When I was 17 I was told that I might be bipolar (this is no longer the accepted term for it, but that's beside the point). So I was obviously worried. I started doing some research into things that can cause mood swings. It was the first time I had ever heard that diet can cause strange things to happen to people. All my learning had ever told me was about the major food groups, nutrients, and Calories. I didn't know about the other things food can do. So I read alot of articles about food that isn't good for people to eat. I decided to try some things out. I started paying attention to how my body reacted and felt when I ate different foods. I started taking things out of my diet. I tried a diet without this or that for a week.
Shortly I found that without dairy my mood balanced. This happened with in the first week. I'll admit here is where I should have continued to see my reactions to other foods, but I was contented and stopped searching there. After two weeks my acne started clearing up. The overall effect of my life without dairy has been awesome. In addition to my initial reason for researching this I found a sleu of information stating how milk and dairy products are actually bad for people. Since I stated in my previous post about sources and I'll link you direct so you can see for yourself and make your own decision.
This article tries to be more objective and covers both sides of the argument.
This one is particularly scathing about Dairy. It also has 65 sources.
Sure some of sources seem crazy! But they boast they same information as not crazy, credible sources.
With all this information I want you to think for yourself. If you're interested I want you to read these, but not just these. I would encourage your own research. Ask questions! Why do we drink another animals milk? meant for their babies? That their babies stop drinking? Why are we the only animals that drink another animal's baby milk? Where do those strong boned cows get their calcium? Why is raw milk illegal in America but sold in vending machines in France? What is rBGH?
This was a really challenging idea to accept when I came across it, but I was open and desired a better life. With changes like this in a diet I feel very strongly that its important to take baby steps. Yes, een now seven years later I sometimes cheat. Yes even when I decided that I was going to stop entirely it took me at least a year to work out what to eat, and several years to take the parmesan out of my spaghetti habit. My diet was based on ice cream and cheese. These were my favorite foods. To find out that they were bad for me was devastating. I knew I was making a choice that would effect my entire life, and I knew that after a while of not eating my favorite foods I wouldn't even like them anymore. After you stop polluting your body with something that is bad for it and your body realizes there are other sources for the same few nutrients you were recieving from that food source, you stop wanting to eat it. I wasn't certain I wanted that to happen to me, but after weighing the good and bad I knew what I wanted more.
If you want some diet advice I would say, decide what you want to do, keep reminders around the house of it, and take baby steps. Its hard to change drastically. Start small and keep going.
So maybe this idea feels hopeless. Where do you get calcium if not from dairy products? Vegetables! Any google search for 'vegetables calcium' will provide you ample lists of sources, but again, I don't want to make you work for it if you're not interested, so I'll just provide a short list of links about where to find calcium in vegetables.
Vegan Blog (with some decent sources)
Also, you seem to have a lovely PUStache
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