Louisa's Weight Loss Blog

Let us get this one straight very quickly, dairy is not the work of the devil!

The human body does not make calcium, we have to eat it or drink it to get lovely calcium into our bodies. You might not believe it, but bones are a living tissue and they renew themselves whether we break our bones or not. Even at the age of 20, our skeletons may not be completely formed. Things go downhill from the age of 35 though because part of the ageing process is losing bone density and when a woman begins menopause bone density will drop even further. This is why it is important for women to have a calcium rich diet – because one in two women will fracture a bone over the age of 50 compared with one in five men.

Soya milk (calcium enriched) has more fat in it than semi-skimmed milk. Research on the Dairy Council’s website suggests that people who include milk and yoghurt as part of a calorie controlled diet lose more weight around their waists than those who do not include any dairy products at all. The theory is that the calcium in dairy helps to alter the way fat is broken down.

If you are lactose intolerant, don’t worry because Lacto-free milk is available in most supermarkets although I would avoid the cheese! Hard cheddar is low in lactose anyway as is yoghurt and both are full of calcium.

If you wish to try cutting out dairy completely and and following a vegan diet, please let me know if you see tangible results, I would be interested to hear your story.

Tip: Don’t cut dairy out of your diet unless you have to. Dairy contains vital calcium for bone strength and dairy is surrounded by many dieting myths. Make up your own mind about the benefits. Weight loss should be about improving your health. There is no point in being thin if your bones are weak or if your hair and nails are breaking.