100 different names for sugar.

Fitness Training for Life and Adventures

Tips for Making Informed Decisions at the Grocery Store - Tip #2

GUEST BLOG

 By: Allison Jorgens, P.H.Ec.

Tip # 2

Don’t be fooled by the close to 100 different names for sugar. You may know that glucose, fructose, and sucrose are all different ingredient names for sugar, but what about maltodextrin, dextrose, and barley malt. Read the full list of names by clicking here - Not sure how to make sense of the amount of sugars on the nutrition facts table? For a great tip that should help click here .

Making Sense of the Amount of Sugars on Nutrition Facts Tables

Allison Jorgens is a Professional Home Economist holding a degree in nutritional sciences. She has been working as a food label specialist for grocers and food manufactures in Canada for nearly a decade. Over the past ten years, Allison has reviewed thousands of food labels for many of Canada’s leading private-label grocery brands, large and small manufacturers, distributors, and a variety of importers. It is this wide-ranging experience in regulatory-compliance label reviews that makes her knowledge unique—and her perspective all the more shocking. As a concerned parent and advocate of leading a healthful lifestyle, Allison recommends that all consumers empower themselves with the knowledge needed to make more healthful and informed choices.


Allison sits on the board of directors of The Food Label Movement and the Ontario Home Economics Association. She is a proud member of the Ontario Home Economics Association, Ontario Home Economists in Business Association, Prince Edward Island Home Economics Association, and sits on the advisory council for Eating Disorders of York Region.  

 

For more information:

Link to my website
Link to my blog
Link to purchase my books   

To purchase "Read it with a Grain of Salt" click here. 

Subscribe to Fitness Training for Life and Adventures

  

www.melonyteague.com 
To subscribe to my consolidated newsletter, Click here 
Melony Teague a freelance writer and columnist and motivator who lives in Canada with her husband and two young children.
Founder of "Secrets of Body Transformation from the Inside Out" 
Join me on facebook. 

Get Out of Jail Card

Sometimes LIFE HAPPENS... and when you are on a 30 Day Challenge, that means you might need a reprieve from your nutritional commitment. For this reason, I have come up with a "Get out of jail" card that will help you overcome those times when you just can't help but eat something you have committed to replace on the challenge.YOU HAVE 3 of these to use during the challenge, I suggest you space them out over the weeks.

This applies to day 8 - day 30 and you can use each card ONCE!!! You have 3 cards. ONCE ONLY LADIES, if you choose to. It is kinda like a "get out of jail" card. Not that you actually are in jail if you eat something you shouldn't, but sometimes we feel like we are. Feelings of guilt are not constructive to moving on and learning from your journey, so please, if you mess up, fess up and just move on. For those of you taking the challenge seriously (and seeing amazing results, I might add) you will love this!

I realize that once you get to focusing on replacing a few things on the replacement list....you sometimes get something that is dairy and wheat free, but has a little sugar, or it is sugar and grain free, but has dairy, or it has wheat, but no dairy or sugar....you get the idea?If you have stuck to the challenge 100 % for a while and you feel you just need a little bit of flexibility to help you stay the course.NO STRESS........this "get out of jail " card will help you out there.....

OR

You go to a friend for dinner and they are serving ALL the things on your list you can't eat. What to do? Are you going to stress? No, you are going to make the best choices you can and use your "Get out of jail " card.


This card can also be used when :

1. You have an unexpected event or something happens and your plans are completely upset and rearranged.
2. A special occasion where there are no other alternatives

This is how it works, to use your get out of jail card, you have to do this:

1. Eat a salad with vinaigrette dressing first.
2. Eat your protein and vegetables first.
3. Eat whatever you want....yes WHATEVER......
4. Abide by the "once my butt leaves the seat the meal is OVER" rule. NO going back for seconds! 
5. Report back to me.

That is it, then you have used up your one time, EAT WHATEVER, get out of jail card!

