Dairy includes food items such as milk, cheese, yogurt, and ice cream. Antioxidants are found in foods such as dark berries, tea, coffee, and nuts. Antioxidants help fight against oxidative stress in our bodies. Combining these two food sources together, though, changes the health benefits.
Antioxidants help fight against a host of health conditions, including premature-aging, heart disease, cancer, and dementia. That is why we need these antioxidants to maximize our health. Our bodies go through several processes a day that cause oxidative stress and the formation of free radicals. These free radicals cause damage to our underlying tissues. For instance, if you get a sunburn, oxidative stress to the tissues will cause the burn. Antioxidants help neutralize the free radicals and protect against oxidative stress.
Unfortunately, if we are eating these antioxidants with dairy products, the amazing health benefits are diminished. Dairy products have a protein called casein. Casein, a slower digesting protein, is responsible for giving milk its color. Casein also binds easily to antioxidants. This binding does not allow our body to absorb the antioxidants, therefore making them ineffective in our system.
That is why it is important to consume antioxidant rich foods in absence of any dairy products. If you happen to eat any dairy, then try to wait a couple of hours for the food to fully digest before eating foods rich in antioxidants.
Here is a list of foods that you should avoid with dairy:
- coffee
- green tea
- dark chocolate
- blueberries, cranberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries
- chestnuts, walnuts, pecans
- cinnamon
- ginger, turmeric
- sage, thyme, oregano
Dairy does not have to be eliminated completely from your diet, although a lot of individuals have seen amazing health benefits when doing so. Just be sure to get the maximum benefit from the healthy food choices you are trying to eat. Good luck and enjoy!
Dr Spencer Charlet
Mooresville Chiropractor
704-663-7625
