Living Dairy Free
By: Sarah Wiik
Many people are stuck in antiquated belief that dairy is absolutely necessary to consume in order to get the calcium your body needs. But, there is a lot most people don’t know about the dangers within the production and human consumption of dairy. Your body does need calcium, but instead of dairy, you can get your calcium intake from calcium chews (which I’ve heard are yummy) or food (dark green leafy vegetables, almonds, yogurt, sesame tahini, and sardines or salmon). So, why go dairy-free?
Health Reasons
Allergies: Many people decide to go dairy-free because of health reasons or concerns. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, “65 percent of the human population has a reduced ability to digest lactose after infancy.” For this reason, many people have severe digestive and allergic reactions when they consume dairy products.
Acne, Weight Loss, Sinuses, and Other Benefits: Even people who are not lactose intolerant or allergic have been known to make the lifestyle change because of benefits from going dairy-free, such as weight loss and clearer skin. These benefits are so widespread that many dermatologists even recommend cutting out dairy as the first line of defense to problematic acne. Dr. Mark Hyman, M.D. informs readers that after cutting dairy intake, “You should notice improvements with your sinuses, post-nasal drip, headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, energy, and weight.”
Cancer Risk: Something that was extremely surprising to me was the connection that has been found between milk intake and the development of prostate and ovarian cancer. Two large studies have shown that “women who consumed just 1 or more servings of skim or low-fat milk daily had a 32% higher risk of developing any ovarian cancer and a 69% higher risk of serous ovarian cancer when compared to women who consumed 3 or less servings per month.” A similar correlation was found between men’s dairy intake and the development of prostate cancer.
Strong Bones: Want to shock your mom? Well, tell her that milk does not create strong bones; it actually might do the opposite. In 1997, the American Journal of Public Health published a “landmark Harvard study of approximately 78,000 female nurses, [which showed that] women who consumed greater amounts of calcium from dairy foods had a significantly increased risk of hip fractures, while no increase in fracture risk was observed for the same levels of calcium intake from non-dairy sources.” Other studies reacted to this and reviews “have shown that the countries with the highest rates of osteoporosis are also the largest consumers of dairy products.”
Moral Reasons
I, however, found out about the dangers and problems with the dairy industry when I saw a video on Twitter (of course) of a mother cow following her calf down a busy road as it is taken away from her. Calves in the dairy industry are almost always separated from their mothers on the first day of their lives. Cows are known to “become aggressive and try to follow their calves if they get the chance. They also call for their calves for days or weeks on end and show signs of stress.”
The calves, once separated, usually live in horrible situations as they are groomed to become veal. For example, “calves get an iron deficient diet to give them anaemia, as this gives the veal a white color” and “most calves never get a chance to go outside and restricting their movement in small stables supposedly increases the quality of the veal.”
Cows are artificially inseminated incredibly frequently to increase the milk production to its maximum. As a comparison, “producing 8,000 kilos of milk every year for a cow requires about as much energy as it would be for a human to run for 8 hours every single day.” Can you do that?
Environmental Reasons
If I haven’t convinced you yet, there is still another reason to join the dairy-free resistance: the environmental benefits! All over the world, the making and consumption of dairy products is responsible for over 4 percent of ALL greenhouse emissions. Fertilizers are often used on fields which contribute to extra greenhouse gas emissions and water pollution. Dairy production also requires over 1,050 liters of water to make 1 liter of milk.
How does Villanova go Dairy-Free?
I talked with my good friend, Clare Morris, about her experience being lactose intolerant on the Villanova campus. I have summarized her most important points. Overall, Villanova does a good job with supplying its students with many non-dairy alternatives. They have lactose free butter (vegetable oil based) in most dining halls, the Connelly Center, and Cafe Nova. There are also lactose-free and gluten-free fridges in each of the dining hall with a plethora of options. Holy Grounds also has soy milk and oat milk available for your coffee fix (it tastes better in my opinion).
Meal Recommendations
There are many spots on campus that have replacements or non-dairy meals to change up your diet. Connelly Center and Cafe Nova are good spots to go to get a personalized and dairy-free meal, such as a salad, wrap, or sandwich. The Exchange is also a good spot if you would rather see the whole process and request specific modifications to meals. I asked Clare Morris to give me ‘a day in the life’ of her favorite meals. They consisted of:
Breakfast:
Iced chai latte with soy milk
Bagel with lactose-free butter
Lunch:
Cheesesteak from Cafe Nova (with no cheese)
Dinner:
Grilled chicken from Connelly Center with rice or french fries
I hope everyone considers going dairy-free, even for just a day!
