Every time I start the dairy-free talk with my patients for the first time, the response is always, “ What?! What do you mean no cheese?”
I promise I am not trying to make everyone’s life miserable by taking away one of America’s most beloved foods. There’s a good reason why dairy is a no-no (at least in my world) when you are trying to conceive.
Dairy & Trying to Conceive
Traditional Chinese Medicine believes that eating excess amount of dairy products such as milk, yogurt and cheese will lead to accumulation of phlegm and mucus. That means the organ system directly affected is the Spleen. As you have read in some of my other blog posts, Spleen supplies energy to the rest of the body, including the reproductive organs. It is adversely affected by cold and raw foods, and dairy.
There are two types of phlegm. One type is what you see when you cough or sneeze. The other type is the sneaky one, and it hides deep within the body for long periods of time. Take extra phlegm from dairy, add the stress of modern-day life, and you’ve got the perfect formula for ovarian cysts, fibroids, endometriosis, polyps, and tubal obstruction. (All of which are obstacles to conception.) Even if you don’t end up with cysts, the phlegm can weigh you down. Many people experience fatigue and lack of energy as a result.
What You Can Do
So what am I supposed to eat, you might ask? First, start with eliminating the dairy products in your life. You can substitute almond milk for cow’s milk, take the cheese off sandwiches, and hold off on the cream in sauces and soups. Secondly, explore recipes that don’t require dairy. There are lots of cookbooks online these days that are devoted to Paleo-Diet followers who do not use dairy, grain or gluten. You might find that through this process, you end up eliminating lots of refined carbohydrates and sugar from your diet as a result.
Most people report that they feel “lighter” as soon as they cut out dairy. Your body will begin to kick out the phlegm that’s hiding and start the healing process. When it comes to fertility and conception, this means that you can greatly improve your chances!