How does that sound to you? You may want to save that up for when you are really in a quandary as to what to eat, or you are at the end of the month and the budget is short. You can use it when you are invited out to dinner, or there is a special occasion.

BUT....YOU HAVE TO ABIDE BY THE RULES STIPULATED. (See rules 1 - 5 above in green)

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
 For those of you on the challenge I want you to think about something. Some of you have reported in saying...."I stuck to not eating white carbs, except for eating such and such..." or you "mostly avoided such and such." Now stop and think about that for a moment, did you stick to it, or didn't you? I am not talking about the things you are working on reducing, but the things you have committed to replacing on the challenge.

If there is and "except for" in your thinking I want to encourage you towards avoiding the "almost did it" mentality in the next 3 weeks. Tighten up your micro amounts of things creeping in JUST for the next little while. I have every confidence that you can do it, if you decide to. All it takes is a decision. Check your food labels, and by that I mean ingredient list, if you can't pronounce it, don't eat it, just for now! Endeavor to be honest with yourself. Remember the goal of this challenge is to be intentional with what goes in your mouth this month, it is best to have food that is:

1. Fuel
2. Full of nutrients
3. unprocessed and unrefined 
4. Least preservatives, additives, salt and chemicals 

I will be doing it too, don't worry, so let's tighten up our standards and it will pay off. You are not alone in this, you have the support of your friends and family and of course, fellow participants.

For the full list of replacement foods on this challenge, click here.  Please note that I have added Sodium (Salt) to the list, not to replace it, but to be aware of how much you consume and to work towards reducing it if you are having too much.


Hang in there, it will get easier as the challenge goes on, I know you can all do this!

 

  

www.melonyteague.com  To subscribe to my consolidated newsletter, Click here  Melony Teague a freelance writer and columnist and motivator who lives in Canada with her husband and two young children. Founder of "Secrets of Body Transformation from the Inside Out"  Join me on facebook. 

Tip # 9 From Igor and Cinnamon Spice Pancakes that will hit the spot.

30 Day Challenge - This is our last week!
 

Igor's Tip of the Day
Tip 9: Do you have a hard job, and no time or energy to exercise? First and foremost, kill the energy zappers. Then start to think about exercise. Energy zappers include poor breathing, poor posture and poor nutrition. Learn how to improve these by clicking here                       For more from Igor go to www.torontofitnessonline.com

Recipe for Cinnamon Spice Pancakes with Apple Sauce

Serves 2 - 3

No Sugar Added -  No dairy - Wheat Free

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unbleached Organic Spelt flour 

1/2 cup Coconut flour 

1 cup of Hemp Milk (or whatever dairy free option you like)

1/2 tsp Baking powder

A pinch of Salt 

1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce

1 egg (or flax egg)

1 tsp Ground Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

Coconut Oil for pan

 Method:

 

1. Preheat pan over medium heat and allow a small blob of coconut oil to melt, just enough to coat the pan.
2. Place all other ingredients except the apple sauce in a large measuring jug and whisk until smooth.    
3. Use 1/4 cup measure for each pancake, you should be able to make 6 pancakes.
4. Serve your little stack of pancakes on a nice little puddle of apple sauce.
5. If you are able to tolerate a little bit of pure, high quality maple syrup you can have a small drizzle of it on top of your stacked pancakes.

Optional Extra:

If you have some vegetarian/vegan spread, place a pat of it on top of your pancakes and watch it melt (if you can wait that long) and if you are not concerned with this recipe being dairy free, you can use butter. I can't help it, it's the Scottish and Irish blood in me!

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To subscribe to my consolidated newsletter, Click here 
Melony Teague a freelance writer and columnist who lives in Canada with her husband and two young children.
Founder of "Secrets of Body Transformation from the Inside Out" 
Join me on facebook. 

  
 

Tip #6 from Igor and your "get out of jail" card

Igor Klibanov is CEO of Fitness Solutions Plus and he has another tip for us.

