Eliminate dairy?

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

I’m new to yoga practice and I’m doing a bit of reading.

Several sources recommend totally eliminating dairy from the diet.

I feel myself immediately ready to rebel at that idea.

I love cheese and really like yogurt, sour cream and ice cream. I use some butter and often cook with milk, buttermilk, half-and-half or cream. I don’t drink milk by the glass but do sometimes have it with cereal.

Has anyone eliminated it even though they really like it? If so, did you get over craving it? Ideas for substitutions?

#2

Hercules, Zeus, and other mythical figures were brought up on goat milk and honey.

Milk is a recommended food for yogis, at least in India.
Sivananda recommended to observe a diet of milk and fruits only, for a week, in his teachings regarding bhakti yoga.

Probably lactose intolerance is not a charactersistic of the indian genotype. Personally, I am lactose intolerant. I do enjoy dairy where the lactose is transfromed into lactic acid, through fermentation, like cheese and yogurt.

Beside that, my experience is that dairy reduces the flow of lymph in my body, thus giving a hard time to my immune system … it has an inflammatory effect. But all comes down to quantity, and other foods I consume it with. Small quantieties have little or not noticable effects. This is through only for cow’s milk though. The milk of smaller mammals contains less cazein, and does not burden the lymphatic system that much. (Goat milk is used in some hospitals as an easier substitue for cow’s milk)

Other problem with dairy is it’s proteins. They are animal proteins, with not very good phosphor-calcium ratio, meaning that they contain hundredfolds more phosphor then calcium, and the extra phosphor is eliminated as calcium-phoshpate. That’s why recommending dairy for it’s high calcium content is futile, because it brings a lot, but also takes a lot.

Another thing is that, dairy, especially soft cheese, butter, cream is full of saturated fats, and some of it, in the case of cheeses went trhough natural oxidation, transfroming them into TRANS fat. It is known that fresh saturated fats have little effect on our arteries, yet oxidated ones make the artery cells calcify and literally, die.

If your diet is dairy heavy, you should try to reduce it. Moderate, fresh dairy is not that harmful. The body has it’s ways to deal with any food … all foods except fresh fruits and vegetables have unhelathy effects, but we need to find our balance being a solitary hermit, and a social being. :slight_smile:

#3

Thank you for the reassurance. I hated the idea of taking it out of my diet completely.

I do like goat and sheep’s milk cheeses. I’ll try to choose those more often.

#4

There are two points to cover. One is the yoga student’s purpose in bringing this thing or that thing into their lives (or reducing/eliminating it). That bringing in includes relationships of all sorts - including ones in your digestive tract.

So for this point it would be relevant to delve into the “why am I having this” question. If having it is empowering your life’s purpose (svadharma) then no one is to say you should or should not have it.

If on the other hand it is facilitating inflammation and mucous in your body AND you don’t find joy in having same, then it’s appropriate to consider reducing or eliminating it.

The second point is more pragmatic. Your reference is to cow’s milk I presume. Cow’s milk is intended to raise a small calf into a large cow. If you have intentions to be a large cow then cow’s milk is a perfect choice. Goat’s milk on the other hand, when consumed within half an hour of milking is much healthier for you (a human being).

Letting go of things we are attached to is part of encountering the Kleshas (in a yoga practice) It is these five things (coupled with the yamas and niyamas) that allow us to move beyond suffering. The Kleshas are obstacles. Attachment (and aversion for that matter) are two of the five elements.

Therefore it’s neither advised to cling to your diet nor forsake it completely. I don’t eat much dairy. But I’m not a radical about it. I have not consumed cow’s milk in a glass for many years (opting for rice milk instead). I don’t miss it. However I do enjoy occasionally cooking with butter. Ice cream falls into a category of things that do not fuel my body so I avoid it almost unilaterally these days. In the same way I don’t eat “fat-free” this or that. My eating paradigm has shifted from “what is okay to eat” to “what is good to eat”. So I eat based on what makes my engine run well. Refined sugars, most dairy, and caffeine do not do it for me.

But to be clear, it’s about the way this thing serves your life. If it does, keep it (presuming you are seeing your life clearly). If it doesn’t not, then re-evaluate consuming it.

#5

Thanks for the input. I know I have a lot of learning to do and a lot of searching within myself. I like your thought about ‘what’s okay vs. what’s good’.

#6

Hi dkl, I’m a vegatarian mainly because I believe it makes more sense in terms of environmental efficiency and sustainability. I also don’t want to contribute to the horrendous treatment of animals bred for food. Much of these arguments also naturally lend themselves to a dairy-free diet. However, while I don’t particularly enjoy eating meat, like you, I do enjoy milk, yoghurts and cheese etc. I was also loathe to give up these things I enjoyed – and I haven’t totally, but I have reduced dairy intake significantly. There are so many alternatives out there (depending on where you live). You could try rice milk as IA suggested or soy-based products including soy milk and yoghurts which are really good. I now find myself preferring these over their dairy alternatives. I’ve also lost a few pounds since making this change. But, we are all different, so hopefully you’ll find what is right for you.

#7

my thoughts, which are not gospel, and usually handed down from others.
because of the processing of milk the digestive enzymes may be lost. I ahve recently been able to buy raw milk and it does seem to digest much better. some people do not beleive we are lactose intollerant bur rather we are intollerant of the way milk is after it is processed. I think they say that the heating process eliminated lactaid from the milk. I used to buy a product called lactaid I believe, and put it in my milk and thne I was able to drink it without a hard time. for some reason I no longer have the issues and dont need to put that in.

correct me if I am wrong but some yogis have transcended dietary restraints. it is possible for people to get to a point where their bodies can digest about anything and extract the nutrients from it.
as far as being a cow I dont want to be that, but I dont want to be a goat either :wink:
I am love, I am peace, I am joy, and so are you
I am neil

#8

I love coconut milk as a sub in cream sauces. Most of the time people who come to my house and eat don’t realize that it’s coconut milk. I make sure they have no allergies though. Love the stuff.

