I recently discovered the reason behind dairy being so addictive.
It took me nearly a whole year to completely give up dairy. Giving up cheese has been one of the hardest but most rewarding decisions that I have ever made. Cheese and ice cream are incredibly addicting and for a second it might cross your mind that the reason you simply cannot give up cheese is because you’re unusually dependent on it for your own sanity, more than any other human being on this Earth, and giving it up would probably cause you massive depression or withdrawals. I used to think that way.
Well, let me ruin your fairy tale. Every single person in this world is just as addict to cheese and dairy as you are. Cheese is a wolf dressed up as a sheep. I can say the same about milk. I used to think my sanity depended on those Mozzarella sticks or that yummy Alfredo sauce. But what I didn’t realize is that cheese was actually ruining my life in more than 1 way.
It’s easy to discern the dangers of red meat, but not everyone is able to see the dangers of cheese, only because it is “softer” and “easier to digest”. Dairy in general, just like the rest of animal products, have a lot of cholesterol, which when digested, does nothing but create an acidic environment in your body, create inflammation and worse than those two (only if you think looks are that important anyway), it makes you gain weight rapidly since all that cholesterol goes straight to the fat deposits in your body or gets stuck in your arteries, from the smallest ones to the biggest ones. When plaque is build up (due to cholesterol) in your big arteries, a heart attack is on its way; but what if plaque obstructs the tiny arteries in your brain? You don’t get a heart attack, your brain simply does not get enough blood and as a result you now don’t get to think clearly enough, your brain is overwhelmed, you become irritable and mental health issues, such as depression, start to develop.
You might now be ready to hear why dairy is so addictive. Cow milk is not designed for human consumption. 70% of the population is lactose intolerant. Some dairy “allergies” are worse than others, it’s simply that the other 30% don’t know they have an allergy to it because their issues after consuming it aren’t as serious as the other 70%. Mild allergic reactions to dairy include anything from ear infections (kids) to acne, depression and many other conditions that come “out of nowhere”. Our bodies heal themselves, what do you mean diseases just randomly come “out of nowhere”? THEY DON’T. You know why people are allergic to dairy? Because we’re not calves. Therefore the amount of protein and cholesterol meant to fatten up these creatures up does not have the same effect on us. Put in simple terms, there’s a protein called casein which ensures that calves come back to mama cow after it’s born so it doesn’t run away and die of starvation. In humans, it does a similar effect: it creates addiction by triggering the brain’s opioid receptors, which are responsible for addiction. However, unlike calves, we don’t utilize those loads of protein and cholesterol in the same beneficial way that calves utilize it.
In my case, cheese was messing up my life in 3 different ways when I was still relatively healthy and could still walk normally:
- It was creating the perfect environment for disease to develop rapidly since it was turning my insides extremely acidic
- It was making me depressed, irritable and extremely emotionally dependent on food
- It was making me gain weight at the speed of light.
Cheese was the main ingredient to my vicious cycle. I ate cheese to feel better from the depression and sadness that that same food was triggering. Then, cheese made me gain weight and you already know all the social dilemmas that issue brings to someone who wants a beach body for, yesterday.
Cheese was so addictive that even though it triggered insane amounts of arthritic pain and inflammation, I still ate it AND told myself a pain pill would fix it. Needless to say, no amount of pain pills took the pain away. Once I finally gave cheese up forever, my mind was much clearer and my body had less cholesterol to store in my thighs, arms, face and BELLY! I lost another 10 pounds due to that alone on top of the weight I had already lost cutting off meat completely.
With plain eyes you only see the tasty value food holds. With enlightened eyes you’re able to discern that food should be more than just flavor; it should be the most powerful and clean fuel for your body to make sure you maximize its physical, emotional and spiritual capabilities.
Thankfully, there’s lots of vegan “cheeses” out there nowadays that are extremely delicious and do not make me crave real cheese at all! Daiya and Miyoko’s are my favorite brands.
Check this vegan Mozzarella out from Miyoko’s! Click on the picture to go to their website. This picture is theirs, I still have not made pizza with it, but I will soon!
The products themselves along with the shipping would end up being really pricey so I recommend you actually go to the “Find a Store Near You” Link (You can click HERE) and once you put your zip code you’ll be able to see all the small distributors near you that have the products you’re interested in, sometimes for even cheaper than the prices online.
There’s also plenty of non-dairy milks, ice cream, and desserts that you can find at any local store nowadays. However, if you want to make your own non-dairy milk, I will be sharing the recipe to make almond milk on my next post, so keep yourself posted!