Tip 6: Cardio is good, but don't do too much of it, and don't do it exclusively. A lot of people run into problems when they start doing cardio more than 3 times per week for 30 minutes, or if that's all they do. The problem: they start to put on body fat. Surprise! To understand why doing excessive and exclusive cardio can make you put on body fat, read this article: Aerobic exercise can make you fat

by Igor klibanov

www.torontofitnessonline.com

 

YOUR "GET OUT OF JAIL" CARD

I am still off coffee! Headaches are diminishing by the day, but by day end there is a dull ache that is rather annoying! Considering at one point I was drinking up to 10 cups of espresso in a day (There I confessed!) it is not surprising that it is taking so long to clear out of my system.

So we made it to day 14! Now what?

I have a surprise for you! This applies to day 14 - day 30 and you can use this ONCE!!!
ONCE ONLY LADIES, if you choose to. It is kinda like a "get out of jail" card. Not that you actually are in jail if you eat something you shouldn't, but sometimes we feel like we are. For those of you taking the challenge seriously (and seeing amazing results, I might add) you will love this!

I realize that once you get to focusing on replacing a few things on the replacement list....you sometimes get something that is dairy and wheat free, but has a little sugar, or it is sugar and grain free, but has dairy, or it has wheat, but no dairy or sugar....you get the idea?
NO STRESS........this "get out of jail " card will help you out there.....

OR

You go to a friend for dinner and they are serving ALL the things on your list you can't eat. What to do? Are you going to stress? No, you are going to make the best choices you can and use your "get out of jail " card.

This is how it works, to use your get out of jail card, you have to do this:

1. Eat a salad with vinaigrette dressing first.
2. Eat your protein and vegetables first.
3. Eat whatever you want....yes WHATEVER......
4. Abide by the "once my butt leaves the seat the meal is OVER" rule. NO going back for seconds! 
5. Report back to me.

That is it, then you have used up your one time, EAT WHATEVER, get out of jail card!

How does that sound to you? You may want to save that up for when you are really in a quandary as to what to eat, or you are at the end of the month and the budget is short. You can use it when you are invited out to dinner, or there is a special occasion.

BUT....YOU HAVE TO ABIDE BY THE RULES STIPULATED. (See rules 1 - 5 above in green)

For those of you on the challenge I want you to think about something. Some of you have reported in saying...."I stuck to not eating white carbs, except for eating such and such..." or you "mostly avoided such and such." Now stop and think about that for a moment, did you stick to it, or didn't you? I am not talking about the things you are working on reducing, but the things you have committed to replacing on the challenge. Some of you have eliminated EVERYTHING on the list, and wow, you will know what it is like to eat whole foods, since everything else has those things in it that you can't eat. I know it is not easy.

If there is and "except for" in your thinking I want to encourage you towards avoiding the "almost did it" mentality in the next 14 days. Tighten up your micro amounts of things creeping in JUST for the next 14 days. I have every confidence that you can do it, if you decide to. All it takes is a decision.

I will be doing it too, don't worry, so let's tighten up our standards and it will pay off. You are not alone in this, you have the support of your friends and family and of course, fellow participants.


For the full list of replacement foods on this challenge, click here.  Please note that I have added Sodium to the list, not to replace it, but to be aware of how much you consume and to work towards reducing it if you are having too much.

To subscribe to my consolidated newsletter, Click here 
Melony Teague a freelance writer and columnist who lives in Canada with her husband and two young children.

Founder of "Secrets of Body Transformation from the Inside Out" 
Join me on facebook.  www.melonyteague.com 

30 Day Challenge - half way done!

30 Day Challenge - Day 14 is Weigh and Measure Day

 

How are we doing?

For the full list of participants, click here.

Note: Some participants did not join until a week into the challenge so their results will be posted when they get to THEIR day 14.

