Did you know that your favorite dairy products could be your biggest obstacle to achieving your desired weight and feeling truly healthy? With the advent of Shavuot, it’s time to take a deeper look at how dairy products affect our bodies – for better or for worse.
Shavuot is here, and with it comes one of Israel’s favorite traditions – a table full of all the goodness of dairy products. But this holiday is a great opportunity to talk about dairy products from a slightly different perspective: not “for” or “against,” but simply how to choose what is right for you.
Let’s start with a simple and obvious fact: Dairy products can be a wonderful part of a healthy and balanced diet. They are rich in high-quality protein, calcium, and essential vitamins, such as vitamin B12. They can also fit in nicely with a diet, especially if you choose unsweetened or fermented products, namely yogurt and kefir.
But, and this is a very important but, dairy products are not a solution for everyone.
In my personal and professional experience, quite a few people have difficulty losing weight precisely because of dairy products.
Why? Simply because their bodies do not respond well to lactose (milk sugar) or milk protein (casein). The result: a feeling of bloating, improper digestion, and sometimes inflammation in the body – all of which interfere with the weight loss process.
Moreover, dairy products, especially those rich in protein and milk sugar, can increase levels of the growth hormone IGF-1 in the body. While this hormone is important for growth and development, at high levels it can hinder the weight loss process, promote fat storage and even increase inflammation in the body.
Feeling stuck
If you, too feel “stuck” in weight, not losing or even gaining – even though you are apparently eating right and healthy – it is worth doing a little experiment. Try cutting out dairy products for two or three weeks and see how you feel. You’d be surprised how many people suddenly report weight loss, a feeling of lightness, higher energy, and even improved digestion and mood.
But before you rush to throw all the dairy out of your house, it’s important to emphasize that fermented dairy products can actually be your healthiest choice, if you’re okay with dairy in general. Products such as yogurt, kefir, and fermented cheeses are a great source of probiotics – the good bacteria we need for a healthy digestive system and a strong immune system.
It’s important to note that most fermented dairy products in the supermarket do contain live bacteria, but the big advantage of home fermentation is complete control over the process, the high quality of the bacteria, and the greater variety of probiotic strains. You can also find quality fermented dairy products at farmers’ markets, health food stores, or from small, home-based producers.
Protein rich
And what about the high-protein yogurts that have become popular recently? These can certainly be a good choice from time to time, but it is highly recommended to consume those that are not sweetened at all, in order to enjoy the health benefits without adding unnecessary sugar to your diet. And if you seeking plant-based alternatives, it is worth knowing that there is now a wide variety of yogurts and cheeses based on nuts, almonds, or coconut, which can sometimes be easier to digest and even help reduce inflammation.
Personalizing Shavuot
The bottom line is: Shavuot is a wonderful opportunity to try something new and check whether dairy products are indeed right for you or to start a new tradition of fermenting dairy products at home.
Take Shavuot to enjoy quality dairy products and then embark on a personal two-week challenge in which you do not eat any dairy at all (or only quality fermented dairy). You may discover, as many before you, that they are what has stalled your weight loss.
May we all have a meaningful, delicious, healthy, and most importantly, personalized Shavuot celebration.
The writer is a natural nutrition coach and founder at Stay Young, www.stayyoung.live. ■
