Be Whole

75% of Africans are lactose intolerant, according to an in-depth article published by USA Today.

If you love cream, milk, and cheese, and happen to consume lots of it, how much can you consume before your stomach starts running? Any given percentage is a sign that you could actually be lactose intolerant. You may want to stop drinking milk immediately.

It won’t be a sacrifice.

I recently had the most delicious dairy-free ice cream from Legendairy Creamery at Root44 Market in Stellenbosch. A vanilla and chocolate ice cream packed with crunchy peanut butter pieces and crushed Oreos. Cue the singing angels! Oreos are not milk-based biscuits. And, almond milk ice cream tastes just as great, if not better than cow’s milk ice cream.

Whoever decided that we (as humans) should be sucking on the udders of cows for nutrients in the first place, was a questionable chap. Drinking cow’s milk originated in Europe, 7500 years ago. This explains why fewer Europeans than any other nation are lactose intolerant.

Cow’s milk produces one of the best forms of calcium. It’s packed with Vitamin D which helps your body absorb the calcium and also hydrate. So with all these benefits, why should you avoid drinking milk?

You’re not a cow, you’re human.

When calves are born, their bones are brittle; they can’t walk, and they need to size-up quickly. After a few short months of continuously drinking milk, calves become full grown cows/bulls. It’s amazing. When you consume the same milk as a young child, your body experiences great benefits but as you grow older, the same amount of milk consumption can be detrimental to your health.

Watch this video by New York Times’ best-selling author, Dr Mark Hyman, to find out why you should be avoiding milk completely:

According to Dr Hyman, this is why milk is not good for you:

1. Milk doesn’t promote sport performance

2. There’s no evidence that dairy’s good for your bones

3. Dairy is linked to prostate cancer

4. It’s full of saturated fat and linked to heart disease

5. Dairy causes digestive problems for 75% of the world’s population who are lactose intolerant

6. Dairy aggravates irritable bowel syndrome

For me, consuming dairy meant acne activation and increased inflammation. I am currently treating my acne by taking Omega 3+6 capsules, Green Power tablets, and a dairy-free diet. View my photos on Instagram.

Would you consider cutting dairy out of your diet, or is it out of the question? I’d love to hear from you.  Drop me a comment in the space below or email me directly at robyn@bewhole.co.za