Elisabeth from San Carlos, Mexico had wonderful results and she did a happy dance on day 14. She lost  5.6 pounds and 3.5 inches in total.

She wrote:

"The challenge is going really well for me. I needed the accountability the first few days to get me going and now I WANT to eat well and no longer have the cravings for crackers and cheese and peppermint candy during the day. I love experimenting with new recipes and so far so good!
The biggest thing these last 2 weeks have been the support in this group and the feeling of being in control of my eating again."

Crystal from Regina reported that although she had not lost weight she has lost a total of almost 3 inches in 14 days. She is satisfied with her progress. She wrote:

"Challenge is awesome, I agree with Elisabeth (from San Carlos) - I needed the accountability to think more about the decisions I was making. It kept me more honest when I might otherwise have taken a short cut... I Feel good about the inches though - all measurements decreased somewhat (biggest decrease was in hips and leg :) for a grand total of 2.75 inches.
... I know somethings going right because people are noticing - they might not be able to put their finger on exactly what's changed, but I'm having people say how energized I look, have I changed something? Somethings different, but what. That does make me smile from ear to ear.

What day 14 has done is motivated me to really do even more from day 15-30. I am adding a decrease in my salt intake even though that wasn't on the list. I know it's something I should do though so I'm adding it to my own."

Nina from Oregon reported that although the weight was the same she has lost a total of 3.5 inches.

She wrote: 

"The weight is about the same as when I started, but when I measured the inches, I was surprised! I lost about the same as Elisabeth - 3 1/4 inches. I'll get the weight moving more the next part of the challenge as I pledge to record every bite I eat. I love being sugar and white flour independent! Feel great and ready for more."

Karie-Anne from Elmira reported that she has lost 8.4 pounds and I lost 7.5 inches. WOW!She wrote:

 "I feel really good...I think I could have done better if I had have included exercise."

Sheila from Cape Town wrote:

"Did well with the no-hard-cheese plan - people noticed a firmer "behind"
Weight down by 1kg = 2.2lbs."

Sue from Nottingham, UK is happy. She wrote:

"Well I am thrilled!!! I have apparently lost 3 pounds."

Bonnie from Toronto, is tracking 6 measurements:
Lower leg - stayed the same.
Upper leg - lost 1 cm.
waist - lost 3 cm.
chest - lost 4 cm.
lower arm - went up half a cm.
upper arm - lost 2 cm.

"I am really happy with the results and I am more motivated than ever!"

Sue from Toronto has added artificial sweeteners to her list of replacement foods.

What great results after 2 weeks! 
Well done to all.

COCONUT BLACK BEAN BROWNIES

 

 Ingredients:

1 Can Black Beans (540 ml/19 oz)

3 Tbsp Melted Coconut oil

1/4 cup unsweetened Cocoa powder

6 - 8 Honey Dates (make sure they are pitted) 

2 tsp Stevia Powder (for baking)

2 Tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of ground Cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 Large Eggs (Or two eggs and one flax egg)

 (If you want to keep it Vegan then add 3 flax eggs)

*Note: I topped the kids' half of the brownies with dairy free, peanut free chocolate chunks  after they came out of the oven,  note if you do that, they are no longer sugar free  

Method:

1. Preaheat the oven to 350 F
2. Rinse the beans thoroughly and place in food processor together with melted coconut oil. 
3. Add all other ingredients and blend until smooth, adding the eggs last. 
4. Scrape into greased square dish and bake in preheated oven for 25 - 30 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Cool on wire rack and try not to eat them all before they cool down. 

My kids love these with frozen yoghurt, for the adults, I served them with Coconut Chocolate Ice cream which is DAIRY FREE and is sweetened with Agave. If I could find the Sugar Free version in the store I would get that rather, but it is made with coconut milk.

I waited for my husband to tuck in and then broke the news, I told him it was all sugar free. He thought I was lying!

These brownies are just the thing to accompany a nice cup of tea.

