Aaron Rodgers Ditches Dairy & Why YOU Should too!
Aaron Rodgers gets talked about in Wisconsin as much as Kylie Jenner gets talked about in Los Angeles. At least that is what I imagine. Even if you aren’t a Green Bay packer fan, I am sure you have still heard of Aaron Rodgers. As of late, he has been in the media for cutting dairy out of his diet. He reported wanting to get healthier to keep his weight down and keep him playing in the NFL longer. He said he has been eating a mostly vegan diet heavy on the fruits and vegetables with a little red meat and chicken.
Aaron Rodgers just became a whole lot more attractive to me (if that was even possible). Ditching dairy has SO many health benefits and more and more research is coming out on the harmful effects of dairy. Aaron Rodgers experienced decreased inflammation after his knee surgery and all around better recovery. Not only is dairy inflammatory inducing, more than 75% of the worlds population is genetically unable to digest milk and other dairy products.
I am going to break down the cold hard truth when it comes to dairy products that may make you want to ditch your “everything is fine in moderation” attitude. It may even motivate you to make the switch from vegetarianism to veganism or from the standard American diet to dairy free or vegan.
I am fully aware that this is a controversial topic and many people are addicted to cheese, ice cream, yogurt, etc. Being vegan and reading lots of food labels, I have realized that food manufacturers add milk to SO MANY products. I am also aware that I am not a certified nutritionist etc. but I do have a heavy science background and my own personal experience, but take my suggestions at your own risk.
Alright: time to break it down.
- Dairy causes inflammation
Dairy on its own is inflammatory inducing, not to mention how much worse the inflammation gets when there is a ton of added sugars to dairy products (I’m looking at you “healthy yogurts”).
2. Less dairy= BETTER BONES
Drink milk= have strong bones right? That is what we have always been told. Well that is just not the case. Countries with the lowest milk and dairy consumption have the lowest rates of osteoporosis. I don’t think that it a coincidence. Milk also does not decrease fracture risk – it has actually been shown to increase fracture risk by 50%.
3. Dairy consumption increases Cancer risk
Observational cohort studies that followed people who drank milk found that dairy consumption lead to increased rates of ovarian and prostate cancer.
4. Antibiotic resistance is REAL
Cows are being pumped out with so many antibiotics which has been strongly linked to antibiotic resistance in humans. Antibiotic resistance is a huge issue today as new drugs have not come on the markets since the 1960s, and more and more bacteria are becoming resistant to antibiotics because are bodies are subjected to too many hormones from consuming animal products.
5. Dairy leads to acne
If you have acne, I highly suggest cutting dairy products from your diet. There is a reason so many dermatologists recommend cutting dairy out of the diet for improved skin. Since diary increases inflammation, it can often lead to bad acne.
6. Dairy has been linked to other diseases as well
There have been links between dairy consumption and diseases from multiple sclerosis to type I diabetes to atherosclerosis and heart disease.
7. Dairy contributes to high cholesterol, weight gain, and high saturated fat consumption.
Cows milk is meant for a baby calf to grow BIG. No other species consume another animal’s milk except humans (which makes us kind of dum-dums if you ask me). Cows milk is not meant for humans- if it was then it wouldn’t contribute to weight gain, disease, and bad health.
HOLD UP: I want to make something clear: i am not discounting the importance of consuming calcium- but rather suggesting that dairy is not the best form of calcium. Almond milk has 45% of your daily calcium recommendations while cows milk only has 30%. There are other plant based sources of calcium from other plant based milks, leafy greens, citrus fruits, tofu, flax, etc. I also have a whole post on 10 Best Sources of Plant Based Calcium which you can find HERE!
If you are interested in reading all of the articles on this information, I can do another detailed post breaking all of the findings down and posting links. For now, I just wanted to get this information out there and explain why I don’t consume dairy and how much better I feel since cutting it out of my diet. You may not even realize how bad you actually feel now until you feel absolutely amazing. That is how it was for me.
Let me know in the comments what your thoughts are on dairy! Also let me know if you have ever been dairy-free, or if you have experienced benefits from cutting dairy out of your body. OR- let me know your favorite plant-based alternatives!
