For about four years now, I've had digestive issues. At first, I thought I could diagnose them myself and put it down to being lactose intolerant, however when the lactose free foods were causing me just as much discomfort- I went to the doctor. Weeks on end of having to rush to the toilet most days were both embarrassing and draining me of energy.
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The doctor referred me to a digestive specialist and I had a camera put into my lower bowel, was given an ultrasound, had a lactose intolerance test and gave blood to see if there was anything untoward going on inside. They all came back clear.
At this point, I decided to omit cow's milk altogether. I'd read lots of articles that suggested that our bodies are not equipped to digest animal and dairy products, even if they are lactose free.
Like all animal proteins- milk acidifies in the body- calcium is excellent at neutralising this acidity and the biggest source of calcium is of course- in the bones. The very thing people are trying to preserve is being used up to make the milk friendlier for the body.
Why? Because cow's milk is designed to help a baby calf grow into a fully-grown adult- not for human consumption. In fact, we are the only species that drinks the milk from another animal when we don't need to.
That's when I saw a story about York Test. A lady had suffered from persistent migraines for years and found that she had a reaction to cow's milk. With all the other boxes ticked, I had to try it to see if once and for all, I could place the blame on cow's milk.
I sent off a blood sample to them and they called me back to say I was in fact positive for food intolerances. With my permission, they then sent off my blood for further tests to pinpoint what exactly was bothering me.
I received the results shortly after. It turns out I do have an intolerance to cow's milk- which is no surprise at all. There are many alternatives out there like almond, soya, hazelnut, coconut, to name a few- all of which are free of animal products so I had a wide choice of non-dairy options. I had the help of their in-house nutritionist who advised me of the foods I could eat and the ones to avoid, to alleviate my symptoms. Cow's milk is in many foods, particularly ones you wouldn't expect- some brands of crisps for instance- was something I had never considered so I became an obsessive label reader.
Making the switch to a milk free life was easy; it was what happened as a result that changed my world forever.
I don't think I'm alone when I say that once you start to look into the reality on dairy farms- your curiosity encourages you to look at the practises in other industries too. I found myself looking behind the scenes at the egg and meat industry and my research eventually led me to watch Earthlings. This documentary made me cry, it made me feel sick and it made me question my eating choices up until that moment. From then on, I stopped eating meat, eggs, fish and of course- cow's milk. Every time a friend or family member began tucking into a glass of milk or eating a milk chocolate, the image of the horrors of dairy industry was firmly fixed in my mind.
If you're not familiar with what happens in order for you to have a glass of milk- here goes. Cows don't lactate continually, they only do so when they have a baby- just like humans. So in order for the mother cows to produce lots of milk, they are impregnated in something often referred to as a 'rape rack' to make sure once they give birth, the cycle can start all over again. As the milk is taken away for human consumption, the baby calves are not allowed to drink what it rightfully theirs. Instead, the males are stolen from their mothers after only a few days and held in tiny crates until they are taken away to slaughter for veal. The females succumb to the same fate as their mothers and are sentenced to a life as a milking machine until they become spent and are sent off to slaughter.
Part of the programme with York Test is to gradually reintroduce the thing that's caused you irritation after 8 weeks of abstinence, but I made the decision not to.
Although the last few years have been uncomfortable to say the least, I am thankful that I went through all of it in order to finally get an answer and set me on a new path.
Another thing I was not expecting was that I also have an intolerance to yeast. It was a surprise but it does make a lot of sense. I found I was having severe reactions to soy sauce, mushroom based meat alternatives and discomfort after eating things like bread and yeast extract.
Yeast is also in a lot of vegan convenience foods so I had to force myself to start cooking from scratch- something I never enjoyed. Since getting my results, I have eaten more healthfully than I have ever eaten in my life. It not only reduced my symptoms significantly- I rarely get a flare up now- but it made me think about what I was putting in my body. Going vegan is the best thing I have ever done for myself and omitting cow's milk makes perfect sense to me. There is a huge range of plant based sources of calcium so I am still getting what I need and no animals have had to suffer to keep my bones and teeth strong.
Europe's leading food intolerance and allergy testing company. YorkTest develop tests to determine your food sensitivity. For more info go to www.yorktest.com
Source: www.saveourbones.com
www.peta.org
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