Speaking of Tea and coffee...

In the last post we discussed the merits of coffee and whether it is "bad for you" or not? If you missed it you can read it by clicking here. Crystal from Regina sent in her substantial list of teas.

Crystal wrote: "My tea list is fairly substantial, and often the joke when people come to visit. I'm often told I should open my own shop I have so many.

• Early Grey is probably my all time favourite - especially with double bergamont.

• Tension tamer (a chamomile mint rose hip etc etc concoction that I like to start my day with)

• Sleepy Time (another chamomile blend) before bed

• Chamomile vanilla and honey blend

• Green tea with Jasmine blossoms

• Chai tea (straight up or with milk)

• China Oolong tea

• Green tea with Roasted Brown Rice (somewhat coffee like)

• Cookies and cream (which doesn't taste anything like cookies and cream to me but I like it all the same.)

• Peppermint (my least favourite, actually upsets my stomach)

• Spearmint (better for my tummy)

And then of course I have the berry blends which my friends tend to like, but I usually find less satisfying."

And this is MY cup of TEA with Breakfast taken the last time I kicked the coffee habit a year ago!

When is your favourite time to have tea?

  

www.melonyteague.com 
To subscribe to my consolidated newsletter, Click here 
Melony Teague a freelance writer and columnist who lives in Canada with her husband and two young children.
Founder of "Secrets of Body Transformation from the Inside Out" 
Join me on facebook. 

  

30 Day Challenge - how are we doing?

Day 9 and 10 - 30 Day Challenge (Part II)

Here is some feedback from Elisabeth from San Carlos Mexico.

She wrote:

 "Only 1 week in I have lost 3.3 pounds, feel better and I noticed I use less under eye concealer and foundation when doing my face in the morning. My husband remarked last night how good I looked and that my face was glowing. Eating clean(er) works! "

and Crystal from Regina wrote: 

"I had no caffeinated black tea, replaced with water, herbal and green teas

Speaking of water - went back to using my fancy goblet, and adding a splash of lime juice and I managed to increase my usual water intake by 1 glass (still need to work on it though)

I also exercised so I'm happy with my results so far."

Nine in Oregan wrote:

"I did well today, Reduced coffee to 1 1/2 cup. No sugar/white flour. Only grain eaten, bran. Lots of protein. Exercise, YES!"

Kristin from Detriot wrote:

"I am hanging in there with the challenge. So far, so good. Last night I wanted a sweet drink. It was a crazy craving. Could not quench my thirst and fruit didn't curb it. Still didn't have any. Stayed strong."

Participants are encouraged to TELL SOMEONE about what they are doing and many have done so via social media and by tell friends and family.Why? For the added accountability. It really does work. 

Today's homework was to encourage another participant on the challenge.

I saw this recipe for Thai Coconut Curry Soup  by Chef Micheal Smith and it looked so good that I wanted to have some, but I did not have all the fancy ingredients at home, so I sort of made my own version of it and it is more like an Indian Butter Chicken Coconut Curry Soup than a Thai one, which is fine because my husband does not care for the lemon grass flavor anyway. It was a hit, so delicious I could not get enough of it and FULL of veggies. 

If you would like to make this into a vegetarian version, just substitute vegetable broth and omit the chicken, and add some other sort of protein.

COCONUT CURRY TURKEY SOUP

 

Ingredients:

1-2 Tbsp Butter Chicken Marsala (Spice mix)

1 onion, sliced

2 Carrots, sliced

1 zucchini, sliced into noodles. (CLICK HERE TO SEE HOW)
Left over cooked chicken or Turkey
2 Cans Coconut milk
1 tsp Ground Turmeric
1tsp Ground Coriander
2 cloves Garlic, sliced
1 small knob of ginger root, chopped
2 Bay Leaves
1 - 2 tsp Curry Powder
1 Zest and juice of a lemon (you can also use lime)
2 Cups Organic, low sodium Chicken broth
1/4 cup raw cashews
1 tsp coconut oil for pan frying the onions.
1 sprinkle of Tamari sauce  (this is Gluten Free Soy Sauce)

