Why My Social Media Followers Flipped Out About a Recipe I Posted…

I posted this Strawberries with Fresh Cream recipe on social media and several readers commented expressing their concern about dairy being too toxic and too inflammatory. And then there was this:

“…..dairy is not healthy…..for anyone…and grass fed doesn’t mean anything more…grass fed is nutritious only due to the fact that the cow had greens at some point…the dairy industry is horrifyingly brutal ….coconut cream is definitely a better choice …hands down!!”

It’s interesting how a specific food can create such strong reactions in people. I agree that the modern dairy industry we’ve created is inhumane, and I don’t support it with my purchases.

I do enjoy eating dairy products from my local farmers, however. But when I was healing my thyroid, I ate a dairy-free diet for two years! And, there is a reason for that.

Energetically, milk promotes growth — think about a baby purely growing from his mother’s nutrient-rich milk. In my case, I had a large goiter (enlarged thyroid gland) and the ideal diet for my thyroid condition was to remove dairy to reduce any more potential goiter growth. That’s why whenever students or clients have growths of any kind (cancer, tumors, nodules) I advise them to eliminate most, or all, dairy from their diets for a period of time. At the time of my diagnosis with thyroid disease and goiter, I was eating dairy all the time; it was a daily staple in my diet. But I believe that by eliminating it, I truly helped myself heal.

I want to emphasize that I do not believe dairy is bad. Dairy has many positive qualities: One of the roles of mother’s milk, for any mammal, is to populate the intestines with bacteria to help the baby digest food. Mother’s milk also lubricates the inside of the body with a layer of mucus that helps us blink and breathe; not all mucus is bad. For those of you suffering with dry eyes, or a dry cough, high quality dairy may be a good option.

Excessive amounts of mucus, on the other hand, can cause quite a mess. Talk to the people suffering from allergies. Their bodies are creating excess mucus because their food (whatever it is) is not being digested properly. The mucus acts as a protective layer.

Dairy can also benefit digestive health, especially after you’ve undergone rounds of chemotherapy or antibiotics that destroy internal mucus and intestinal flora. I highly recommend cultured dairy products to help repopulate the intestinal flora and introduce a healthy layer of mucus back into the system after rounds of chemo. People who have gone through numerous rounds of antibiotics also need to repopulate their system and cultured dairy is a great vehicle for carrying beneficial bacteria into the body and helping that bacteria stick around. Naturally raised, grass-fed, organic, hormone-free and antibiotic-free dairy products can be good options.

If you’re suffering from digestive distress, dairy products may not work for your system in their whole undigested form, though. You may need the milk proteins broken down, already digested, in the form of yogurt or kefir.

So while I understand the concern over consuming dairy, I do not think dairy is toxic. It’s really about what your body needs and what specific conditions, if any, you suffer from. If you are eliminating dairy from your diet in an effort to heal and want to reintroduce it, I would recommend small amounts of kefir, yogurt and butter as to not overwhelm your body.

Check out Andrea Beaman’s Happy Healthy Thyroid: The Essential Steps to Healing Naturally to discover foods that are absolutely essential to thyroid health and delicious recipes that can improve your condition. Plus, learn about the connection between thyroid function and your emotions, environment, stress levels and digestive health. 

Want more? You might also like:

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My Autoimmune Journey: I Could Have Saved My Thyroid If I Knew Then What I Know Now

Note: PLEASE consult with  your doctor before making any changes to your diet or medications. The material on this site is provided for educational purposes only, and is not to be used for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.