If healing your hormones was as easy as cutting out certain foods… wouldn’t most of us feel better by now? 

I have avoided gluten since 7th grade.

And guess what, I still have PCOS, I have still struggled with hormonal issues, irregular cycles, cycles without ovulation, and so much more.  It wasn’t the gluten that was the problem.

So when I was told by a practitioner to cut out both gluten (already was!) AND dairy… It was a solid no from me. Because I know that those issues run deeper. 

When it comes to dairy there are a lot of misconceptions out there. Partially because there’s a lot that’s difficult to understand and it’s confusing! 

Which is why I want to break down some of the rumors you may have heard and see if we can clear some things up, because you shouldn’t have to fear food for no reason. 

First, I want to say that if you have a lactose intolerance or a dairy allergy, then yes it is super important for you to avoid certain dairy products for lactose intolerance and all dairy products for a dairy allergy. 

But let’s jump into some rumors!

Rumor 1: Dairy causes inflammation

Dairy actually doesn’t “cause” inflammation. What it can do is exacerbate pre-existing inflammation. So removing dairy can sometimes improve symptoms, but they may still come back! This is why it’s super important to get to the root cause of your inflammation. 

Rumor 2: Dairy is bad for PCOS and endometriosis 

This goes back to the whole inflammation thing. Dairy can actually be beneficial for both of these concerns when used appropriately. 

In particular, dairy sources of probiotics such as yogurt and kefir may be helpful for reducing some inflammation and balancing blood sugar. Both of which are supportive for PCOS and endometriosis. 

Rumor 3: Dairy is bad for fertility 

Nope! In fact, whole fat dairy may even be supportive to fertility. In general, when all forms of dairy are taken into consideration, it actually doesn’t appear to make a big difference on fertility one way or the other. 

Dairy is a really good source of important nutrients for hormone health including vitamin D, vitamin B12, vitamin A, calcium, zinc, and selenium. 

For some people a short term removal of dairy products may help to improve some GI symptoms and be supportive to overall health. That being said the ultimate goal should be for you to have as varied of a diet as possible.

If you are cutting out dairy, it’s necessary to make sure that you are getting those super important nutrients from other foods!

Want more information on dairy, rumors, and the research? Make sure to check out this episode of the Hormone Bestie Podcast! 

Are you someone who is trying to do everything for their fertility? Including eating the right things, doing to right exercises and cutting out foods that you love?

Has clean eating made it hard for you to even enjoy food anymore? Maybe even spending hours planning meals? Scrutinizing nutrition labels, confused about what you should be looking for?

So many women have been told that simply “cleaning up” their diet will be the best thing for their fertility, but the truth is… it’s not.

“Clean eating” could actually be hurting your fertility instead of helping it. If you want to know more, I would love if you would join me for a masterclass on Why Clean Eating is Hurting Your Fertility!

You deserve to be supported on in your TTC journey and know exactly use food for fertility. 

Because the “typical” nutrition advice is not serving you.

We will talk about:

– The principles of clean eating

– Why it’s harmful to your fertility

– How to use some of these principles in a supportive way

– How to use nutrition to optimize your fertility

The masterclass will be this Saturday on February 25, at 9:00 AM MT, but don’t worry if you can’t be there live. I will send the recording to everyone who signs up!

I hope to see you there! Click here for the deets and to sign up and drop any questions in the comments!

Lots of love and happy hormones and fertility!

Erin

Want some research? Here you go!

1. Ulven SM, Holven KB, Gil A, Rangel-Huerta OD. Milk and Dairy Product Consumption and Inflammatory Biomarkers: An Updated Systematic Review of Randomized Clinical Trials. Adv Nutr. 2019;10(suppl_2):S239-S250. doi:10.1093/advances/nmy072
2. Hess JM, Stephensen CB, Kratz M, Bolling BW. Exploring the Links between Diet and Inflammation: Dairy Foods as Case Studies. Adv Nutr. 2021;12(Suppl 1):1S-13S. doi:10.1093/advances/nmab108
3. Guagnano MT, D’Angelo C, Caniglia D, et al. Improvement of Inflammation and Pain after Three Months’ Exclusion Diet in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients. Nutrients. 2021;13(10):3535. Published 2021 Oct 9. doi:10.3390/nu13103535
4. Tomaž Snoj, Gregor Majdič, MECHANISMS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY: Estrogens in consumer milk: is there a risk to human reproductive health?, European Journal of Endocrinology, Volume 179, Issue 6, Dec 2018, Pages R275–R286, https://doi.org/10.1530/EJE-18-0591
5. Sachi S, Ferdous J, Sikder MH, Azizul Karim Hussani SM. Antibiotic residues in milk: Past, present, and future. J Adv Vet Anim Res. 2019;6(3):315-332. Published 2019 Jul 11. doi:10.5455/javar.2019.f350
6. DiNicolantonio JJ, O’Keefe JH, Wilson W. Subclinical magnesium deficiency: a principal driver of cardiovascular disease and a public health crisis [published correction appears in Open Heart. 2018 Apr 5;5(1):e000668corr1]. Open Heart. 2018;5(1):e000668. Published 2018 Jan 13. doi:10.1136/openhrt-2017-000668
7. González F, Considine RV, Abdelhadi OA, Acton AJ. Saturated Fat Ingestion Promotes Lipopolysaccharide-Mediated Inflammation and Insulin Resistance in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2019;104(3):934-946. doi:10.1210/jc.2018-01143
8. Janiszewska J, Ostrowska J, Szostak-Węgierek D. Milk and Dairy Products and Their Impact on Carbohydrate Metabolism and Fertility-A Potential Role in the Diet of Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. Nutrients. 2020;12(11):3491. Published 2020 Nov 13. doi:10.3390/nu12113491
9. Harris HR, Chavarro JE, Malspeis S, Willett WC, Missmer SA. Dairy-food, calcium, magnesium, and vitamin D intake and endometriosis: a prospective cohort study. Am J Epidemiol. 2013;177(5):420-430. doi:10.1093/aje/kws247
10. 10.2527/R. J. Collier, D. E. Bauman, Update on human health concerns of recombinant bovine somatotropin use in dairy cows, Journal of Animal Science, Volume 92, Issue 4, April 2014, Pages 1800–1807, https://doi.org/10.2527/jas.2013-7383.2013-7383