coffee tasts like crap at the moment. I'm sure I'll get over it eventually. The other thing I realized the other day is the whey protein powder I had been using after strength workouts is a by-product of cheese production...dammit! So, I'm not sure if I should stop using it or continue.

 

[jldeleon]

NickW wrote:So far I've been

So far I've been shocked at how unhungry I've been. Usually I am always starving when I've done similar diets only allowing myself more animal products.

Awesome isn't it??? Keep it up!

 

[NickW]

Whey protein is expensive. 

Whey protein is expensive. I'm not giving up on mine till I'm out, so like close to three months! Lol! Will be close to when I finish the lean cycle of P90-X. When I was in basic at Ft Benning everyone kept saying coke but were drinking some other soda! I was totally freaked out by it at the time. I have a major weakness for pizza, so hopefully nobody brings any over!

 

[jldeleon]

I have a MAJOR allergy to

I have a MAJOR allergy to whey -blech. When you get desperate for pizza, I can give you my "pizza for people trying to be healthy" recipe.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Please give it anyway.  I

Please give it anyway. I LOVE pizza! My favortie of all foods, that and fries. Yes, my bad. I started that other thread Healthy Recipes. Maybe add it there? Thanks.

 

[jldeleon]

I think pizza crusts that are

I think pizza crusts that are made out of both pea protein and brown rice protein are better than just brown rice protein. Of course I can't find the one I use online, perhaps it is local.

I use this brand for cheese, either flavor are good: http://www.daiyafoods.com/ I can't have soy or nuts, so all the other "cheeses" are out of the question.

Any kind of sauce should be fine.

I like hawaiin so I will put on pineapple and super thin canadian bacon (I figure one layer of that isn't going to kill me).



That's it, nothing tricky.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Interesting.  Non-dairy

Interesting. Non-dairy cheese. I wonder if they have that at our local health food store. Once I can get on my feet, I have to get over there and check some things out.

 

[palouserider]

There is a pizza crust recipe

There is a pizza crust recipe on the wheatbelly blog as well but I haven't tried it yet. Pizza is one of my favorite foods, too, but of course now I wonder if it was part of my wheat addiction since I haven't craved it lately.

 

[jldeleon]

T.J.They should also have

T.J.

They should also have cheeses made from soy and almonds, the almond one is pretty good too.

There are also ice creams made from brown rice, almond milk, coconut, soy and...that's all I can remember. Almond milk is also a good replacement for real milk, and Almond Dream was my favorite brand. It also comes flavored in Vanilla and Chocolate. It tasted the most like milk to me. Forget hemp -blech.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

My hubby got me a half gallon

My hubby got me a half gallon of Silk Almond unsweetened milk. Yuck! Have you tried Silk? Does Almond Dream taste better? Of course, he's beeatching about how it costs twice as much for half the price.

 

[talonraid]

Speaking of soy

Speaking of soy milk....what's the deal with it?

I have heard people ranting about the "danger" of soy. How it will make people grow third testicles (looks at Chaser) or whatever. Are there any studies out that actually support some sort of danger or negative side effects from soy?

By the way, I tried the vanilla silk light and it's not too bad for cereal or whatever, but I wouldn't want to drink it as a straight up glass of white liquidy stuff.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

I've heard that too, TR. 

I've heard that too, TR. They say don't give it to growing boys because it has estrogen in it. That's a female hormone just in case you didn't know. ;-)

 

[palouserider]

One thing about almond milk

One thing about almond milk and other nut milk: they have very little protein in them compared to real milk.

I know that soy is bad for people who have thyroid issues which is one reason I stay away from it. Another concern is that over 90% of soy is GMO if you are concerned about Roundup being in your food. You can avoid that by buying organic soy products. I also heard that soy is estrogenic, not sure how important that is.

 

[jldeleon]

Almond Dream IS the best in

Almond Dream IS the best in my opinion. However, the plain, which is the best for you is also the least tasty -but I don't find it nasty. Vanilla and chocolate flavored taste better, but are also a lot higher in carbs. Most of our regular grocery stores sell it out here (and they have recently come out with an organic version).

The psuedo-estrogen thing with soy can be a problem in excess amounts cuz too much estrogen throws off the ratio of all your hormones. This can decrease fertility, increase weight, increase cancer risk, affect the thyroid, etc.