Changes--No More Dairy?!

Hey what's up you guys? Thank you so much for bearing with me the last month and a half of blogging! I am finally enjoying it again and the creative juices are flowing. It is nice to have a space in which I can share my thoughts + life + heart!

This week we are talking about fitness again! Yay! As you know, I love weight lifting and have been slowly making changes to my life style in order to be healthier and more fit! One of the most drastic changes I am in the process of making is going dairy-free.

Stop. re-read the last two words of that paragraph. I am NOT going vegan, I am going dairy free. Let me explain.

One of my best friend's was in town a few weeks ago, and she told me about a health problem her mom is having, caused by dairy! Her mom took dairy out of her diet and it the issue disappeared! Now, I don't have any dairy related health issues, but this sparked my interest and made me curious about how I would feel without dairy. Here are my reasons for cutting out dairy even though I have no health issues!

1. Dairy Affects Your Skin

Since I was 14, I have struggled with acne really badly. I went to a dermatologist and was on antibiotics for 2 years for my acne, and it got better. I went off the antibiotics and the acne came back! I went on birth control in hopes that it would help, but 4 1/2 months in it hasn't changed my skin for the better. If you didn't know, acne is actually a bacteria living in your body (thus if you have severe acne, topical treatments won't help and you have to attack from the inside out using an antibiotic prescribed by your dermatologist!). Dairy is a product that contains bacteria (part of the reason it sours). That bacteria can be good for your body (probiotics) but bad for your skin. If you have acne bacteria, adding more bacteria (dairy) cannot be a good combination! Any time I have read about foods to help acne, they always say to cut dairy/sugar. I finally found the guts to do it in order to better my life.

(Side note: I am NOT a doctor. This is just my opinion and personal experience. Take it with a grain of salt, and talk to a dermatologist if you suffer from acne).

2. Dairy = Fat

We all know that dairy contains fats! Which is a good thing, especially for young children who are growing at rapid rates! However, if you are trying to lose weight, less fat is better. You do need some fats, but you can get plenty of good fats from other foods.

There are only two reasons when it comes down to it, but generally I want to feel better and have clearer skin!

I am not going cold turkey because I love dairy products, and cold turkey would cause me to fail immediately. I am cutting out one major item per week. I started with milk, and this week butter goes! I now drink almond milk (surprisingly delicious?! I can hardly taste a difference). After butter will be cheese, and the last week will be all dairy products! I am not sure how long non-dairy Kaydee will last, but I will commit to it until September 19th. That is 60 days from the time I cut out all dairy products! I asked my friend (who I mentioned earlier) how going dairy free was, and she said she basically lactose intolerant after one week. It should be fairly easy to stick to it!

I will be sure to let you know how it goes. I will try to do a before and after picture of my acne? If it goes well, I will totally keep up with it! I can tell you right now the hardest things to let go will be pizza and ice cream.

60 days, no dairy. Let's do this!

I'll see you all next Friday with a new post!

-Kaydee

(Want to keep up with my dairy free journey and fitness chats? Follow me on Instagram @therealslimkaydee!)