METHOD:

1. Melt coconut oil in pan on medium heat and add spices and onions. Cook until onions are translucent, add garlic, bay leaves, ginger and spices.
2. Grate the zest of the lemon with a fine grater or zester and add to onion mix. Open one can of refrigerated coconut milk and scoop off the "cream" and add to the onion mixture and stir to combine as it melts. 
3. Add the lemon or lime juice.
4. Add the rest of the coconut milk and the chicken broth and stir to combine. Add the rest of the ingredients and heat through. Pour all of this into your crock pot and turn on to high and just leave it for 3 - 4 hours. If you would like a thicker soup, just remove the lid for the last hour or so to allow it to thicken up a little. 
5. Note: you do not have to use the crock pot or slow cooker at all, but I found that way I did not have to watch over it and it was ready when I needed it to be. Also please note that the zucchini "noodles" take the place of rice noodles in this recipe.In this recipe you are adding food that is already hot to your slow cooker, so you will require less time to cook. I for this reason I opted to use cooked turkey in my recipe. If you so not have any cooked chicken or turkey, you can still use this method, just allow more time for cooking and lightly brown the chicken before adding to the soup.

Please note that I used whatever I had in my house, so if you have other vegetables, such as Bok Choy or peppers, then you can do so.


Enjoy!


I am so impressed with all the participants and how well they are doing, now if I could just get rid of this caffeine (coffee) withdrawal headache, I would be grateful. Hey it is Day 10 already, we are a third of the way through the challenge AND get ready folks, day 14 is weigh and measure day!

www.melonyteague.com 
To subscribe to my consolidated newsletter, Click here 
Melony Teague a freelance writer and columnist who lives in Canada with her husband and two young children.
Founder of "Secrets of Body Transformation from the Inside Out" 
Join me on facebook. 

Tip 3 from Igor and the dairy dilemma - Day 6

REPLACEMENT CHALLENGE - Day 6

 

Igor's Tip of the Day:

Tip 3: Tell everyone you know about what you're doing. It's one thing to share it online with anonymous strangers, but it's another thing to tell people that you see every day. To learn some other strategies to help you succeed, check out this article: http://www.torontofitnessonline.com/2012/04/30/how-stay-motivated/


To help you share with others what you are doing, you can share this page on facebook, or tweet about it by using the buttons at the bottom of the post. How about pinning it to your pinterest board? Whatever it is you are going to do to share your journey, do it now! And if you can't do it now, do it today and let me know you did it.






For a list of our current participants and their replacement foods CLICK HERE.

What is a dilema? Dictionary definition as follows:

di·lem·ma  

/diˈlemə/

Noun A situation in which a difficult choice has to be made between two or more alternatives, esp. equally undesirable ones. A difficult situation or problem.

Synonyms quandary - fix

I am in a quandary. Love that word. Here's why: 
One of my favorite meals is Steak topped with goat's milk cheese. One of our participants said that she had goat's milk feta cheese and so she had not had a dairy free day. My first reaction was to say that goat's milk is not dairy. My understanding was that the term "dairy" referred to bovine (cow) products. This got me thinking... a dangerous thing I know. So, I did some research, and this is what I came up with. Hold on to your hat, here we go:


Is Goat's milk and cheese dairy?
Up until today my answer would have been,"no," and my reasoning would have been that I consider anything BOVINE to be dairy and not goat and sheep. Upon delving into the subject in a little more detail however, I now consider goat and sheep's milk a good way to transition to NO DAIRY (unless of course you have an allergy or intolerance). 

First of all you have to look at the reasons why you are going dairy free. If you are going dairy free because you want to follow a vegan lifestyle, then goat and sheep milk is still a no-no for you. If you are doing it to avoid gut irritation, it may be better for you, but this is not true in all cases. 

