My favorite Jewish holiday is Yom Kippur, the day of Atonement, the holiest day of the year. In addition to many significant intricacies, an important tradition is fasting all day and then breaking the fast with a huge buffet style meal at sunset. I began fasting in seventh grade and every year, my immediate family gathers in my grandma’s tiny kitchen for a spread of bagels and cream cheese, egg salad, macaroni salad, cheese casserole, kugel and cheese blintzes (among other bizarre Jewish delicacies like gefilte fish, reserved for my Great Uncle Allen).
So why am I telling you this?
What did each of the foods on that list have in common? Apart from the fact they were cooked or baked with love from my wonderful Grandma Flora, their main ingredient is caloric, fatty, rich, heavy dairy. My favorite dish, the cheese casserole, is just glorified eggs and cheese. Clearly it’s my favorite meal of the year for a reason.
Growing up, a dairy product was always on the menu, as is probably true for most of us. Eggs are so versatile and it’s a rare day I’ll say no to butter. To this day, my dad will buy bags of shredded cheese and eat them like popcorn. When I came to school, I noticed the trend didn’t fade — dairy makes up most of my breakfast food and I’ve developed a serious addiction to butter. I’m not alone, though — one of my roommates ate macaroni and cheese every day for 13 days in a row.
Anything in excess is a bad idea, but after some research, I learned dairy products can be harmful because of the high fat content and the processed nature of the food.
I decided to see if I could stomach one week without my favorite food group (besides bread).
To begin, my grocery list got much longer as I tried to find substitutes. Dairy products are more prevalent than you might assume, so I had to get creative. No more eggs or milk and cereal for breakfast, now I would have fruit smoothies with protein powder or homemade banana, flour and baking powder pancakes — but no butter. I found great recipes for teriyaki tofu and broccoli and one-pan sweet potatoes, green beans and chicken. And of course, I had plenty of my homemade chicken noodle soup.
Eating out was very challenging, but it was fun to come up with new places or new options. I hated saying no to The Virginian’s mac and cheese, but their Apple Bourbon Chicken was a fantastic back-up. Because my two Bodo’s orders are founded on dairy products, I tried a bagel sandwich for the first time, which I will now openly endorse.
But most importantly, did all this work lead to any real outcome?
Actually, I noticed a pretty significant difference in the way I felt.
Dairy products are packed with natural hormones and naturally occurring sugars which can mean terrible things for your skin. Many claim after giving up cheese and milk products, their persistent acne completely disappeared. I only experimented for a week so though subtle, I already began to notice my skin was smoother and clearer.
Additionally, I was less groggy and sluggish after meals and at night; I had more energy across the board. Dairy foods are pro-inflammatory and mess with digestion, so cutting them out of my diet meant less stomach aches after meals, less bloating and less general heaviness. This feeling of cleanliness was most evident during exercise; by the last few days of the week, I saw a difference in my spin classes — I got tired less quickly and felt better once I was finished.
I truly began to feel purified after my week of substituting fatty cheese and cream-based foods for lean proteins, vegetables and fruits — but I still got to hold on to my kettle cooked potato chips.
After this week, I want to make an effort to cut back on my dairy intake — but I don’t think I can go cold turkey. Dairy contains a protein called casein, which makes it particularly addictive and hard to give up. Butter and baked goods and queso dip are too important to say goodbye to forever, but I know I can learn to make intelligent substitutes some of the time.
Next week, I’ll be going one week with 20 minutes of meditation, a practice which Men’s Fitness claims is one of the best things you can do for your body.
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