Nutrition III - Nutrition and Lifestyle - Food and Beverages to Avoid; Dairy and alternatives

Question 1

Food and beverages to avoid

Answer 1

Certain foods and beverages need to be avoided if optimal health is to be achieved, for example:
* Cow’s dairy
* Sugar
* Coffee
* Alcohol

Question 2

Cow’s Dairy

Answer 2

Cow’s dairy (Foods produced from cow’s milk):
Types include:
* Raw – unprocessed and unpasteurized milk
* Pasteurised – heated or ‘sterilised’ at temperatures which destroy harmful bacteria. It also destroys beneficial enzymes (such as lactase) and decreases nutrient availability
* Homogenised – breaks down fat molecules in milk to smaller particles and stops them reforming, thus dispersing the cream throughout the milk

Question 3

Cow’s Dairy: Raw

Answer 3

Raw dairy is preferable:
* Contains compounds such as lacto-ferrin and lacto-peroxidase to support immune health along with antimicrobial compounds and beneficial bacteria.
* Raw dairy is better tolerated them pasteurised dairy
Note – raw diary must be produced and the sanitary conditions and should only be obtained from healthy cows

Question 4

Cow’s Dairy consumption

Answer 4

Do we need to consume dairy to be healthy?
* Humans are the only mammals that continue drinking milk after being weaned, and are also the only mammals known to regularly consume another mammals milk
* Cows milk contains lactose which requires lactase to be digested.
* However, after weaning, lactase significantly decreases. An estimated 75% of humans lose the ability to fully digests lactose
* Dairy is a common allergen and can cause a range of symptoms including rashes, wheezing, coughs and digestive issues
* Cows dairy is rich in IGFs which can promote sebum production (= acne) and tumour growth
IGF = insulin-like growth factor

Question 5

Cow’s Dairy – Calcium

Answer 5

Dairy – a good calcium source?
* Despite being rich in calcium, there are clear associations between high calcium consumption and osteoporosis risk.
* The protein component of cows milk is likely the problem, as dairy is high in sulphur-based amino acids (e.g. methionine), which can increase sulphuric acid formation – leeching calcium (an alkaline mineral) from bones
* Countries with a high dairy consumption often have a high intake of other animal proteins (i.e. meat), which contributes to calcium loss from bone

Question 6

Calcium sources; calcium rich foods

Answer 6

Calcium rich foods:
* Dark green leafy vegetables, Broccoli, Beans, Peas, Fennel, Basil
* Almonds, Sesame seeds, Buckwheat, Rye, Chia seeds
* Blackberries, Figs, Oranges, Sardines, Salmon
For example:
Broccoli = 91 g/1 cup = calcium 43mg
Kale = 67g / 1 cup = calcium 90mg

Question 7

Calcium sources; milk alternatives

Answer 7

Milk alternatives include:
* Not milks – almond, hazelnut, cashew
* Oats milk, coconut milk, hemp milk
Check the ingredients. Avoid added sugars and sunflower oil