At first, I thought that Goat's milk had no casien and lactose in it, but I have subsequently found out that this is not true. I recently had a conversation with a medical doctor about this very issue. He said that sometimes people who are allergic to cows milk can tolerate goat's milk, but it is not lactose and casien free. It does however have a lower amount of it and therefore can sometimes be tolerated, but in general if you have an allergy to cow's milk chances are you will have a reaction to goat's milk or sheep milk too. I strongly recommend that you get tested before making the switch and consult your doctor and allergist BEFORE you do so.   

How does this affect the 30 Day Challenge?

First off, examine why you are cutting out dairy.  

If you want to avoid the hormones and antibiotics found in milk, then that is one thing, (see this article when making your decision)  if your reason however, is to eat a plant based diet, then I suggest that you go for the plant based alternatives such as coconut milk, almond milk and organic soy milk. 

If you are following the Paleo Diet way of eating, you would not include soy. I very strongly suggest you have only ORGANIC soy because of the GMO risks associated with it.

So, back to the goat's milk, is it considered dairy? If you are putting it together with a group of beverages that come from an animal, then yes it is, if you are asking if it is bovine, no it's not. 

Should you replace your dairy products with goat's milk and goat's cheese? I would say that depends on what you are trying to achieve. Here is an article that might clarify things for you. 
It is called:

Does Goat Milk and Cheese Qualify as Dairy? What about Sheep Milk Products? and was posted by Posted on by Alisa Fleming in Ask Alisa, Nutrition Headlines

Although I have not read it yet, Alisa Fleming elaborates on this very subject in her book.   Alisa is the founder of GoDairyFree.org, Senior Editor for Allergic Living magazine, and author of the best-selling dairy-free book, Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook for Milk Allergies, Lactose Intolerance, and Casein-Free Living. Alisa is also a professional recipe creator and product ambassador for the natural food industry.

Here you will find a comprehensive list of dairy alternatives. Milk Alternatives and Dairy Free Beverages.   If you are on the challenge and you have chosen to go dairy free, you should really look at this page and see exactly what your options are.  

A word of caution: 

• If you are also trying to stay grain, white carbohydrates or sugar free, then rice milk is not a choice you should include in your diet. For those cutting out sugar, all alternatives should be unsweetened.
• If you are cutting out grains and wheat due to a sugar and carbohydrate intolerance, then choose almond and coconut milk instead. 
• If you are trying to lose weight and have cut out dairy because you believe dairy to be high in fat, that is a whole other subject. Then we have to discuss the low fat dairy options (such as cheese and yoghurt) with their fillers, artificial sweeteners, additives and debate whether it would be better off just to have the higher fat options without all the chemical additives. Again, it all boils down to what you want to achieve. 
• If you are concerned about fat content, then you have to put both products side by side and examine their nutritional information, weigh up the pro's and con's for each and decide. Look at the good and bad fats in both and decide which is better for you. Look at what nutrients are provided in each product and go from there.

This whole dilemma illustrates three things:

1. Every BODY is different and each person metabolizes and digests food differently.
2. Every BODY should make choices based on what is right for THEM and on what their bio-feedback is saying to them. 
3. Every BODY should do what they believe to be right given the evidence before them, based on the advice of nutritionists and health care providers. 

Believe me, opinions vary and you have to feel free to go with what you know and believe to be true at that time. If you have to change your opinion along the way, no biggie. Live and Learn.
Obviously if you have a severe allergic reaction to dairy, your body is telling you something loud and clear and you will know it.
Bear in mind, your body is as individual as you are, after all your DNA testifies to that, so you have to tailor your diet to what suits you best based on feelings of health and vitality. If you are eating something and it is making you lethargic or moody or feel ill in any way, then your body is trying to tell you something. Listen to it. Unfortunately often times the very things we crave are the things that are not good for us, unless of course you are craving carrots. It is also in eliminating these things for a short period of time that we can gauge the effects, if any, of any given food on our bodies.

