Should I Avoid Dairy for Hormone Health?

Let’s go there.

I know, I know… You love cheese. I did, too. But it’s time we address the thing we all know needs to be addressed:

Dairy in your diet.

So many women complain of irregular bowel habits, irregular periods, painful periods, PMS symptoms, and more, yet aren’t willing to remove dairy from their diet. 

Over 80% of the population is sensitive to the proteins found in dairy, yet here we are with a society highly addictive to it (charcuterie anyone?) 

According to Dr. Mark Hyman, “By now, most of my readers probably know how I feel about dairy — it’s nature’s perfect food — but only if you’re a calf. We have no biological requirement for this food, and yet, we’ve been told over and over again that dairy is a great source of calcium, milk makes healthy bones and we should drink it daily. I’m here to tell you that this is not true.”

You might be wondering, “Is it the lactose that’s the problem?” And while lactose intolerance is definitely an abundant issue, it’s not the real culprit in dairy sensitivity and inflammation. Instead, it’s casein.

Casein is the main protein found in milk, and can actually bring about inflammation in the body. 

Dr. Hyman also says, “Overall, I recommend avoiding dairy, especially if you’re lactose intolerant. Dairy consumption can lead to increased cancer risk, increased fracture risk, constipation, irritable bowel, bloating, gas, diarrhea, allergies, eczema, and acne.”

Yuck. I do NOT want an increased risk of cancer or any of those other issues. 

Oddly enough, when I removed dairy from my diet years ago thanks to an elimination diet that I THOUGHT was just a short-term thing that wound up becoming my lifestyle, I felt worlds better. My brain fog lifted, my stomach flattened (cheers to no more bloating!), I slept better, and yes, even started pooping regularly, which was something I had struggled with since birth.

It goes without saying that society sometimes just has to come to grips with the science, and science is showing us more and more that dairy needs to go. 

If you’re wondering whether or not you need a food sensitivity test to determine your level of sensitivity to it, my answer is probably not. We know that most people don’t benefit nutritionally from conventional dairy. In other words, it poses more risk than benefit. Instead, start to eliminate the “food group” entirely from your diet or at the very least, ensure you’re consuming local 100% grassfed dairy from your local farmer.

Women in particular should pay attention to dairy in their diet because of its role in disrupting hormones. Cheeses and milk pose not just a digestive disruption risk but also a hormone disruption risk. Let the baby calves drink cow’s milk and for those of us humans? We should stick to plant-based milks (coconut is my fave!)

My favorite resources on this topic: Darin Olien’s podcast on Fatal Inconveniences: Dairy, Dr. Mark Hyman, and The Model Health Podcast.

xoxo,

Jenny