If you collect the stuff from the top of the can instead of shaking it up, it’s even thicker. You can whip it and use it in desserts. It doesn’t do as well as heavy cream, but in a pinch it’s nice.

#9

Everyone has given very helpful views on this topic, and I will add what I also hope will be helpful.

I gave up dairy, meat, and eggs in January 1990 for the same reasons that JenW stated. Basically, I did not want to support the environmental degredation or animal abuse that is so prevalent with animal products, nor did I want to put the products of the animal suffering into my body. Giving up the meat was easy, but giving up dairy was more difficult because cheese (all types) was my favorite food.

When I gave up these products, I lost 12 pounds in 3 months. Moreover, my energy levels increased a lot and I no longer had mucus formation that I had begun to notice the previous year after eating cheeses. Another really interesting aspect was that I started noticing and purchasing foods at the local natural foods store that I never had before…all kinds of grains, legumes, and other products that I had never tried. So, changing my diet turned out to be great because I started experimenting with new flavors and textures…it ended up expanding my repitoire of foods.

There are lots of great products out now that can be used to substitute for dairy. Personally, I have not found a satisfactory substitute for most cheeses (other than Parmesian), although one can do incredible things with tofu as a substitue for ricotta. If you want to try out the soy/rice/almond “milks” I would suggest trying out different brands and see which ones you like. Like anything else, they are all different and some are better than others.

After all these years, I have begun to allow a little dairy into my diet when traveling. This is mostly for convenience and to avoid confusion, particularly in foreign countries. It is interesting though because now, after not eating it for so many years, it does not take much for me to feel like I need to get back to my normal dairy-free diet. Having dairy now tends to make me feel sluggish and heavy. However, I must admit that the cheese is usually scrumtous, so having that occasional treat when traveling is enjoyable.

I hope that having this information on my own experience is helpful to you. If nothing else, you may want to give up dairy for a week or month and see how you feel.

#10

Here are a few ideas that may help you to make the transition if you decided to do that, or at least to give it a try. I don’t know what your overall cooking style is like, but from your description of your dairy usage, I am guessing that you like the feel and flavor of dairy products. Getting away from that will take a little getting used to, as your tastes will need a little time to change. Here are a few tips:

  1. Go to a bookstore or online and take a look at dairy-free cookbooks (vegan cookbooks are good). There are lots of them out there and many are excellent. I would recommend getting a basic one that provides recipes for dairy substitutions (such as “The American Vegetarian Cookbook” by Marilyn Diamond, lots of good recipes), and one or more that are geared toward the type of cooking that you like (ethnic, spicy, or whatever). If you are looking online, read the reviews from other people to see how they generally like the books.

  2. Make some dishes that are not dependent on dairy. In that way, you won’t miss the dairy as it would not be there anyway.

  3. Avocado makes a great substitute for cheese or (even sour cream) on baked potatoes, in sandwiches, salads, and in burritos.

  4. Sauces and salsas that are somewhat sour can be great alternatives to cheese as a topping. For example, the other night I made a simple topping of cilantro, lime juice, garlic, and hot pepper and served it with chili. The freshness of the ingredients was wonderful with the chili and did not add more heaviness to an already heavy main dish.

  5. If you live near a good vegetarian or vegan restaurant, try it out. You can ask other people what they like off of the menu or daily specials. You might be amazed at how wonderful and creative the food is, and also get some ideas to try at home.

#11

like some other users have said, I have found soy products a better alternative for me for dairy products. I feel better, they taste better to me, and it eases my conscience about the consequences for both my body and the animals!

#12

Dairy cows live a pretty miserable life before they are sold for slaughter…plus, cows milk is for cows.

I’ve all but eliminated dairy from my diet, save for the occasional bit of cheese or ice cream. Still working on the last two items - if only we had decent soy cheese/ice cream here.

#13

Well, I see that advanced yoga practices require purified butter (ghee) in the diet. Is butter not a dairy product ?

#14

I have seen sheppards in the mountains, really extremely strong people. Their diet is vastly diary.

How then is dairy not healthy ? If somebody is lactose intolerant, it is not the fault of the diary.

#15

Im confused by the stark contradictions between nutrition theory in the West and East. In ayurveda, milk and especially ghee are suggested as being very powerful and good for health. It was explained to me by my ayur.doc that the yogis saw milk as something that was freely given, and that made it sattvic. I understand that may have been the case then but it sure isnt now, and i think as people learning yoga we ought to aim at causing as little harm and suffering as possible.

Clearly, dairy products cause as much, and in many cases more suffering than eating meat. That suffering is not just applicable to the animal but to our own health , in western naturopathic dietary advice. both physically and energetically it can be incredibly damaging to us, as the animals largely live in a state of intense fear and physical weakness where they are pumped full of allopathic medicine.

#16

I think you have an excellent point, Anula. In the past, cows surely had a much better quality of life than before we invented factory farming. Today, my principal reason for avoiding dairy is because I try, as Anula said, to cause as little harm and suffering as possible. (Which is the same reason I avoid supermarket-bought eggs, but don’t mind eating eggs from the truly free-range hens running around my parents garden).

Also, there is growing evidence that dairy is, in fact bad - not good, for our health. Some of the key arguments for this are concisely presented here: http://www.vegansociety.com/people/health/dairyproducts.php