Have you ever heard of a META decision? It is a decision that you make that eliminates many little decisions along the way. For example, instead of deciding that I will not eat chocolate, or candy, or potato chips or fries...each of them a separate decision, you decide that you will not eat junk food but choose healthier foods to fuel your body. This puts less stress on you, because all of those little decisions have already been decided under the big META decision to stay away from junk food. Your rationale is, "Is it junk food?" and if the answer is, "yes" then you simply walk away. There is no debate, not stress, no fuss.

Today you are going to make a META decision of your own. DAIRY or NO DAIRY? Okay so you don't have to make an "always and forever" decision, but at least think about it. There is some debate in the holistic nutrition world as to whether we were designed to have anything other than mother's milk. On one end of the spectrum it is acceptable to have any milk from any animal, and on the other, the argument is to avoid other animal's milk altogether. The point is that milk from an animal was created to feed the young and it has been suggested that as we get older we become less tolerant of lactose.

 
Skim milk generally has higher amounts of sodium in it than the higher fat milks, so be aware of that if you are on a low sodium diet, but I suggest you check your labels.

 You have to make a decision for yourself. I guess I am going to have to sit down and think about whether I am going to continue to stay bovine free or move to dairy free as defined above.  

The other thing to consider is this, if we choose to avoid milk because of the hormones and antibiotics etc, then should you and I also avoid the meat? According to EAT RIGHT ONTARIO these hormones do not cause harm to us, but are said to be beneficial. Read more about it here: Hormones and antibiotics in food production.  wherein they mention that in Canada, "growth hormones are only given to beef cattle (and not dairy cattle). There are no growth hormones used in poultry or pork production." and the good news is that they also say, "... if a cow is treated with antibiotics because of an infection, the milk they produce while being treated is not sold. When hens are given antibiotics, the eggs they lay are thrown away." In this article they say that Although growth hormones and antibiotics are considered safe for food production in Canada, they offer a few tips to reduce your exposure to these additives. The less chemical additives and preservatives we ingest, the better. 


The other concern is budget. Simply put, lactose-free or organic products are far more expensive than the regular milk you find in your grocery refrigerator section. Goat's milk is not cheap either. So can my budget withstand the stresses placed upon it if I choose to buy only organic milk for my family? 
 
Does this mean I have failed in my challenge because I had goat's cheese? 

No, it just means that we are on a journey of learning and discovery. On we go and the wonderful thing is that we can make adjustments along the way. 

Your lineage or origin may have something to do with how you tolerate milk and dairy. For instance if you are from Europe, you will have grown up on milk, cheese and yoghurt and your body may thrive when you have them and your ancestors ate these things for generations before you. Chances are, if you are Dutch, you can tolerate dairy well, but as I said before, every BODY is different. 

What are your alternatives?
If you are substituting a good, organic cheese for a soy substitute that has been modified and which does not resemble the "real thing" then you may want to consider your options. Are you really choosing a healthier option?  Especially if it tastes horrible!

Finally, if you are not getting your calcium from milk and dairy products, where are you getting your calcium from? Make sure you are getting it elsewhere in your diet together with vitamin D which will help with its absorption. Kale is a wonderful source of calcium. If you don't like to eat Kale you can try this: Dark Chocolate Smoothie, and you can increase the amount of Kale you add if you like.

 

Just remember, it is always advised to speak with a doctor before any change in diet. If you have any health concerns, consult a physician. None of the information provided within this website should supersede the advice of your physician.

Let me know your thoughts on the subject, I would love to hear from you.

P.S.  Don't forget to tell someone about your challenge!

www.melonyteague.com 
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Melony Teague a freelance writer and columnist who lives in Canada with her husband and two young children.
Founder of "Secrets of Body Transformation from the Inside Out" 
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