Although, as a vegetarian, I felt energetic and healthy most of the time, I became concerned because I would become inexplicably ill with flu-like symptoms 2 or 3 times a year. Although not life-threatening, coughing, fever, congestion, headaches, and sore throats weren’t pleasant experiences. In 2010, my brother Arthur, who lives in New York City and is now in his 90s, spoke to me about his whole food plant-based diet, which he had been following for more than 20 years. He suggested that the dairy might be causing the congestion and other symptoms I was experiencing. He recommended that I give plant-based nutrition a try. My initial reaction was “forget about it.” I couldn’t imagine living without cheese, especially pizza, yogurt, and ice cream. So I continued with the dairy and the accompanying illnesses for several years.
One day, Arthur recommended “The China Study,” by Dr. T. Colin Campbell, who was a recipient of the Jacob Gould Schurman Professor Emeritus of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University. With over 2 million copies sold, the book is considered one of the most comprehensive studies of nutrition ever conducted. The 20-year study in China was enough to convince me of dairy’s links to osteoporosis, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and prostate cancer. Later on, I learned several interesting facts about cheese. In a world where processed foods are linked to high rates of chronic disease worldwide, cheese can be considered the reigning champion of ultra-processed foods. Milk is first pasteurized, then fermented by bacteria, coagulated with cow enzymes, separated into solids, salted, and aged. During this time, bacteria or other microbes further metabolize it. Later on, the cheese might be melted, or added to a pizza or casserole, then baked and salted again. Suppose you’re buying cheese produced in factory farms. In that case, you’re also consuming added growth hormones and antibiotics intended to prevent and spread disease from animal to animal. For people interested in losing weight, consider this: A cup of milk has 149 calories; a cup of melted cheddar has 986.
OUR ADDICTION TO CHEESE
Many people find it more challenging to give up cheese than meat. I was in that group. In a 2015 study by researchers at the University of Michigan, the question put to 384 people was, Which foods lead you to lose control over how much you eat? The results:
#2 – chocolate
#3 – chocolate chips
#4 – cookies
#5 – ice cream
Which food ended up #1 because it 1) is the most difficult to give up, 2) leads to overeating and weight gain, and 3) leaves one with a feeling of regret?
Pizza!!
The question is, why is that so?
There are three reasons: salt, fat, and opiates. We can agree that salt and fat are habit-forming. French fries, salted nuts, pretzels, and potato chips are a few examples that bring to mind a Lay’s potato chip commercial, “bet you can’t eat one.”
How much salt is in a pizza?
A slice of Domino’s pizza with toppings contains about 600 milligrams of salt. Three slices would be 1800 mg. This amount exceeds the recommended goal of 1500 mg for adults by the American Heart Association.
OPIATES IN CHEESE?
Casomorphin: An opioid peptide fragment released from casein proteins in milk during digestion.
It may be hard to believe, but casomorphin is an opiate compound present in the milk of nursing mammals. Dairy products, especially cheese, contain casomorphin. You may ask, what in the world are they doing there? Well, imagine if a calf or a human baby did not want to nurse. The results would not be good. So nature, in its infinite wisdom, placed this opiate in mother’s milk to reward the baby for nursing.
Opiates have a calming effect, and they also cause the brain to release dopamine, leading to a sense of reward and pleasure. The cheese industry knows all about cheese cravings and the potential of casomorphin to all but guarantee that you are a repeat customer.
MY TAKE:
If you feel that you’re hooked, you can take advantage of what we know about breaking or transforming habits. Suppose you’re addicted to cigarettes and want to break the habit. In that case, it’s much easier to avoid them than to smoke in moderation. The same is true with avoiding cheese. My strategy to give up dairy and cheese, 17 years ago, was to see myself as a healthier person who would no longer get sick every year. I successfully adopted a new identity, and it worked!
The good news is that, if you want to break away from cheese addiction, because of the long-term potential harm from chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and cancer, there are tasty and satisfying options.
There is an excellent variety of dairy-free cheeses made from tofu, cashews, almonds, tapioca, soy, coconut, nutritional yeast, and macadamia nuts. They are available in most health food stores and supermarkets. For less processed options, you can make alternative cheeses at home. There are recipes galore on the internet and in plant-based cookbooks.
