Do you dare to be dairy?

I went to a raw green smoothie workshop last night in Ottawa. It was educational, fun, tasty and free!
Sarah Ives, founder of Oh My Raw, has an information-packed blog and website. Click on the link above to see for yourself and to read a perfect smoothie recipe for this time of year.

Sarah's workshop helped me to realize that I feel really good about doing what is right for me and for my family. The event, where I asked many questions and offered insights also made me notice how passionate I am about leading others toward choosing the best for themselves and their families.

I learned that dairy inhibits the absorption of nutrients found in raw greens so having already reduced the amount of gluten, carbohydrates, sugar and starch we consume at home, I know too that dairy should be limited.

Since cutting out wheat and gluten for myself three weeks ago I have been relying on milk products and meat more than I did before. This has also been to see whether they have a bad influence on my gut as I do have bouts of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. I love cheese and I enjoyed my recent meat cooking experiments (baked chicken with tostitos and curcuma crisp - doesn't it look amazing??, and pork tenderloin baked with pear, tomato, onion and broccoli bits) as I seem to assimilate these non vegan friendly meals well.

Now my aim is to cut down on cheese and yogurt - again - as I have been eating 3 or 4 portions of dairy per day as of late. I feed them to the kids too but noticed Lucas, my two year old boy, developing some acne. While I was visiting my dad, freshly diagnosed celiac, a couple of weeks ago, I read a good part of Dr. William Davis' Wheat Belly. He exposes in his book (and blog) that acne is nonexistent in cultures where cow's milk is not ingested.

Lucas has just started daycare and although I drop him off with a container full of raw fruits and vegetables to complement the morning snack (usually a muffin) and lunch, I am not seeing everything he consumes any more.  I'm going to cut down his dairy intake and see what difference this makes. I will keep you posted on what is noticed!

So do you dare to be dairy?
I do, slightly!

On another note... talking about skin...
I was suffering from eczema and it is now all healed since I withdrew wheat from my diet. Coincidence? I think not! The problem was worsening since Guillaume's birth 9 months ago. Really, my skin hasn't been this soft since I was a little girl!