The White Lie

One of the main food items frequently consumed is cow's milk and its various products. There's no doubt that milk and its derivatives are very tasty. They can even be used to make delicious ice creams, cakes, quiches, and more. The question is: Is the centrality of milk and its products truly justified?

I'll start with a story: A patient came to me who had suffered from recurrent throat infections for years. Every winter, he would fall ill with a throat infection, having an episode every month. I asked him if he also suffered from a runny nose - his answer was he had been constantly dealing with it for many years, winter and summer. When I asked if he consumed dairy products, he replied that he loved them and ate them a lot. I suggested he stop consuming dairy products for about two months. The results were not long in coming: very soon, the runny nose began to decrease, and he did not experience a throat infection during this period, which was certainly a refreshing change for him.

He asked me where he would get calcium from, as milk and its products are known to be rich in it. I replied that there are many foods with calcium levels no less high than milk, such as tahini from whole sesame, almonds, cabbage, and more. In light of this, he decided on his own to minimize his dairy consumption to the minimum, and for several years, he has almost not suffered from throat infections. Like this person, there are many others who suffer from various allergies such as spring allergies, skin, and more, and when they avoid dairy products, they usually feel relief quite quickly. Even people with different digestive issues feel a change when they avoid various dairy products.

There are various reasons for the issues arising from consuming dairy products, which I won't expand on in this article. I'll just note that experience shows many people are sensitive to dairy, and it's advisable for those who feel they have a tendency towards this sensitivity to avoid it for a certain period and see how they feel after a dairy-free diet. Therefore, to get calcium in food, one can eat, for example, tahini in various forms, such as in a salad or in a tasty spread of tahini with a bit of honey that gives a natural halva taste. You can blend the tahini with honey with water for a tasty and nutritious milk-like drink.

Eliahu Shechter is an iridologist and natural therapist